Kentucky is moving 700 of 1,1200 medium-security inmates to other facilities after a riot and fires severely damaged six buildings Friday night at Northpoint Training Center, the Louisville Courier-Journal reports. Eight inmates and eight corrections officers suffered minor injuries in the disturbance at the Northpoint Training Center Friday night, state corrections officials said. Four inmates remained hospitalized. The events panicked some nearby residents, who received false reports from friends and on the Internet of hostages, escapes, and inmates shooting guards.
Officials did not give details of the riot’s start, but the Advocate-Messenger of Danville reported that 10 to 15 Hispanic inmates assaulted a black inmate and a white inmate. Then some inmates started setting fires in trash cans. The union that represents prison employees blamed the incident on underfunding for staff, equipment and training. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Kentucky, which is in contract negotiations with the state, said the prison lacked essential equipment such as working radios and flexcuffs, which are disposable handcuffs used by law enforcement.