(email from eyewitness. We’re not publishing the guard’s names but we have them.)
“On 4-16-23, there was a fight in ” A” Bay. It was the worst one I’d ever seen in my 14 years in Perryville. It had been going on for about 10 minutes without drawing any attention of the staff. Other inmates tried to break up the fight, but the two combatants were glued together like pitbulls.
When screaming occurred, the female guard, at last, arrived on the scene. Her hands were fluttering, but she made no attempt to break them up. She was frightened for her own safety. At last, she got on her radio for backup, meanwhile, the two fighters are crashing into living areas and knocking stuff over, threatening bystanders. One gal hit her head badly, it looked like bodily fluids on the floor.
After what seemed like an eternity, the cavalry arrived in the form of 5 guards. It seemed even the male officers had trouble with the simple task of stopping a girl fight. As confusion reigned, a lot of the perps from other bays escaped. Actually, this was fight #2, fight #1 had already stopped.
Eventually, the cops managed to cuff two individuals and take them away. The feeling I was left with was my vulnerability in this prison.
The guards are supposed to protect ME. If the DOC can’t hire staff that can protect and serve, THEN GET RID OF THEM!”