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7 Inmates Dead, 17 Others Injured After Fighting At South Carolina Prison

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

In South Carolina, authorities say seven inmates were killed and 17 others injured overnight in the deadliest prison riot in the U.S. since 1993. Authorities believe smuggled cellphones inside the maximum security prison may have sparked the fighting. South Carolina Public Radio's Lauren - Laura Hunsberger has the story.

LAURA HUNSBERGER, BYLINE: The scene inside the Lee Correctional Institution was one of mayhem. The fighting lasted for about seven hours. Inmates were stabbed or slashed with homemade knives or beaten to death. At a press briefing today, the director of the South Carolina Department of Corrections, Bryan Stirling, said the investigation is ongoing, but it appears to be gang-related.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BRYAN STIRLING: This was all about territory. This is about contraband. This is about cellphones. These folks are fighting over real money and real territory while they're incarcerated.

HUNSBERGER: No prison employees were hurt in the incident, but the facility's history is peppered with violence. Correctional officers have been taken hostage, stabbed or beaten by inmates. In 2013, the violence prompted then-Governor Nikki Haley to propose budget increases at the state's maximum security prisons, including an unprecedented recommendation for staff raises.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

STIRLING: We were losing 150 officers every year from 2011 till about two years ago, and then we broke even. Last year, we were up about a hundred.

HUNSBERGER: Staffing wasn't apparently an issue during this latest incident. Because of overlapping shifts, the prison had double the guards on duty when the riots broke out, but they needed even more to deal safely with the situation.

Governor Henry McMaster says there was another problem. Inmates were using illegal cellphones. He says the Federal Communications Commission should allow cell signals to be blocked inside these facilities.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

HENRY MCMASTER: There are prisons all around this country that would be safer - federal prisons, state prisons, all - if this jamming were allowed.

HUNSBERGER: South Carolina is one of the states leading an effort to get the FCC to allow cell signal blocking in prisons. Other measures to prevent the influx of contraband phones, such as overhead nets, have proved less effective, but opponents say blocking signals would be a violation of rights and could cause safety issues in the event of an emergency. For NPR News, I'm Laura Hunsberger in Columbia.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Laura Hunsberger

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.