NCJ Number
107128
Journal
Justice Issues Volume: 2 Issue: 1 Dated: (Winter 1987) Pages: 53-64
Date Published
1987
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study compares prison riots in Canadian and U.S. correctional institutions between 1971 and 1983.
Abstract
Authorities in Canada and each U.S. State were asked to provide information on number of riots, reported causes, hostages, injuries to inmates and staff, property damage, riot duration, and how riots ended. The study defined prison riots as 'incidents involving 15 or more inmates and resulting in damage to property and/or physical injury.' Between 1971 and 1983, 247 riots occurred in the United States, and 32 occurred in Canada. The Select Committee on Crime (U.S. Congress, 1973) listed the factors in prison riots as inadequate staff, rural prison location, inmate overcrowding, lack of rehabilitative educational programs, meaningless employment, and insufficient vocational training. Escape was the major cause of prison riots in Canada over the study period, and racial issues were primary in U.S. prison riots. More hostages, more injuries to staff, and more injuries to inmates were reported by U.S. institutions than by Canadian institutions. Extensive property damage resulted from riots in both countries. The majority of the riots in both countries lasted longer than 12 hours, and the trend in both countries is to use force instead of negotiation to end riots. Strategies for preventing riots include inmate grievance mechanisms, inmate councils, and improved staff training. 7 figures and 6 references.