What actions unite inmates as a
mob?
For whatever reasons, a riot jumped off on July 1,
2015, at the ASPC Kingman Complex – by reading preliminary reports “leaked” by
DOC employees, there appears to be a culture not willing to take the blame for
the riot or whatever happened during
this disturbance. Governor Ducey has ordered a full probe or investigation on
this matter, and we will have to wait and see what this report contains and how
thorough it will be regarding the root causes of this riot. One thing is for
certain; inmates unleashed an attack that was violent and well organized in the
sense of unity, cooperation and targets. The reason for their involvement is
yet to be determined but there are always root causes that lead to such attacks
that are predominantly shared in almost every riot recorded. Another thing that
was certain was the fact that there was a mob mentality present those first
three days inside the Kingman prison complex – although a mob mentality doesn’t
always lead to violence, this was not the case for this disturbance. Staff were
the primary targets and should send a very serious message to the
administration as to how the employees became the focus of this rage and
destruction that took place inside this privately owned prison.
A common thread that pulls people together in unity and work them into a
frenzy are issues about social injustice, treatment, freedoms, rights and
victimization. When such issues boil, the riot
is quite predictable as to ‘something is going to happen’ and eventually it
does. A mob mentality can often also be called a ‘herd mentality’ as they unite
and become one in a very large crowd. Regardless of race, color, religious or
other preferences or traditions, a herd is rare inside prisons unless there is
a common root value or values disrupting their own individual needs or desires
thus gathering them for one common cause – change. One has to ask, what would
cause inmates to defy physical violence, chemical agents, and the use of
non-lethal weapons and eventually placed in isolation for the participation.
One could suggest desperation is one avenue of thinking, however, there is more
to the reasons why they united and defied authority and power structures and
infrastructures those days of the riot. The
main dialog of concern should be “exploitation of the environment.”
Before it is not mentioned anywhere else, there are
artificial causes or reasons for such mob or herd mentalities. Most of the
time, when inmates act what if called out-of-character, there are strong
suspicions of use and abuse of drugs, homebrew alcohol, and other mind-altering
substances which may have contributed to some of the violence but not entirely
the blame or cause of such behaviors. The triggers serve as a means to act out
and demonstrate resistance and defiance to authority and power structures which
in most normal circumstances, controls the environment. There is strong suspect
drugs are rampantly available and used to alter moods and stimulate ‘high’ and
‘lows’ depending on the need or addiction.
When inmates set aside race or color and
demonstrate hatred and extreme disobedience or insubordination, there are
factors to consider that may have ‘stoked the fire.’ Molding a like-minded mob
or herd is usually pushed by leaders chanting brutality and bold risk taking
behaviors. Leaders who may have collaborated or planned such a resistance plan
well-ahead of the actual days of the riot. It is certain there were no race or
color indifferences fueled during this riot. In fact, quite the opposite as it
was staff versus inmates and that indicates another matter of concern that is
very disturbing. Another fact quickly
gleaned was the absence of religious extremism with the exception of Muslims
celebrating the Ramadan and engaging in violence and destruction of property
for reasons yet to be determined by the main report.
One has to examine that possibility as the
conditions for the riot on this specific incident were ideal and in favor of
the inmates and not staff until sufficient resources arrived to retake the
institution and implement control, containment and count them for
accountability purposes. It truly
epitomizes what can happen when extremism and mobs collide. In fact, this incident
could be a significant factor in the end of the report when all is summarized
and examined.
The first report indicating 200 to 300 inmates
grouping up to assault another inmate should have triggered an assessment which
would have indicated a potential conflict either pending or imminently upcoming
as the time passed. Omitting the details of this first trigger to the
destruction of the minimum custody level dormitories since that information was
not released except via photographs, it is fair to say, even with the flimsiest
evidence or accusatory perceptions, their anger, frustrations and destruction
was focused on property and not staff except for the initial contact to ‘chase’
the inmate who sought safety amongst the staff present and the staff were attacked.
Perhaps the most bizarre part was the fact the
inmate ‘chased’ was an addictive drug user who allegedly owed a large debt and
that he was subjected to peer punishment for owing this debt and was in great
condition of vulnerability and risked being killed if he had not remained so
close to the staff who were releasing him back into general population with a
welcoming crowd gathering to meet him. The
herd leaders remain in a perpetual state of instability and vulnerability,
always trying to get to the top, remain influential and letting the moods of
others not cloud their judgment and thrive on inciting more
actions as the mood calms down and order appears to appear. The recreation
yards are breeding grounds for herd mentality. Not only is it easy for rec
field users to find throngs of other individuals who share their brand of
crazy, but it shields everyone under a cloak of anonymity, which gives people the freedom to let go of their social restraints.
