- At 12:45 p.m. an officer witnessed inmates fighting in the laundry corridor. Five inmates were involved in the fight. Several orders were given by officers but the inmates refused to stop. A officer used OC Pepper Spray on the group and the fighting ceased. The inmates were taken to the infirmary for treatment. During treatment, one inmate turned over an X-Acto blade that had a plastic pen tube as a make-shift handle. Three inmates were placed in a special housing unit following treatment. All five face internal disciplinary charges. Two officers were taken to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
- At 12:50 p.m., approximately five minutes after the first fight, a second fight broke out between three inmates in the laundry corridor. Officers gave the inmates direct orders to stop fighting. The inmates complied and stopped. Officers conducted pat searches of all the inmates in the corridor and recovered a X-Acto blade in an inmate’s pants pocket. The inmate was not involved in the fight. He was placed in a special housing unit.
- At 1:15 p.m. officers observed four inmates fighting in the mess hall corridor. They were given orders to stop fighting but they ignored them. OC Spray was administered and it had the desired effect. The inmates were placed on the wall to be pat frisked when one of the inmates came off the wall and pushed one officer into a metal gate. He shoved a female officer to the ground and during the struggle the inmate fell on top of the officer fracturing her leg. Once order was restored, the inmates were confined to their cells. All inmates involved face internal disciplinary charges. The female officer was taken to a local hospital and treated for a broken right leg.
“The month of June was extremely dangerous at Elmira Correctional Facility. Last week the unrest in the prison continued with three inmate fights, two make-shift weapons seized and several officers injured while attempting to stop the violence. Once again, this calls to the type of disorder and violence that needs significant disciplinary measures. Without them, it exposes staff and other inmates to potentially dangerous situations. The water down disciplinary measures are simply not working.“ – stated Joe Miano, Western Region Vice President.
