Attica Correctional Facility
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What is the Attica Correctional Facility?
The Attica Correctional Facility, constructed in 1931 in Attica, New York, was among the last "big house" prisons built in the United States. New York state officials hoped this modern, secure facility would resolve inmate issues following riots at state prisons in 1929. The facility had a seemingly impenetrable wall, standing 30 feet tall and 2 feet thick, and was topped with guard towers.
In the 1960s and 70s, the prison population largely consisted of poor men from New York cities, with approximately two-thirds being Hispanic or African American. The correction officers were primarily white men from rural New York. Tensions permeated the prison due to ethnic and cultural differences, coupled with administratorsā fear of unrest. In September 1971, inmates took control, held hostages, and made demands, but the uprising was suppressed by state troopers. The events at Attica led to increased awareness of the need for correctional policy changes and recognition of prisonersā rights.
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Where is the Attica Correctional Facility located?
The Attica Correctional Facility is located in Attica, New York. Constructed in 1931, it was among the last so-called big house prisons built in the United States and was the most expensive penal facility of its day.
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Who lives and works at Attica Correctional Facility?
The Attica Correctional Facility is a prison in Attica, New York. Constructed in 1931, it was considered the most expensive penal facility of its time.
During the 1960s and 70s, the prison population largely consisted of poor men from New York cities, with approximately two-thirds of the 1,200-plus inmates being Hispanic or African American. The corrections officers were primarily white men from rural New York.
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Why is Attica Correctional Facility well known in American history?
The Attica Correctional Facility is well-known in American history due to the Attica prison revolt of 1971, a watershed moment in United States corrections history.
Built in 1931, the prison was intended to solve inmate management issues but was plagued by harsh conditions, including overcrowding, inadequate medical care, and racial tensions between primarily white officers and a largely minority inmate population. On September 9, 1971, a riot erupted after guards attempted to discipline inmates, leading to inmates seizing control and taking hostages. After four days of negotiations, state troopers stormed the prison, resulting in the deaths of 29 inmates and 10 hostages. The uprising and the assault received intensive press coverage and sparked criticism, raising awareness of the need for corrections policies and prisonersā rights.
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What happened during the Attica prison uprising in 1971?
In September 1971, inmates at the Attica Correctional Facility, a New York maximum-security prison, seized control, demanding better living conditions. The prison, built in 1931, was overcrowded and had a tense atmosphere due to racial and cultural differences between the largely Black and Hispanic inmate population and the White correctional officers.
After four days of negotiation, authorities ordered state troopers to retake the prison. The assault resulted in 29 inmates and 10 hostages dead; almost 90 more were wounded. The events at Attica drew national attention to the need for prison reform and prisonersā rights.
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How did the events at Attica affect prison reform and laws in the United States?
The Attica prison revolt significantly influenced prison reform and awareness of prisonersā rights in the United States. The uprising, which occurred due to severe overcrowding, racial tensions, and inhumane conditions, led to demands for improved living conditions.
The events at Attica, marked by a violent retaking of the prison that resulted in many deaths, garnered intensive press coverage and liberal criticism, raising awareness across the country about the conditions that led to the uprising. Commentators at the time viewed what happened as evidence of the need for sweeping changes in corrections policies and a greater need to recognize prisonersā rights. In the years following the uprising, investigations and reports detailed the conditions that had led to the revolt and were strongly critical of the authoritiesā handling of the crisis.
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Attica Correctional Facility, prison in Attica, New York, one of the last so-called big house prisons built in the United States. Constructed in 1931, it was the most expensive penal facility of its day.
New York state officials believed that a modern secure facility would solve the problems that they were experiencing with inmates in the wake of a pair of serious riots at state prisons in 1929. The facility included a seemingly impenetrable wall that was 2 feet (0.6 metre) thick, 30 feet (9 metres) tall, and topped with more than a dozen guard towers. Conditions for prisoners at Attica were harsh. Inmates spent at least 14 hours each day in their cells. Cramped cells, bad food, inadequate medical care, minimal recreation, and lack of employment training contributed to a dehumanizing atmosphere.
The prisonās population in the 1960s and ā70s mainly consisted of poor men from New York cities. An estimated two-thirds of the 1,200-plus Attica inmates were Hispanic or African American. The corrections officers, drawn from the local community, were mostly white men who had been raised in rural New York; only one of them was Hispanic. Prison authorities banned political organizations and were particularly hostile to Black Muslims, forbidding them to hold religious services. These ethnic and cultural differences, coupled with administratorsā fear of unrest, created a sense of tension that permeated the prison community. Administrators knew inmates were angry about conditions at the prison. In the summer of 1971, prisoners staged a number of peaceful protests. Inmates united to voice their complaints to Commissioner of Correctional Services Russell Oswald, who visited the prison in early September but was called away before enacting any changes.
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On September 8, 1971, correctional officers tried to discipline two inmates who appeared to be fighting, which sparked a protest. The following day a riot broke out. Inmates took control of the cell blocks and seized more than 40 hostages. One corrections officer sustained a lethal injury in the takeover, and three inmates were killed by fellow prisoners in subsequent days. Black Muslim inmates stepped in to protect the hostages during negotiations with Commissioner Oswald. The insurrection continued for four days. Oswald agreed to most of the prisonersā demands but refused to grant the ācomplete amnestyā that was requested. He informed inmates that an assault would take place unless the hostages were released. On September 13, Oswald, with the approval of Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, ordered state troopers to retake the facility by force. Twenty-nine inmates and 10 hostages were killed in the assault; inmates accounted for the overwhelming majority of the almost 90 wounded.
The Attica uprising became a watermark in United States corrections history, in large part because intensive press coverage and liberal criticism of the assault made people across the country aware of the uprising and the conditions that led to it. Commentators saw the events as evidence of a need for sweeping changes in corrections policies and a greater need to recognize prisonersā rights. The prison was sold by Gov. Mario Cuomo in 1991 to the stateās Urban Development Corporation for $242 million, a move that allowed the state to cover a budget shortfall by, in essence, borrowing against itself.