Attica Prison


	It all started on September 9, 1971. It killed 43 people. It was the bloodiest prison riot in the century. "It".... was the Attica Prison Rebellion near upstate New York.


On September 9, 1971 around 8:30 AM, the 1300 prisoners in the Attica Prison, fed up with the poor living facilities, took over the prison taking 40 guards hostage.

The prisoners repeatedly beat the hostages eventually killing one who had severe injuries, was let go, and then died a couple days later.

Negotiations began to get the hostages and to regain control of the prison. The prisoner gave a list of demands for the negotiators to allow and follow. But only after four days of negotiations, Prison Warden Russell Oswald and New York governor Nelson Rockefeller ordered the National Guard to retake the prison.

On September 3, the National Guard retook the prison with a cloud of tear gas and a series of rapid fire that eventually killed 43 people, 10 of which were hostages.

The prison was retook, but the horrific events still continues. Prisoners were tortured and beaten afterwards. the National Guard and the New York Police Department (NYPD) made the prisoners crawl over broken glass naked.

They were "hosed down" with huge fire hoses and beaten with nightsticks. One man had a screwdriver repeatedly shoved in his rectum, while another had to lay in the sun naked for hours with a football under his chin and was told if he dropped it he would be shot and killed.


Yes, this rebellion could of been prevented but prison warden Oswald didn't listen to guards when they told him rumors. He chose to ignore the warnings and didn't take action.

This resulted in the details of many people that could still be alive today. All the prisoners wanted were better living facilities and to be treated like actual humans. This statement below by Arthur Harrison, a former inmate, shows what he thinks of our government.:

"The government didn't admit it did anything wrong. All the inmates wanted was to be treated like human beings. Many died for this. The government didn't want to resolve it peacefully. They wanted to shoe their strength."

	All of this is true. The government at first even had the nerve to deny killing the ten hostages saying that the prisoners did it by slashing their throats, while autopsies later showed untrue by gunshots in the bodies.

The State of New York also denied public access to the riot and retaking of the prison since 1971 and stated the record shall not open up again till 2022.

Race had a big impact in this prison. 85% of the prisoners were either African Americans or Puerto Ricans. They were supposedly in custody of racist guards who "hated niggers and specs."

As you may know, this was the time of the "Black Panthers" so there were racial tensions everywhere. But in this case, this was the first time the racial dimension has been prominent. The riot was supposedly led by a black leader. This was the one good thing about the riot, that prisoners found that they had each other regardless of the race or backgrounds they held.


After 26 years of legal battle with the State of New York, they finally decided to pay $8 million to the prisoners at the Attica prison for their suffering. The Judge who with saw the case was U.S. District Court Judge Michael Telesca who later stated:

"I will not decide who was right or wrong. I will leave that to history."

And with that the lawsuit ended while correction officers and their families were never awarded anything other than death benefits or workers compensation. That is still a legal battle today.


So after all the years the Attica Prison rebellion came to a close, but the suffering and inhumane treatment of prisoners still comes to effect today. They continue to face torture, slave labor, censorship, inadequate medical care, excessive lockdown, and murder at the hands of guards.

Lets just hope that this does not happen again and maybe the government will learn that violence does not have to be met by violence so that other lives will not be lost.

Ashley Shepard 8th American History Rossville Jr. High Post-World War II American Project May 2002	Bibliography