Officials Misjudged Inmate Unrest, Report on Pennsylvania Riots Says
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Prison administrators showed “serious misjudgments” in failing to heed warnings of inmate unrest at Camp Hill state prison, and in not securing the institution after the first of two nights of rioting, a report released Thursday concluded.
But Arlin Adams, a retired judge who headed the three-member investigating panel that issued the report, stopped short of recommending to Gov. Robert P. Casey that anyone be fired because of the October riots that destroyed half of the medium-security facility.
The 57-page report documents in detail how inmates indicated their plans for an uprising, and how administrators failed to appreciate the severity of the crisis.
It said corrections officials made critical mistakes after the first night of rioting by failing to conduct a shakedown of the inmates and failing to padlock cells.
Casey said he would act on the recommendations after discussing the report with Corrections Commissioner David Owens.
The prison near Harrisburg suffered $15 million in damage during rioting in late October. At least 122 people were injured and 26 guards were taken hostage.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
