Police vehicles line the street Wednesday, June 15, 2016, outside of the Hamilton County Jail.The Hamilton County Jail went into lockdown Wednesday afternoon as deputies and a SWAT team cleared approximately 20 inmates out of their cells after they protested prison standards by wearing masks and throwing food at guards.
During a 4 p.m. news conference Wednesday, Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond said the incident began Tuesday night when the inmates started to refuse to meet prison schedules, with some tying their cells shut to keep out guards.
The sheriff’s department chose to let the incident run its course, shutting down communications and denying the inmates breakfast and lunch, but then decided further action should be taken when inmates threw their stashes of food and drinks at guards.
Hammond said the cell blocks involved house some of the jail’s “worst of the worst,” and the prisoners became “a little too bold” after tying sheets around their faces to mask their identities.
A SWAT team was called in as a precaution to help deputies clear the cells and do a thorough search before the situation is fully investigated. No one was injured during the incident.
“We are very capable of handling these situations,” which do happen on occasion, Hammond said.
The protest stemmed from complaints that have been raised several times before about conditions at the jail, including prices set by the commissary, the cost of phone calls and the restricted number of items inmates are allowed to keep in their cells – 25.
Hammond said his department does not set prices for the commissary or phone services, both of which are handled by separate entities. And the number of items was restricted in order to cut down on bartering. The sheriff added he planned to have those involved pulled from their cells and strip-searched while officials sweep their cells for contraband.
In a statement after authorities gave the all-clear, Chief Deputy Allen Branum said “I am very proud of the response provided by members of the [Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office] and the effective and expedient manner in which they took control of the situation, protected the safety of the inmates, and turned what could have been a potentially serious situation into a manageable and proportionate response.
“Their response today showed that they are well-trained and dedicated to the safety of their fellow colleagues and the inmates under their care and supervision.”
Chief of Corrections Joe Fowler has previously told the Times Free Press he believes the jail is failing to provide acceptable living conditions and general hygiene to inmates.
The jail’s maximum capacity is 507, but in 2015, an average of 565 inmates were housed in the facility, some of them without access to showers or beds in cells only intended to hold inmates for a few hours.
In 2015, the jail failed multiple inspections showing it did not meet minimum security standards and was grossly understaffed. According to Times Free Press archives, the jail has failed inspections for a decade and in September, jailers said the facility was “antiquated.”
Contact staff writer Emmett Gienapp at egienapp@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6731.