A fourth inmate died after an “altercation” Saturday at a private prison in Cushing, Ok., reports the Tulsa World. Corrections Corporation of America, which owns the Cimarron Correctional Facility, said three inmates remain in hospitals in stable condition. The incident “lasted less than two minutes, with staff responding very quickly to quell the disturbance,” said the company. “Staff then worked for approximately 38 minutes to secure the housing area where the incident took place.” The facility is on lockdown and an investigation is being conducted. Initial indications were that the inmates sustained stab wounds, said Terri Watkins, a state corrections department spokeswoman.
Cimarron Correctional Facility houses medium and maximum security male offenders for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. The per diem ranges from $57.96 for maximum security to $44.03 for medium security. In June, Cimarron was placed under lockdown after inmates from three housing units got into a fight that sent 11 of them to the hospital. In March 2013, there was a unit-wide fight that involved inmates smashing windows, breaching security doors and being pepper-sprayed after making weapons from destroyed property. Another incident in May 2013 involved 10 offenders and began when one of them hit an inmate who was eating lunch in the dining hall.