The second trigger was an “aggressive” inmate
interfering with staff and complaining about conditions that did not seem to
impact him personally but did impact those inmates attending Ramadan ceremonies
and waiting to eat their sunset meal after fasting all day. Whether or not this
was triggered by religious reason is not unknown, however, once the chemical
agents were deployed, the Ramadan inmates engaged in violent and destructive
behaviors, a complete opposite expectation for the religious group to act
during such ceremonious times. Having total disregard for a copious amount of staff
present due to the first fight at another housing unit, this group openly and
brazenly defied authority and staff presence and commenced to destroy and
attack staff regardless of the command presence of special tactics groups and
staff.
Roaming virtual gangs harass others in group forums
while picking up supporters along the way. It leads to rude, racist,
homophobic, and threatening that the harassers would never say in during
‘normal’ environmental conditions however, the strategy appears to have been
premediated and preplanned thus an agenda had already formed.
Pre-Riot Conditions –
- Holiday weekend pending
- Low staffing
- Weak administration
- No “voice” for the inmates
Corrections administrators bear
sole responsibility for the preparation and deployment of correctional
enforcement assets. Their ability to recognize, react swiftly to unfolding
events is critical – it is suggested there were poor situational assessments and intelligence activities conducted and the
reaction was limited to the amount of staff available to respond. Corrections
administrators failed to meet professional standards on all levels. As a result
of the MTC organization operating with a known 15 % vacancy rate and with almost
one-third of their workforce inexperienced in the practice of crowd control and
containment during a riot – chaos and lawlessness ensured.
It is with a great deal of certainty,
MTC employees did not have the capacity to apply and enforce the majority of institutional
rules and regulations which had secondary negative impact on the environment.
It is also reasonable that in order to apply an arrest, detain and escort an
inmate, sufficient staff had to be present to control the situation and give an
appearance of control to the inmates to avoid further conflict or escalations.
It is highly likely, officers were told not to enforce the rules to a point
which placed them in some sort of personal danger. Therefore, they would
hesitate to enforce and engage when violations occurred unless they had the
“backup” required to make such an arrest safely and without further conflict.
It was likely officers received
instructions to be passive in nature or behaviors by supervisory staff and
management to avoid conflict and let the inmates ‘slide’ on minor report
infractions. This created a sense of boldness and lawlessness that empowers
them to take higher risks and become problematic in time. There are serious
questions asked about the conditions of gear, equipment and essential safety
equipment that would allow better hands on treatment or control mechanism to
exist. If the equipment or tools provided were incompatible with the needs of
the officers, they were likely discarded or not used when a need arises.
Working shorthanded and working
excessive hours or overtime impacts the effectiveness and morale of the men and
women in uniform. Fatigue influences morale, energy, thinking, strength, and
other factors determined to be side effects of sleep deprivation which in turn
results in poor decision making and controls turnover, absences, and other
negative feelings including the emotions of being ‘humiliated, dejected,
devalued, insulted and ignored” by the administration who don’t seem care about
them as much as they do about the inmates. This created an instant “us versus them” culture and attitude
whenever a supervisor or administrator was not present.
The overwhelming sentiment of
officers in the MTC workforce response to the riots was lacking in many areas
which were prompted for the need to call for emergency backup from local
resources until the DOC emergency response team arrived from state prisons deployed
24/7 whenever such a disturbance occurs. This caused a time lapse in their
ability to sustain control and prevent further physical damage to the facility
as inmates roamed freely to enter and engage various areas at will. Decisions
implemented by top MTC administrators and supervisors left officers in harm’s
way, making them vulnerable and susceptible to more attacks. The majority of
them did not get the necessary support to do their jobs effectively.
Factors for inmates to herd up or engage in a mob
mentality action – Despite
claims by the MTC or DOC organization that they are not failing their legal
responsibilities to deliver mandatory and essential programs or services, there
are few if not rare occasions a herd or mob mentality will unite for a common
cause and ignore racial, ethnic and religious cultural line.
Staff harassment and abuse of inmates – abusive behaviors by staff against inmates. Abuse
or harassment may include but not limited to racist and derogatory remarks.
Abusive use of disciplinary sanctions and isolation. Other actions include
arbitrary threats, taunting, bullying, threatening physical violence or
dispersing chemical agents and ‘attitude adjustments’ out of the main line of
vision. Disrespect, humiliation and degrading gestures or words add to the
tension of inmates feeling belittled and abused.
