Toll in Condom Plan Prison Riots Rises to 6

Six inmates were killed in three days of prison riots sparked by a government official’s proposal to distribute condoms to inmates and guards, authorities said. Police said two inmates were stabbed and burned to death as jail guards returned to work at two prisons after a strike sparked by the condom proposal. Guards said the proposal implied that they were homosexuals. Commissioner of Corrections John Prescod agreed to hand over his duties to a deputy amid calls for his ouster. His proposal to issue condoms to inmates and guards as a means of controlling the spread of the virus that causes AIDS touched off the riots. Prisoners who were attacked were accused by fellow inmates of being homosexuals, police said.