California, August 10: An overnight riot at the California Institution for Men in Chino has left more than 250 inmates injured, says a spokesman for the prison.
Prison Spokesman Lt. Mark Hargrove said that 55 inmates were hospitalized as a result of the riot which erupted at around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday and continued through 7:00 a.m. on Sunday, CNN reported.
The institution is a medium-security housing facility with seven units – one of which was set ablaze during the melee.
Pepper spray, “less lethal force, and lethal force options” was used to bring the situation under control, Hargrove said in a written statement.
Following the incident, visiting privileges were suspended, and the institution was placed on lockdown pending an investigation into the cause of the riot.
The prisoners suffered injuries ranging from slashes and stab wounds to head trauma with some reported to be in a critical condition, Hargrove said.
The incident comes a week after a board of US federal judges favored reducing cash-strapped California’s prison population over what they called ‘appalling’ conditions stemmed from the state’s budget crisis.
According to the ruling, around 43,000 captives would be freed to reduce the burden on the state’s economy which suffers from a USD 26 billion budget deficit.
This is while Hargrove said that the mishap was not an isolated incident whereas a similar riot had broken out in December of 2006.
—–Agencies