Riot at max : an administrative inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the Montana State Prison riot of September 22, 1991

220 Pages·1991·12 MB·English

HV Riot at max: an administrative inquiry into the 3125
8756 circumstances surrounding the Montana State
1991 Prison riot of Sept. 22, 1991
8756
1991

RANNTANA FP ECIOD aroye NNTINIAT
Seewee ascii Rew hn KZ 7% iVL wu tive {
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
AND HUMAN SERVICES
1539 11TH AVENUE
HELENA, MONTANA 59620-1301
January 2, 1992
Senator Joe Mazurek
. President of the Senate
Representative Hal Harper
Speaker of the House
Capitol Station
Helena, Montana 59620
Dear Mr. President and Mr. Speaker:
With this memorandum I submit 150 copies of "Riot at Max", the
administrative analysis report on the September 22, 1991
disturbance at Montana State Prison. These copies are provided to
each of you and the members of your respective legislative bodies
in order that you can be fully apprised of its contents.
This is the report which I requested through assistance of the
National Institute of Corrections in order to independently
investigate the disturbance and determine not only what happened,
but why and more importantly, how we can prevent such an occurrence
in the future. The report is self-explanatory with respect to the
members of this team who participated in the fact finding and
writing of this report. We received the report on Monday, December
30, and released it to the press on Tuesday, December 31, 1991.
These copies represent a full and complete copy of the
original document received in my office with one exception. Page
eight (8) has been removed because it contained a detailed floor
plan of the Maximum Security unit and, for security reasons, I
believe public disclosure of this information could have the
potential of compromising the security of that unit.
This report was released to the press in this form and at the
time of release in response to intense press inquiries which were
numerous and at least daily in nature. Upon review of the report
by Attorney General Racicot, the Warden, and a few members of my
staff, it was determined it did not contain any criminal justice
information which would be prejudicial to the prosecution of
potential criminal cases against the participants in the riot; that
security of the prison would not be compromised by release of
security information contained in the report; and further, that
individual rights of privacy of specific employees relative to
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Page Two
President Mazurek and Speaker Harper
potential administrative actions would not be- abridged.
Considering these interests, we determined it was appropriate to
release the report in this form. We believe your need for this
information as members of the Senate and the House is the most
critical, but want you to understand why the release to the press
was made on Tuesday.
This report forms the basis for future dialogue with this
department relative to the disturbance, the lessons to be learned
from the disturbance, and the direction the department intends to
pursue in implementing many of the recommendations made by the
analysis team. We must, however, be careful about the conclusions
we might draw in this instance. Understand that this is one of
three investigations performed by external agencies. The Criminal
Investigation Bureau of the Attorney General's Office is still
investigating the potential for criminal charges yet to be brought
against participants who may have committed crimes during this
disturbance. In addition, the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil
Rights Division, investigated to determine if crimes were committed
by staff concerning events, most of which are alleged to have taken
place in the aftermath of the riot itself.
Members of the department, corrections division staff, and I
are available for any legislative discussion of this report that
you feel would benefit your respective membership during or after
this special session of the legislature.
Sincerely,
Director
cc: Members of the Senate
Members of the House of Representatives
Teresa Cohea, Legislative Fiscal Analyst
Scott cea aiaiee beaee Auditor

RIOT AT MAX
An Administrative Inquiry Into The Circumstances Surrounding
the Montana State Prison Riot of September 22, 1991
Conducted under the auspices of a Technical Assistance
grant from the National Institute of Corrections
ADMINISTRATIVE INQUIRY TEAM:
TEAM LEADER: Jeffrey A. Schwartz
TEAM MEMBERS: Clayton Bain
Stan Czerniak
Dennis M. Luther
Lanson Newsome
John Pfaff, Jr.
Mike Schafer
December 14, 1991
a
PASO TE esohetiastO hh oa yer owt
ren: Sy a el io 1A 9o N ste cote
wr! Sigieeh SOV NSS aN RE sadipu eS Agate hatowenes
enc aene 3 4. werk Vee et RY |
T7r
He U.S. Department of Justice
») Nl , National Institute of Corrections
Washington, D.C. 20534
Ref: NIC TA No. 92P1013
This technical assistance activity was funded by the Prisons
Division of the National Institute of Corrections. The Institute
is a Federal agency established to provide assistance to strengthen
state and local correctional agencies by creating more effective,
humane, safe and just correctional services.
The resource person who provided the on-site technical assistance
did so on a contractual basis, at the request of the Montana
Department of Corrections, and through the coordination of the
National Institute of Corrections. The direct on-site assistance
and the subsequent report are intended to assist the Montana
Department of Corrections in addressing issues outlined in the
original request and in efforts to enhance the effectiveness of the
agency.
The contents of this document reflect the views of the Administrative Inquiry Team. The
contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the National Institute of
Corrections.
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