Inmate Killed After Tennessee Prison Riots End

An inmate was clubbed to death Tuesday night shortly after officials reported calm was restored to four prisons where convicts burned buildings and took hostages to protest new striped uniforms and being treated like “human garbage.”

Officials said an inmate at the Morgan County Regional Correctional Facility at Wartburg was killed with a baseball bat Tuesday night as guards attempted to coax about 200 convicts back into their cells after a day of violence.

Associate Warden Ken Aydelotte said the unidentified inmate was attacked by an unknown assailant in the group of 200 convicts who earlier in the day put their new prison uniforms in a pile and set them afire.

By 9 p.m. Tuesday, officials said the rioting had ended at all four prisons--the Turney Center in Only, the State Penitentiary in Nashville, the Morgan County facility and the Southeastern Regional Correctional Facility in Bledsoe County, the last facility where order was reported restored.

“We’re in the process of taking a head count,” said Wayne Measles, a spokesman at the prison in Bledsoe County. “It started calming down after three inmate representatives were permitted to talk with a TV station.”

Kitchen, Warehouse Burned

Measles said no hostages were taken at the Bledsoe County prison and “most of the riot was just destroying the facility.” He said the convicts had burned the prison kitchen and a warehouse.

All of the hostages taken at the Turney Center, where the rioting lasted 14 hours, and at the State Penitentiary were released unharmed, officials said.

The rioting began Monday night at the Turney Center when guards denied dinner to 30 inmates who refused to wear new striped uniforms. The convicts seized control of the 800-inmate prison, took a guard and nine “protective custody” inmates hostage and burned several buildings.

Tuesday morning, rioting erupted at the State Penitentiary when inmates on a playing field stripped off their new uniforms and set them afire. Within hours, rioting had spread to the state prisons in Morgan and Bledsoe counties.

About 600 prisoners returned to their cells at the State Penitentiary after being allowed to air their grievances to reporters Tuesday afternoon.

Armed Tactical Unit

Turney Center warden Larry Luck ended the 14-hour riot at 7:30 a.m. by sending armed tactical units into the 26-unit compound 30 seconds after issuing convicts a final warning to return to their cells.

Tennessee convicts, beginning Monday, were required to wear dark blue pants with an inch-wide white stripe down each leg and lighter blue work shirts stenciled with “Department of Corrections.”

The Legislature mandated the new uniforms after a rash of prison escapes last year, but Taylor said Corrections Department officials opposed the striped uniforms “because it is associated with the old Georgia chain gang.”

A dozen State Penitentiary guards were released after 10 inmates were allowed to meet with three reporters.

The inmates listed 20 demands and complaints, including poor medical care, overcrowding, poor ventilation and “harassment” by guards.

“It wouldn’t blow up all over the state unless something was drastically wrong,” convict Mike Phillips said. “How long are you going to treat us like human garbage? We did wrong, but what you did is just as wrong as what we did to get in here.”

Complaint About Food

James Bragg, an inmate at Turney Center, complained about the food served at the medium-security prison 55 miles west of Nashville.

“I wouldn’t slop hogs with the food they feed us,” he said.

Wilson Conrad, one of the guard hostages at the State Penitentiary, said the inmates were “very nice.” But another hostage guard, Frederick Gant, said the convicts had homemade knives and “talked about killing.”