Inmates Involved in Riot Subdued by Pepper Spray

A state prison in Calipatria in Southern California, has been placed under lock down after more than 100 inmates who were involved in a riot that day saw more than a dozen prisoners suffering injuries.

As a result of the riot and in order to gain control of the situation prison guards employed pepper spray and gunfire on the 100 inmates who took part in the melee. From those inmates fourteen were injured, while 10 were hospitalized in outside hospitals that saw injuries ranging from extensive cuts to wounds from gunshots.

While no staff members were injured during the violence this is not the first time that this state prison has experienced problems. In August 2005 a riot at the institute saw one inmate killed, while 50 others including staff members were wounded.

The California State Prison which opened in 1992 and houses over 4,100 minimum and maximum custody male inmates has been plagued by countless problems such as understaffing, overcrowdnedness, in addition to, gang violence.

This means that prison guards are constantly on guard when it comes to protecting their safety and the safety of the inmates. However, while firearms have been traditionally used by prison guards in previous years, it is now a common sight to see more prisons employing non-lethal devices such as pepper spray.

Not only does it greatly reduce the risk of injury involved, but it also allows prison guards to gain control of situations that may be fraught with hostility during a riot. Prison guards work in tense situations and are required to be alert to what is going on around them and with the inmates.

If a prison guard should suddenly become confronted with a gang of inmates they need to have a device that can subdue them at once. A firearm will only take out one person at a time and if there are less bullets then inmates then the odds of escaping without incurring injury is slim.

On the other hand, a self defense spray canister can subdue a group of inmates at once with just one spray. Not only that, but it eliminates the need to injury individuals during the process which sees a prison guard attempting to prevent harm coming to them.