Lee Correctional Institution

Lee Correctional Institution
Map
Location990 Wisacky Highway
Bishopville, South Carolina
Security classmaximum security
Capacity1,785
Opened1993
Managed bySouth Carolina Department of Corrections

Lee Correctional Institution is the main high-security state prison for men located in Bishopville, South Carolina. On April 15, 2018, seven inmates were killed in the Lee Correctional Prison Riot. It was the deadliest U.S. prison riot in the past 25 years and the fifth deadliest in American history.

History

The facility opened in 1993 to replace the decommissioned Central Correctional Institution which had been the state's primary prison for over 130 years.[1][2] At the time, Lee cost $46 million dollars to construct.[3] It remains the largest maximum-security prisons for males in the South Carolina state system. It is often characterized as being the most dangerous.[4]

Prisoners took control over portions of the prison on two separate incidents prior to the 2018 riot which was the deadliest U.S. prison riot in the past 25 years.[5] The prison has had a long history of violent incidents.[6][7]

The riot was the inspiration for the 2018 U.S. prison strike.[citation needed]

Further reading

  • Thompson, Heather Ann (April 28, 2018). "How a South Carolina Prison Riot Really Went Down". New York Times.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Prison Guard Held Hostage at South Carolina Facility Rescued After Standoff". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  2. ^ Corrections, South Carolina Department of. "SCDC - South Carolina Department of Corrections". www.doc.sc.gov.
  3. ^ "Inmates, guards talk about SC prison that housed Death Row | The State". 2018-03-11. Archived from the original on 2018-03-11. Retrieved 2019-12-14.
  4. ^ "Population Counts and Capacities" (PDF). South Carolina Department of Corrections. September 28, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  5. ^ "Lee prison riots fuel a call for more funds".
  6. ^ "Lee County prison incidents concern S.C. Senators » Anderson Independent Mail". Archived from the original on 2014-02-03. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
  7. ^ "Several inmates killed at S.C. Prison after hours of fighting". NBC News.

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