Prison unit in Monroe begins return to normal after lockdown

Published 3:36 pm Friday, December 21, 2007

MONROE – Monroe prison complex officials on Friday started returning the reformatory that has been placed on lockdown for two days to normal operation.

About 745 inmates in the reformatory remained locked in their cells, but some were allowed to see visitors and use phones on a limited basis, said Gary Larson, communications director of the state Department of Corrections.

The reformatory was placed on lockdown at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday after a fight that involved several inmates. Three inmates and one correctional officer sustained minor injuries. Nobody was hospitalized. Officials spent Thursday investigating the fight and searching for items that could be used as weapons.

Officials don’t know when the unit will fully return to normal operations, Larson said.

“We want to do this with complete safety,” Larson said.

The last time the reformatory was locked down was summer 2006, according to the Department of Corrections.

In addition to the fight on Wednesday, several fights and other disciplinary issues such as threats and refusing to be searched have occurred at the reformatory since Dec. 15. Due to those issues, the prison placed 26 inmates in a new $39.5 million maximum security unit.

Half of the 200-bed maximum security area already is housing inmates; the other half is set to open by Jan. 8. The unit will be used to house the most violent offenders from the state’s prison system and inmates threatened by other inmates.

With about 2,500 offenders, the Monroe prison complex is the largest among the state’s 15 prisons.