# Prison riot

A prison riot is an act of concerted defiance or disorder by a group of prisoners against the prison administrators, prison officers, or other groups of prisoners.
Academic studies of prison riots emphasize a connection between prison conditions (such as prison overcrowding) and riots, or discuss the dynamics of the modern prison riot. In addition, a large proportion of academic studies concentrate on specific cases of prison riots. Other recent research analyzes and examines prison strikes and reports of contention with inmate workers.

## Prison conditions

In the late 20th century, the analyses and conclusions presented to account for prison disturbances and riots began to shift and change based upon new studies and research. Initially, prison riots were considered irrational actions on the behalf of the prisoners. Nevertheless, there has been a shift in the form of explanation as external conditions like overcrowding are promoted by authorities as possible sources of causation.

## List of notable prison riots

The list does not include prisoner-of-war camps.
| Event | Date | Location | Death toll | Notes |
| Cooking Pot Uprising | 1846, July 1 | Penal colony of Norfolk Island, Australia | 4 officials killed | |
| | 1929, October 3 | Colorado State Penitentiary, Cañon City, Colorado, United States | 13 (5 inmates, 8 guards) | A majority of the physical plant was destroyed during the riot. |
| Battle of Alcatraz | 1946, May 2–4 | Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, Alcatraz Island, United States | 5 | |
| Kingston Penitentiary riot | 1954, August 14 | Kingston Penitentiary, Kingston, Ontario, Canada | 0 | Two-hour riot involving 900 inmates. Breakout attempt was foiled. Several buildings set on fire. $2 million in damages. 160 troops and a squad of police responded. |
| | 1954, September 22 | Missouri State Penitentiary, Jefferson City, Missouri, United States | 4 inmates | 29 injured, including 4 guards |
| Montana State Prison Riot | 1959, April 16–18 | Montana State Prison, Montana, United States | 3 | |
| | 1958, July 31 | Shita prison, Harod Valley, Israel | 13 (2 jailors and 11 inmates) | The most deadly prison riot in the history of Israel. The prisoners, most of them were Palestinian Fedayeen, assaulted the prison's duty officer, took control of the armory, and fought against the police reinforcements who arrived to the scene in order to suppress the rebellion. |
| Pulau Senang prison riot | 1963, July 12 | Pulau Senang, Singapore | 4 prison officers | |
| Kingston Penitentiary riot | 1971, April 14 | Kingston Penitentiary, Kingston, Ontario, Canada | 2 inmates | |
| | 1971, August 10 | Idaho State Penitentiary, Boise, Idaho, United States | 1 inmate | 2 buildings destroyed, in March 1973 another riot that left multiple buildings destroyed. |
| San Quentin 1971 riot | 1971, August 21 | San Quentin State Prison, San Quentin, California, United States | 6 | Riot between Black Guerrilla Family and Mexican Mafia |
| Attica Prison riot | 1971, September 9–13 | Attica Correctional Facility, Attica, New York, United States | 43 | |
| | 1973, July 27 | Oklahoma State Penitentiary, McAlester, Oklahoma, United States | 3 inmates | 21 injured, 24 buildings were damaged and only 4 buildings were left usable. Over $25 million in damages |
| August Rebellion | 1974, August | Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, Bedford Hills, New York, United States | 0 | Prisoners held 7 guards hostage and controlled parts of the prison for 2.5 hours. Twenty-five women were injured and twenty-four women were transferred to the Matteawan Complex for the Criminally Insane. |