Arbitrary use of isolation and failure to protect
individuals from physical harm (protective custody) – inmates who are targeted arbitrarily to ‘control’
attitudes or behaviors are eventually released back into the population but not
without a level of humiliation or disrespect in front of the other inmates.
Locked up in isolation is punished received as a sanction for a report or in
some cases, arbitrarily ordered to take the inmate ‘off the yard” to teach them
a lesson in behaviors and manners. Locked up in a cell with no room for their
normal movement, they depend on staff to receive their food, showers, personal
hygiene, toilet paper and many other things that are vital, when denied, making
it harder for them to cope in a reasonable and orderly fashion. For 23 hours a
day, they are limited in space and freedom and lose their visitation privileges
temporarily until sanctions are completed or the housing has been changed back
to general population standards. Failure to protect charges occur whenever
someone is locked up for fighting and then released upon completing their time
without regard to the reason or extended liabilities involved in the fight.
There are often cases of retaliation where an individual is gang stomped and
sometimes killed when they return to the yard after doing their time in
isolation. Pleas for protective custody are ignored and risks are increased
when they are released and subject to assault or serious bodily harm.
Primary reasons for such
frustrations are legitimate and validated reasons for protective custody that
include nature of crime offenses [sex offenders], testimony against a
co-defendant or plea bargain for lesser time or charges, former law enforcement,
gang involvement, etc. – Although legitimately established and justified by
historical data, many are refused initial placements, until they are seriously
injured normally resulting in hospitalization or treatment of serious wounds,
injuries sustained.
Delayed
and inadequate medical care causes needless suffering – this is a long time
grievance or discrepancy that is constantly being violated and not corrected
within a reasonable time frame. Inmates feel these contractors are not
performing according to the terms of their contracts with the DOC and want
changes made to ensure better compliance and delivery of services mandated by
law and contract.
MTC Kingman incentivizes overcrowding – Kingman, like other private prisons, contain an
occupancy quota stipulating the facility will or must remain at least 90 %
capacity, with extra per prisoner payment up to 115 % capacity. Kingman and MTC
are the largest contract holders for one single prison complex. This is a
perverse incentive to admit, house and keep as many inmates as the DOC is
willing to send them and it often includes the use of housing areas not designed
for living and shortens the availabilities of personal hygiene, toilets,
showers and other amenities where privacy is a limited concern but the personal
space is encroached as well creating tension and unsanitary conditions adding
to health concerns and safety factors.
When cubicle space is reduced,
property is reduced or not issued, dormitories that were never intended to hold
as many have to lose encumbered space below the limits set for reasonable
occupation conditions and creates a “touch” feeling that is very personal and
intrusive for many who are exposed to these conditions and often results in
bedding put on the floors and gymnasium space rather than designed living space.
Interference with legal activities, mail
deliveries, property issues and stifling of dissent issues – interferences of essential programs and property
available for the respective custody levels are often modified from policies
and procedures. Shortages, restriction and hold-ups are arbitrarily done to
control information flow and frequency of service when shorthanded. Delays via
the inmate grievance process often ignored or delayed on purpose either
arbitrarily or as a means to retaliate for other reasons. This is determined to
be a course of action commonly taken to stifle the action or dissent of the
inmates on various issues that include legal, healthcare, caseworker, substance
abuse disciplinary etc.
Movement is restricted long delays for programming
– due to staff shortages, mass movements
are severely restricted even at a low security facility. This is complicated
with frequent body searches and delays that often infringe of the total amount
of time dedicated to programs, treatment or other authorized platforms.
Isolation from attorneys,
legal services, and advocacy organizations impedes external reform efforts – Kingman is geographically remote or isolated from the larger cities
creating unnecessary barriers by attorneys and advocacy organizations. Because volunteers or
outside advocacy groups are having difficult times making on-time arrivals and
schedules are inconsistent, this creates a stoppage or interruption when the
programs are cancelled due to staffing shortages or space restrictions.
Private prisons obscured
oversight status – the truth about what happens inside a
private prison often stays secret or hidden until a riot or other type of
disturbance causes a full review of conditions of confinement and causes. More
than often, there is insufficient oversight and accountability and exempts the
prison from normal intrusions or inspections. Oversight maintains controls over
policies, rules, and regulations intended to set baselines of safe and humane treatment in prisons. Meanwhile,
external oversight and accountability is frustrated by the isolation of inmates
from attorneys and legal services. DOC does not impose sufficient oversight and
accountability at prisons, thereby creating long term poor conditions and
eventually creating population that is frustrated and angry over living /
confinement conditions.
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