Prison Guard Killed in Riot at Private Prison in Mississippi

From Talking Points Memo:

One guard was killed and 19 other people were injured on Sunday during a riot at a private Mississippi prison that holds illegal immigrants. The Associated Press reports that as many as 300 inmates, “some of them armed with makeshift weapons such as broomsticks,” were involved in the incident at the Adams County Correctional Facility in Natchez, Miss.

From the AP:

More than two dozen officers were held hostage at some point during the hours-long spate of violence Sunday, including a group of 15 who had to be rescued by special response teams, Adams County Sheriff Chuck Mayfield said. A gang fight set off the violence, the sheriff said. The guard was killed on the roof of one of the prison buildings.

Sixteen prison employees and three inmates were hurt during the incident.

The prison is owned and operated by the Correction Corporation of America (CCA), the nation’s largest private prison company. The Natchez facility houses around 2,500 adult males, most serving sentences for returning to the United States after being deported. The Federal Bureau of Prisons told the AP that the facility holds low-security inmates.

The guard who was killed, Catlin Carithers, was a 24-year-old senior correctional officer who joined the company in 2009.

In a statement on the company’s website, CCA President and CEO Damon Hininger said the Natchez facility was placed on lockdown following Sunday’s incident, and all inmates were accounted for. Hininger said an investigation into the incident will include the Federal Bureau of Prisons and other law enforcement officials. He also expressed sadness over Carithers’ death.