| New Mexico State Penitentiary riot | 1980, February 2–3 | Penitentiary of New Mexico, Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States | 33 | Over 200 injured |
| Welikada prison massacre | 1983, July 25+27 | Welikada Prison, Sri Lanka | 56 (53 inmates and 3 officers) | |
| Fremantle Prison riot | 1988, January 14 | Fremantle prison, Fremantle, Australia | 0 | Prisoners created a fire and 5 officers were taken hostage. The fire caused $1.8 million in damage and unintentionally prevented the planned escape |
| | 1988, July 20 | Centro Penitenciario, Michoacán, Mexico | 10 inmates | 13 injured |
| Atlanta prison riots | 1987, November | United States Penitentiary, Atlanta and Federal Detention Center, Oakdale, United States | 1 | 250 injured |
| 1989 Davao hostage crisis | 1989, August 13–15 | Davao Metrodiscom, Davao City, Philippines | 21 (5 hostages and 16 prisoners) | |
| Leopoldov prison uprising | 1990, March | Leopoldov Prison, Leopoldov, Slovakia | 1 inmate | 40 injured (11 prison officers, 29 inmates) |
| 1990 Strangeways Prison riot | 1990, April 1–25 | Strangeways Prison, Manchester, England | 1 inmate | 194 injured (147 prison officers, 47 inmates), 25-day prison riot |
| Carandiru massacre | 1992, October 2 | Carandiru Penitentiary, São Paulo, Brazil | 111 | |
| | 1990, June | Robinson Correctional Institution, Enfield, Connecticut, United States | 0 | 300 to 400 inmates set fire to the mess hall and gymnasium |
| | 1993, Easter Sunday | Southern Ohio Correctional Facility, Scioto County, Ohio, United States | 10 (9 inmates, 1 officer) | |
| | 1994, July 12 | Robinson Correctional Institution, Enfield, Connecticut, United States | 2 inmates | 37 injured (35 inmates, 2 correctional officers) |
| Prison Six rebellion | 1997, August 9 | Prison Six, near Atlit, Israel | 0 | The most famous case of a military prison riot in Israel, started by three imprisoned soldiers who demanded more humane treatment from the staff. The rebellion changed the military police's approach to its prison service sector and led to improvements in the physical structure of military prisons, as well as in conditions for both jail instructors and prisoners. |
| Kalutara prison riots | 1997, December 12 | Kalutara, Sri Lanka | 3 | |
| Bindunuwewa massacre | 2000, October 24 | Bindunuwewa, Sri Lanka | 26 | |
| | 2001, May | Centro de Cumplimiento Peniteciario, Iquique, Chile | 28+ | 150 injured |
| | 2002, January 2 | Urso Branco prison, in Porto Velho, Brazil | 40 | |
| | 2003, April 5 | El Porvenir prison, La Ceiba, Honduras | 69 | |
| | 2004, May 16 | El Porvenir prison, La Ceiba, Honduras | 86 inmates | |
| | 2004, May 29–31 | Benfica prison, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 38 | |
| | 2004, August 19 | La Esperanza prison, San Salvador, El Salvador | 31 | 24 injured |
| | 2004, December 17 | Pul-e-Charkhi prison, Kabul, Afghanistan | 8 (4 inmates, 4 guards) | |
| | 2005, January | Camp Bucca, Umm Qasr, Iraq | 4 inmates | 6 injured |
| | 2005, March 15 | Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig, Philippines | 23 (22 inmates, 1 officer) | Almost all Abu Sayyaf members who rose up, including several leaders, were killed |
| | 2005, August | Pavón Prison / Granja Pino Canada / El Hoyon, Guatemala | 35 | |
| | 2006, February | North County Correctional Facility, Castaic, California, United States | 1 inmate | 100+ injured |
