Greenville prison authorities lock inmates in prison cells

GREENVILLE, SC (AP) — Prisoners at a maximum security prison in South Carolina are being confined around the clock as a precaution after a group of inmates initially refused to return to their cells.

The Greenville News reports (http://grnol.co/2cM1oCy ) that the prison-wide lockdown at Perry Correctional Institution in Pelzer was triggered when some inmates resisted being confined to their cells Friday evening.

State Sen. Karl Allen says the lockdown was expected to last until Sunday. The Senate corrections committee member says the inmates knew that after returning to their cells they would be confined there until Saturday morning.

Staff shortages at Perry Correctional mean inmates are regularly locked in their cells for long stretches. The lockdowns prompted an April riot in which an officer was beaten and taken hostage by inmates.

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Information from: The Greenville News, http://www.greenvillenews.com

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