All 122 federal penitentiaries in the U.S. remained in lockdown Tuesday after gang violence erupted at the United States Penitentiary in Beaumont, Texas on Monday, January 31. Two inmates were killed in that clash, prompting officials to take the rare step of a system-wide lockdown to prevent similar violence at other facilities.
“In an abundance of caution, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is securing our facilities as a temporary measure to ensure the good order of our institutions,” Kristie Breshears, a bureau spokeswoman, said in a statement issued Monday. “We anticipate this security measure will be short-lived.”
Prison officials were concerned that a “ripple effect” could set off violence at other facilities. The fight is believed to have broken out around 11:30 a.m. on Monday and involved gang members associated with the El Salvadoran street gang MS-13. Four inmates were taken to the hospital and two inmates were pronounced dead by prison hospital staff.
The two inmates who died have been identified as Guillermo Riojas, 54, and Andrew Pineda, 34.
Riojas was serving a 38-year sentence for carjacking and using a firearm in the commission of a crime originating out of Fresno, California. Riojas had been housed at Beaumont since 2013.
Pineda was serving a 6-and-a-half year sentence after being convicted for his participation in corruption charges exposed through a RICO investigation that targeted the Mexican Mafia. Pineda had been at the facility in Texas for less than one year.
Staff were informed of the lockdown via text message on Monday.
“The lockdown was initiated out of an abundance of caution due to current events that occurred at another facility. This order is to ensure the safety and security of all staff and inmates,” the text message read.
When penitentiaries are placed under a lockdown, inmates are confined to their cells and movement of prisoners is restricted. Visitations are also canceled. However, most visitation to prisoners had already been barred as part of the BOP’s coronavirus response.
Nationwide lockdowns are rarely implemented due to the strain they place on prisons that are already understaffed; prison staff must serve meals to each inmate as well as handle all the tasks that inmates would usually perform.
The most recent times that the federal penitentiaries were placed in full lockdowns were following the January 6 protests at the Capitol and the inauguration of President Joe Biden; an extended lockdown was also enforced for a time during the coronavirus pandemic.
The facility in Beaumont houses 1,372 inmates in high-security confinement. The U.S. penitentiary system houses a total of 153,293 inmates as of January 22, according to the Bureau of Prisons.
In the period between 2001 and 2018, the Bureau reported a total of 597 prisoners died due to unnatural causes while in Federal custody. An additional 6,051 prisoners died of natural causes during that same period. The BOP also reports that 284 prisoners died of Covid-19, along with seven staff members.
The Bureau of Prisons officials have not said when the current lockdown rules will be lifted.
“The BOP will continue to monitor events carefully and will adjust its operations accordingly as the situation evolves,” said spokesperson Emery Nelson in an email to NBC News. “For safety and security reasons, the BOP does not elaborate on specific security procedures.”