| | 2006, February 26 | Pul-e-Charkhi prison, Kabul, Afghanistan | 7+ | |
| | 2007, January 7 | Apanteos jail, near Santa Ana, El Salvador | 21 | |
| | 2007, December | Santa Ana prison, San Cristobal, Tachira, Venezuela | 30 inmates | |
| | 2008, March 28 | Federal Correctional Institution, Three Rivers, Live Oak County, Texas, United States | 1 inmate | 22 injured |
| | 2008, April 20 | United States Penitentiary, Florence High, Florence, Colorado, United States | 2 inmates | A large scale race riot erupted between white supremacist inmates and black inmates, resulting in 2 deaths and 5 serious injuries. |
| | 2008, October 20 | Cedes prison, Reynosa, Mexico | 21+ | 8 injured |
| 2009 Ciudad Juárez prison riot | 2009, March 4 | CERESO state prison, Ciudad Juárez, Mexico | 20 | 15 injured |
| | 2010, May 5 | Santa Ana prison, San Cristobal, Tachira, Venezuela | 8 | 3 injured |
| | 2011, October 15 | Matamoros prison, Matamoros, Mexico | 20 | 12 injured |
| Altamira prison brawl | 2012, January 4 | Cereso de Altamira, Altamira, Mexico | 31 | 13 injured |
| Apodaca prison riot | 2012, February 19 | Apodaca, Mexico | 44 | 12 injured |
| | 2012, May 20 | Adams County Correctional Facility, Natchez, Mississippi, United States | 1 guard | 7 injured |
| Yare prison riot | 2012, August 20 | Yare Prison near Caracas, Venezuela | 25 | 43 injured |
| 2012 Welikada prison riot | 2012, November 9–10 | Welikada Prison, Sri Lanka | 27 | 40 injured |
| 2013 Uribana prison riot | 2013, January 25 | Uribana prison, Barquisimeto, Venezuela | 61 | 120 injured |
| 2013 Palmasola prison riot | 2013, August 23 | Palmasola, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia | 31 | 37 injured |
| | 2015, January 4 | Brandvlei Maximum Correctional Centre, Western Cape, South Africa | 1 inmate death, at least 6 injured | Prison gangs attacked a warder, followed by retaliation from authorities. |
| Kaohsiung Prison riot | 2015, February 11–12 | Kaohsiung, Taiwan | 6 (suicide) | |
| Topo Chico prison riot | 2016, February 10–11 | Topo Chico prison, Monterrey, Mexico | 52+ | 12 injured |
| | 2016, July 19 | Pavón Prison, Fraijanes, Guatemala | 13 | |
| 2016 New Bilibid Prison riot | 2016, September 28 | New Bilibid Prison, Muntinlupa, Philippines | 1 | 4 injured |
| Agricultural Penitentiary of Monte Cristo riot | 2016, October 16 | Agricultural Penitentiary of Monte Cristo, Boa Vista, Roraima, Brazil | 25 inmates | |
| | 2017, January 1 | Anísio Jobim Penitentiary Complex, Amazonas, Brazil | 60+ | |
| | 2017, January 2 | Prison Unit of Puraquequara, Manaus, Brazil | 10 | |
| | 2017, January 6 | Agricultural Penitentiary of Monte Cristo, Boa Vista, Roraima, Brazil | 37 | |
| | 2017, January 8 | Desembargador Raimundo Vidal Pessoa jail, Manaus, Brazil | 4 | |
| | 2017, January 15 | Natal State Prison, Natal, Brazil | 27 | 9 injured |
| | 2017, February 1 | James T. Vaughn Correctional Center, New Castle County, Delaware, United States | 1 officer | |
| | 2017, May 15 | Buimo prison, Lae, Papua New Guinea | 17 | |
| | 2017, June 7 | Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig, Philippines | 2 | 17 injured |
| | 2017, July 6 | Las Cruces prison, Acapulco, Mexico | 28 | |
| | 2017, August 11 | Cedes prison, Reynosa, Mexico | 9 | 11 injured |
| | 2017, October 11 | Cadereyta prison, Nuevo León, Mexico | 13 | |
| Lee Correctional Prison Riot | 2018, April 15 | Lee Correctional Institution, Bishopville, South Carolina, United States | 7 | |
