Nebraska Prison Riot - Two inmates were found dead and several people were found injured Monday after a maximum security prison in southeast Nebraska suffered a wild uprising Sunday. The facility is now under control by officials again.
On Monday afternoon, the two inmates who were killed after the Nebraska prison riot were identified as Donald Peacock, 46, and Shon Collins, 46. Both men were serving long sentences for sex crimes, including sexual assault on a child, reported the New York Times.
The men appear to have died from injuries caused by the other inmates from the Nebraska prison riot.
"Two inmates have been found dead in one of the housing units," said Director Scott R. Frakes of the state Department of Correctional Services. "The cause of death is unknown at this time. However, it appears to be caused by other inmates."
During the Nebraska prison riot Sunday, the inmates were able to take control of two housing units at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution. These include staff offices, though inmates weren't able to breach the units' control centers.
The incident also led to two staff members and two inmates' injuries, according to the state Department of Correctional Services.
The Nebraska prison riot began when staff members tried to break up a large gathering of inmates in front of a housing unit, said James Foster, a department spokesman, in a statement.
On Sunday, smoke was visible from the two housing units, while driveways to the prison had been blocked, according to the Lincoln Journal Star. By Sunday evening, prison officials said the facility's exterior had already been secured and all the staff had been accounted for.
Two to three housing units sustained smoke and water damage, as well as broken windows, ceiling tiles and cameras from the Nebraska prison riot. A wall had also been torn down, according to KETV Omaha.
Staff members were assaulted, but none suffered life-threatening injuries, according to Corrections Director Scott Frakes
The Nebraska State Patrol is still investigating the deaths of the two inmates, Peacock and Collins, after the Nebraska prison riot.
Officers eventually regained full control of the facility that houses 11 death row inmates and by early Monday, there was no more smoke seen. Employees have also been allowed entrance to the facility.
No escapes were reported from the Nebraska prison riot.
The alarming incident Sunday was reportedly the second violent episode at a Nebraska prison during the weekend. Two guards were injured Saturday after "a series of inmate-on-inmate altercations" at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln.
Tecumseh State Correctional Institution, which opened in 2001 in Johnson County and located about 60 miles southwest of Lincoln, houses 960 beds, according to the Associated Press.
The Nebraska prison riot has put to light a current significant concern at Tecumseh - understaffing, according to Mike Marvin, executive director of the Nebraska Association of Public Employees, a union representing state corrections officers.
Tecumseh's remote location have made hiring and retaining guards at the prison a challenge. It also led sometimes to limited staffing and mandatory overtime shifts. Marvin added that this could create dangerous working conditions.
"People go to work there and then they get stuck working 16-hour days several days a week," said Marvin. "And they can't plan any of their family events, and they quit, which makes the situation worse."
According to Director Frakes, the Tecumseh facility was understaffed at the time of the Nebraska prison riot, however he added that it is the least crowded of Nebraska's prisons.
All Nebraska prisons are overcrowded, according to state data. Apparently, the corrections department has already faced lawsuits from inmates regarding poor treatment and dangerous conditions.
The Nebraska prison riot is the only one of its scale in recent memory, said Marvin. He also warned state lawmakers that prisons had too many inmates and not enough guards.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
