MONROE — The reformatory at the Monroe Correctional Complex on Wednesday was brought back to normal operations, following a lockdown that started a week ago, the state Department of Corrections reported.
The reformatory, which houses about 745 offenders, was placed on lockdown on Dec. 19 after a fight involving several inmates. Three inmates and one correctional officer received minor injuries. Nobody was hospitalized.
During the lockdown, inmates remained in their cells, and investigators searched for items that could be used as weapons. The reformatory had been gradually brought back to normal operations since Friday.
The last time the reformatory was locked down was summer 2006, according to the state Department of Corrections.
In addition to the fight on Dec. 19, several fights and other disciplinary issues such as threats and refusals to be searched have occurred at the reformatory since Dec. 15. Because of 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.
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