Inmates Sent To Other Prisons After Riot

NEW CASTLE, Ind. -- More than 200 inmates involved in a riot at the New Castle Correctional Facility Tuesday afternoon have been transferred to other prisons within the state and Indiana has suspended plans to bring more inmates in from Arizona.

According to a release from the Department of Correction, 69 inmates from Arizona were taken to the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility, near Carlisle, and 151 prisoners from Indiana were sent to the Plainfield Correctional Facility.

The change comes as the fallout builds on the day after about 500 inmates staged a nearly three-hour riot at the prison, which is run by GEO Group, a private company.

Two staff members and seven inmates were injured during the uprising, but none of the injuries were serious.

The other offenders involved in the fracas remain at New Castle and were helping staff clean up debris left from the riot, corrections officials said.

Officials said GEO Group will be required to cover the costs for the emergency response and damage caused to the facility, which currently employs more than 350 people.

The determination about which inmates to send to other prisons was made based on surveillance footage of the uprising, officials said.

Cause Of Disturbance Under Investigation

Officials said Arizona inmates were upset about the color of shirt they were made to wear to dinner. Those inmates climbed a fence between Indiana and Arizona inmates and trouble ensued, WRTV in Indianapolis reported.

Investigators from the Department of Correction said they are committed to hold those responsible accountable.

"During the night, the officers that were here were able to put the inmates back into their areas of housing and it was a very, very quiet night within the facility," said Indiana State Police Sgt. Rod Russell.

Prison officials used tear gas to regain control of the medium-security men's prison. The disturbance occurred six weeks after the first of some 600 Arizona inmates began arriving at the New Castle Correctional Facility, joining about 1,050 Indiana prisoners.

Indiana Department of Correction Commissioner J. David Donahue said he has delayed the transfer of 600 more Arizona inmates until authorities can reassess the condition of the prison.

"My gut reaction is there is a cultural difference in the operational deliveries of our systems," Donahue told reporters.

The injured staff members suffered cuts and scrapes, while the injuries to inmates involved tear gas exposure and minor cuts. All seven inmates were treated at the prison, said Trina Randall, spokeswoman for GEO Group Inc., a Florida company that contracted last year with the state to manage the prison.