Prison riot

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The aftermath of the 1988 riots at Fremantle, Western Australia.
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The aftermath of the 1988 riots at Fremantle, Western Australia.

A prison riot is a riot that occurs in a prison, usually when those incarcerated rebel openly against correctional officials. It is usually instigated by prisoners who claim that the administration are degrading them, either by direct physical, or psychological force. Riots may also be caused by poor living standards, such as improper plumbing, lack of exercise time, or a lack of educational faculities, or the privilege of attending them. A prison riot can also occur because the criminal element housed inside prisons simply want to be disorderly.

Canadian bank robber and author, Roger Caron chronicled the 1971 Kingston Penitentiary riots in his book Bingo! The Horrifying Eyewitness Account of a Prison Riot which was published in 1985. The book details the release of rage and chaos that ensued after five hundred inmates rioted and destroyed much of the prison.

[edit] List of prison riots