A disturbing fatality rate has been confirmed at a federal prison in the southern region of the state, where three prisoners were killed in less than four months.
The high-security United States Penitentiary in Florence, overseen by the Bureau of Prisons, has been on lockdown for more than two months following inmate-on-inmate stabbing that was recently reported by The Colorado Independent to have left one prisoner dead in August.
Two inmates were also killed by guard gunfire when a massive 200-person riot reportedly broke out on the outdoor recreation yard of the prison in April.
To put the numbers in perspective, 12 inmates in federal prisons lost their lives due to inmate-on-inmate violence in 2007, and the number has already reached at least 10 in 2008, according to federal data and media reports.
No data currently exist relating to deaths by retaliatory guard action.
In July the prison’s warden, Sara Revell, was given the annual Excellence in Prison Management award from the bureau for overall management of staff and inmates.
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