Seven inmates were killed and 17 others injured in a seven-hour riot at Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville, South Carolina, on Sunday night. The unrest, which involved homemade knives, was the deadliest outbreak of prison violence in the state in recent years.
The fighting began around 7:15 pm and spread across three housing units before being brought under control by 3 am Monday. Most victims died from stab or slash wounds inflicted with 'shanks', weapons that are reportedly common in the state's prisons.
The killings bring the number of inmate murders in South Carolina to 20 since January 2017, part of a sharp rise in violent deaths. In 2017, there were 18 deaths (12 murders, six suicides); in 2016, there were 11 (five murders, six suicides); in 2009, just two. Serious assaults have also increased, with 250 inmates requiring hospital treatment in 2016 and 2017 alone.
Experts attribute the violence to gang activity, smuggled mobile phones, and severe staff shortages. More than 600 of South Carolina's correctional officer positions are vacant, nearly a third of the workforce. Low pay—an annual starting salary of about $27,000—is a key factor, with the ratio of officers to inmates exceeding 200, far above the recommended national standard of 30.
The crisis is not unique to South Carolina. States including Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Michigan, Missouri, and West Virginia face similar staffing shortages, leading to reduced security, less inmate supervision, and increased violence. Shane Bauer, who worked undercover as a prison guard in Louisiana, noted that insufficient staff leads to fewer routine checks and fewer rehabilitative programmes, heightening frustration among inmates.
