An escape attempt in McCormick Correctional Institution in McCormick, South Carolina, on Sunday is raising concerns about staffing levels in Palmetto state prisons.
According to officials from the SC Department of Corrections (SCDC), the escape attempt occurred around 6 pm EST on Sunday (December 27, 2020). A correctional officer was locked up in a cell while prisoners planned their escape from the maximum security facility – home to some of the state’s most violent criminals.
Five prisoners were finally captured “near an internal fence in the prison yard,” officials said – including two prisoners who suffered “non-fatal injuries” in connection with the escape attempt. No correctional officers were physically injured during the incident – which ended at 23:00 EST.
The incident is being investigated by SCDC police and SC State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) agents – but prison defenders tell this news outlet that inadequate personnel are, at least in part, to blame for what happened.
“You could say that SCDC has few employees,” said one.
McCormick is a level three maximum security facility. It is one of six “high security institutions designed primarily to house violent offenders with longer sentences and prisoners who have behavioral problems,” according to the SCDC website.
It is also no stranger to violence. Earlier this month, our news director Mandy Matney filed a report on two McCormick inmates who were charged with murder after allegedly stabbing another inmate in his cell.
We delivered an extensive report on the escalation of violence in McCormick in 2017. Shortly thereafter, several of his prisoners were transferred to Lee Correctional Institution, another level three SCDC prison located in Bishopville, SC
What happened next? One of the deadliest prison riots in American history …
Like all tier three facilities in South Carolina, McCormick has “double fence” perimeters monitored by “extensive electronic surveillance”. According to SCDC, prisoners at level three units are “closely supervised and their activities and movements within the institution are highly restricted”.
But are there enough guards to conduct adequate supervision? This is an issue that we will investigate shortly …
To their credit, SCDC officials worked with local police officers – including deputies from the McCormick County Sheriff’s Office and officials from the McCormick City Police Department – to protect the facility’s perimeter during the escape attempt. Local firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMTS) also responded to the incident.
“There were no incidents to report on the perimeter,” noted a statement from McCormick’s sheriff’s office. “Rumors of escaping prisoners are unfounded. The prison is protected and the community is completely safe right now. “
“There was an incident at the prison, but SCDC officials kept them inside the fence,” added a statement from McCormick’s police department. “Locking them up now.”
-FITSNews
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