| | 2019, May 20 | Vahdat prison, Vahdat, Tajikistan | 32 | |
| Acarigua prison riot | 2019, May 24 | Police station cellblocks in Acarigua, Venezuela | 29 | 19 injured |
| July 2019 Cameroon prison riots | 2019, July 22–24 | Kondengui Central Prison and Buea prison, Cameroon | Unknown | Unknown |
| 2019 Altamira prison riot | 2019, July 29 | Centro de Recuperação Regional de Altamira prison, Altamira, Brazil | 62 | |
| | 2019, December 23 | El Porvenir prison, La Ceiba, Honduras | 18 | |
| Cieneguillas prison riots | 2019, December 31 | Cieneguillas Regional Center for Social Reintegration, Cieneguillas, Mexico | 16 inmates | 5 injured |
| Cieneguillas prison riots | 2020, January 2 | Cieneguillas Regional Center for Social Reintegration, Cieneguillas, Mexico | 1 inmate | 5 injured |
| | 2020, March 8–9 | Sant'Anna prison, Modena, Italy | 8 inmates | According to Modena's magistrature, all 8 deaths were caused by methadone and benzodiazepine overdose. The substances were looted from Sant'Anna's pharmacy. Modena's Procura requested the dismissal of all deaths on 3 March 2021. |
| Bogotá prison riot | 2020, March, 22 | La Modelo prison, Bogotá, Colombia | 23 | 90 injured |
| | 2020, March 30 | Sepidar Prison, Ahvaz, Iran | 18 | |
| | 2020, March 31 | Sheiban Prison, Ahvaz, Iran | Unknown | |
| Guanare prison riot | 2020, May 1 | Los Llanos prison, Guanare, Venezuela | 47 | 75 injured |
| February 2021 Ecuadorian prison riots | 2021, February 24 | Regional & Penitenciaría del Litoral, Guayaquil; Cárcel de Turi, Cuenca; Centro de Rehabilitación Social Sierra Norte Cotopaxi, Latacunga, Ecuador | 79 | Coordinated riot as a result of a drug turf war. Eighteen beheadings and at least one prisoner had his heart cut out. |
| September 2021 Guayaquil prison riot | 2021, September 29 | Penitenciaría del Litoral, Guayaquil, Ecuador | 123 | Coordinated riot as a result of a drug turf war. |
| November 2021 Guayaquil prison riot | 2021, November 13 | Penitenciaría del Litoral, Guayaquil, Ecuador | 68 | 25 Injured |
| | 2022, January 25 | Social Rehabilitation Center (Cereso) Colima, Mexico | 9 | |
| Battle of al-Hasakah (2022) | 2022, January 20–30 | Al-Sina'a prison, Al-Hasakah, Syria | 507 | Large-scale Islamic State attack and prison riot aimed at freeing arrested fighters of the Islamic State. |
| Tuluá prison riot | 2022, June 28 | Tuluá prison, Tuluá, Valle del Cauca, Colombia | 52 | |
| | 2023, January 1 | CERESO state prison, Ciudad Juárez, Mexico | 14 (4 inmates, 10 guards) | |
| | 2023, February 9 | Hatay Closed Prison, Hatay Province, Turkey | 3 | Three inmates were killed and 12 more injured after soldiers opened fire during a riot. The prisoners were demanding to see their families affected by the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake. |
| Támara prison riot | 2023, June 20 | Women's Center for Social Adaptation, Támara, Honduras | 46+ | A conflict presumed to be between MS-13 and Barrio 18 killed 46 people, after a riot caused a major fire. |
| | 2023, August 7 | Kutama Sinthumule Correctional Centre, Limpopo, South Africa | At least 1 died in fire, 2 hospitalized | The fire was allegedly started by rioting prisoners after grievances about conditions and ill-treatment fell on deaf ears. (Prison managed by South African Custodial Management, a public-private partnership.) |

## Gulag uprisings

* Norilsk uprising, May 1953 – strike
* Vorkuta uprising, July 1953 – 66 killed
* Kengir uprising, May 1954 – 37 killed (official Soviet figure), 500–700 killed (prisoner provided figure)