Topline
The U.S. federal prison system imposed a nationwide lockdown Monday following a purported gang-related altercation that left two inmates dead and another two injured—the latest incident in the prison system’s struggle with disorder and staffing shortages.
(Original Caption) Marion, Illinois: United States Penitentiary. (Photo by �� Steve … [+]
Key Facts
The lockdown affects the U.S.’s more than 120 federal prisons, forcing the system’s more than 100,000 inmates to remain in their cells with no visitation, though the Federal Bureau Of Prisons (BOP) told Forbes it expects the lockdown to be short-lived.
The lockdown was prompted by an incident that occurred Monday morning at a high-security prison in Beaumont, Texas, involving members of the MS-13 street gang, two unnamed sources told the Associated Press, which first reported on the lockdown.
Inmates Andrew Pineda, 34, and Guillermo Riojas, 54, were pronounced dead at a Texas hospital following the attack in Beaumont, and two other unnamed inmates were injured, the BOP told Forbes.
Riojas was sentenced to 456 months in prison for carjacking and interfering with interstate commerce, while Pineda was sentenced to 78 months for conspiracy.
Surprising Fact
The BOP last implemented a nationwide lockdown shortly before President Joe Biden’s inauguration about a year ago, citing “current events occurring around the country,” according to the AP.
Key Background
The prison in Beaumont, which houses nearly 1,400 male inmates, has struggled to maintain order due in part to a nationwide staffing shortage. In March, an inmate “walked away” from the prison’s satellite facility, an occurrence common enough that local law enforcement jokingly told the AP the facility has an “open-door policy.” The problems extend past Beaumont: In June, the AP reported 29 inmates had escaped from federal prisons across the country in the previous 18 months, though all of the breakouts occurred at minimum security camps. One notable consequence of the prison system’s staffing issues came in 2019, when Jeffrey Epstein—who was jailed in Manhattan while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges—died by suicide while under the watch of a federal prison guard who had reportedly worked five days’ worth of overtime.
Tangent
Last January, 14 alleged leaders of MS-13, also known as Mara Salvatrucha, were charged with terrorism offenses. The gang, which originated in Los Angeles in the 1970s and has factions in countries across North and Central America, has drawn the attention of the U.S. government for its violence and involvement in drug trafficking.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/masonbissada/2022/01/31/federal-prison-system-on-lockdown-following-deadly-gang-fight/