Historical Spotlight: Attica Prison Riot
In society, prison is used to punish people who commit crimes, break laws, or need to be separated from the general public. However, oftentimes prisoners are subjected to unhygienic environments, subpar healthcare, and dangerous situations riddled with violence. Humans can only take being caged up and abused for so long before the inevitable happens and someone snaps. Join me as we shine a Historical Spotlight on the Attica State Prison Riot, one of the most famous and deadliest prison uprisings in history.
In 1971, the Attica State Correctional Facility in upstate New York was infamous for its harsh conditions and inhumane treatment. It was a maximum security facility built in 1931 as a response to earlier riots throughout other New York state prisons. Inmates received only one bucket of water a week as a “shower”, were given only one bar of soap and one roll of toilet paper per month, and spent at least 14 hours each day in their cramped cells.
The prison was also severely overcrowded. While it was originally built to house only 1,200 inmates, its population grew to numbers upwards of 2,200. The same racial disparities that plagued society outside of the prison were seen within its walls. The Black inmates, which represented 54% of the population, were severely mistreated and abused by guards. They received the lowest-paying jobs available, frequently had their mail read, and Black Muslims in particular were often stopped from holding religious services amongst each other.
Due to these conditions, there was a sense of tension that permeated the prison. In the summer of 1971, a group of prisoners staged a number of peaceful protests and united to voice their complaints to the Commissioner of Correctional Services. Among their 30 requests for reforms and better living conditions were more frequent showers, more toilet paper, more visits, and less censorship of their mail.
After getting a response from the Commissioner that the reforms would take more time, the prisoners took over the facility on September 9th by taking more than 40 guards as hostages. One of the guards died after getting injured during the takeover, and the prisoners were fearful of getting charged with murder. During negotiations with the Commissioner, the inmates asked for complete amnesty to protect them from getting additional charges added to their sentences, but their request was ultimately denied by the authorities.
The uprising unfortunately ended with over 500 state troopers and law enforcement officers violently retaking the prison on September 14, 1971. Officers used tear gas to conceal their positions and then started blindly firing into the prison, not caring what, or who, they hit. A total of 10 hostages and 39 prisoners were killed, all by officer gunfire. At least 90 inmates were injured, but it’s suspected that the total number was in the hundreds. Those that were recaptured were brutally retaliated against.
At the time, many prisons housed revolutionaries like George Jackson, Malcolm X, the Black Panthers, and others who inspired social change through their messaging. Of course, this rhetoric was seen as a danger and the government didn’t want the prisoners to start organizing amongst themselves. The FBI even started spying on many of these powerful voices to keep tabs on and infiltrate any movement that gained traction.
Once the public learned of the Attica Riot, protests and other riots sparked in prisons across the country. There were at least 13 reported rebellions in New York, Indiana, Michigan, Georgia, and other states. On September 17, a militant left-wing organization called the Weather Underground even launched a retaliatory attack on the New York Department of Corrections by exploding a bomb near the Commissioner’s office.
Unfortunately, no one was prosecuted for the deaths in Attica. No one was punished for the horrid conditions and inhumane treatment inflicted upon the inmates. Some of the surviving prisoners started a lawsuit that lasted 25 years, but they only received a $12 million settlement for the abuse they had suffered. If you ask me, that’s not nearly enough for the insane conditions they and their families had to live through.
Conditions in the facility got better immediately after the uprising, but were reverted during the “tough on crime” era of the 1980s and 1990s. The 1994 Crime Bill eliminated all Pell Grants for prisoners, effectively stripping them of their access to higher education programs. Overcrowding worsened dramatically and inmates continued getting brutally beaten by guards.
The abuse and mistreatment exposed by the Attica State Prison Riot poses a very valid question that America hasn’t completely answered yet. Who fights for the people that society has deemed unworthy of being saved? While there are murderers and child abusers in some prisons, there are also people who have been convicted of committing nonviolent crimes who end up suffering unnecessarily. Where is their justice?
The prison industrial complex is a modern, reincarnation of slavery emphasized by the 13th Amendment. It’s built on taking advantage of people based on their race and social class. The legal system is quick to incarcerate a Black men for the simplest of infractions while instituting a ridiculously difficult way of absolving oneself of any petty crimes committed or even clearing your name if you’re falsely accused. Reforming the system is the only way to truly stop the abuse seen in prisons across the country.
If you enjoyed this episode, let me know by giving this video a thumbs up, leaving a comment, and subscribing to my channel. I’ll see you in the next episode!
Signed,
Jessica Marie
