Prison Riot Injury Attorneys

Prison Fight and Prison Riot Injuries

Overcrowded jails and inmates with an eagerness for destruction can be a prison guard's worst nightmare. When large groups of inmates begin to fight at the same time, or even worse, organize attacks on prison staff, what's called a 'prison riot' can ensue. Prison riots can involve fighting, destruction, fires, and much worse, resulting in injury to not only inmates, but prison guards alike. They can also cause significant damage to the jail facility itself.

With the emergence of jail-yard gangs and cliques across ethnic lines sprouting up in jails all across America, our prison system is the most vulnerable it has been in awhile. For the first time, large groups of dangerous felons are becoming organized, like-minded, and focused on the same goals. Those goals can be anything from conducting an attack on other prison gangs, to attacks on prison guards, to attempts at escape. Large numbers of inmates, in orchestrated attacks, seize the opportunity to wreak chaos, often setting fire to items and trashing their own jail cells, and temporarily taking control of certain areas of a prison.

In the middle of this chaotic setting and charged with restoring order is the prison guard. His job is to assess the situation and risk life and limb in an attempt to subdue angry groups of prisoners and break up fights; all the while protecting his or her body from being attacked and overcome. Severely outnumbered and with limited means, prison guards put their lives at risk whenever they set foot in a prison yard where a fight has broken out. Other prisoners use the opportunity of having temporarily distracted prison officials to carry out their own nefarious actions, further complicating an already dangerous situation.

Injury Due To Escape Attempts

For some inmates, prison is just a temporary stop on the road to rehabilitation, one that they will not repeat and likely never forget. However, for some of our society's worst, most hardened criminals, jail sentences are lengthy and the institutionalization becomes a way of life. The worst of these offenders, those sentenced to life in prison with little possibility for parole, dream of little else but escaping from the walls and bars that imprison them. Escape attempts in prison can seem like a viable option to these inmates. With little regard for the lives of others, they plot to find the best way to breach the order and security of the prison in an attempt to gain freedom. While the methods of attempting escape may be varied, one constant remains; it is the job of the prison guard to stop these escapes, and they must risk their lives to do so.

Very often, prisoners attempting escape will account for prison guards who may try to stop them and will be prepared to confront them with weapons. Also, a common goal of prisoners in these situations is to overpower prison guards and take their weapons from them. In instances where inmates are able to secure firearms, the result is almost always loss of life, be it the inmate acquiring the firearm, or the prison staff that the inmate may take hostage (or open fire upon).

If you are a prison guard and were injured due to a prison riot, prison fight, or prison escape attempt, our prison fight injury lawyers would like to talk to you regarding your situation. You may be eligible to receive compensation for your injuries and if it can be proven that the facility where you work placed you in an unnecessarily dangerous situation, you may be able to pursue punitive damages. Contact us today for a consultation of your case.

CALL TODAY 866.735.2792