Fights are breaking out
and it's pure chaos.
Your fellow inmates
are burning anything
they can get their hands on.
It's now a full-blown riot
with no sign of slowing down
but where are the guards?
Overcrowded cells,
abusive guards
and poor living conditions
are among the most common reasons
prisoners rise up.
These eruptions tend to be
extremely violent and can last for days.
We’re about to show you some of the most
notorious riots in history
and how some people managed
to make it out alive.
In September 2021, this penitentiary saw
the most violent prison riot
in Ecuador’s history.
It began when inmates
in one section of the facility
crawled through a hole to a different wing
in order to kill members of a rival gang.
The attack left 79 prisoners injured
and 118 dead.
It took an operation of 900
officers and soldiers
to take back control of the prison.
They were able to rescue
a bunch of cooks
that had been trapped in the wing
where the fights were happening.
This led authorities to believe
this was a war among gangs
rather than a demand for better
living conditions.
On August 13, 1989,
prisoners in the Davao Penal Colony
were protesting poor living conditions.
They grabbed
the guards’ weapons to escape
and this led to a riot.
15 civilians were kidnapped
and this was a fatal mistake.
The authorities stopped negotiations
right away
and raided the prison.
The 16 leaders of the riot were killed
and only 10 hostages were rescued.
Located in Santa Fe County,
prisoners had complained about
awful living conditions for decades.
In February of 1980,
it was almost destroyed.
Inmates overpowered the guards
and took one of them hostage
after breaking
into the facility's control center.
Within minutes,
rioters had taken over
the whole institution.
They broke into admin offices
and set them on fire.
Some of the rioters formed
a death squad
and hunted down other convicts.
The prisoner's demands included
a meeting with the New Mexico's governor
calling to an end of overcrowding
and abuse of power from the guards.
Thirty-three prisoners were killed,
many were injured
and the fires caused
millions of dollars in damage.
Some inmates survived
by wearing wet wool blankets
to prevent burns and smoke inhalation.
On the morning of September 9, 1971,
inmates using makeshift weapons
overpowered guards.
They gained control
of the central area of the prison,
where most of the prisoners joined them.
The rampage lasted four days,
when the police decided
to enter the prison.
The raid was incredibly violent.
It included helicopters dropping tear gas
and officers entering with guns blazing.
A witness described how the police
killed prisoners
even after they surrendered.
The ordeal claimed 43 lives.
Ten of those were hostages
accidentally shot by the police.
In 1992, members of rival gangs
started a brutal fight
that quickly escalated
to widespread violence
when other prisoners joined in.
Rioters burned mattresses
and even guns were confiscated
when it all ended.
Unable to control the situation,
the guards let military police
and the ROTA special forces take control.
Both had a reputation
for using extreme violence.
The riot lasted less than three hours
but led to 111 prisoner deaths
and 22 officers injured.
Human rights groups stated
that the police were responsible
for most of the casualties.
You've witnessed the world's
most violent prison riots,
but now you're in the shoes of an inmate
being transferred
to a maximum security facility.
How could daydreaming help you cope?
Find out here.