Prisoner Disturbance Occurs at MCCC Tuesday

prison fence: google images june 2019

Maui Community Correctional Center (MCCC) dealt with a prisoner disturbance Tuesday that resulted in minor injuries to jail staff.

At around 2 p.m. Tuesday, inmates in one module refused to go back into their cells, MCCC said in a press release. The staff reportedly activated their emergency response teams immediately in an attempt to deescalate the situation.

Authorities said the disturbance was “quickly contained,” with “order restored” by 2:45 p.m. Maui Police were called to standby for assistance as a precaution.

“Staff followed their training to squash the attempted disturbance fast. I commend them for effectively and professionally returning calm to the module during these trying times,” said Maria Cook, Deputy Director for Administration.

Disturbances have also been reported at the O‘ahu Community Correctional Center (OCCC) as concerns surrounding COVID-19 have caused unrest among prison populations and led the Hawai‘i Supreme Court to order the release of hundreds of prisoners across the state amid fears of further outbreaks.

Inmates are still being evaluated by medical staff for any possible injuries. Multiple members of the correctional staff did report minor injuries. There was no major damage to the module, which MCCC said was is in order and ready for dinner service on Tuesday.

An investigation into the incident is underway. Maui Police will handle the criminal investigation while an internal investigation is conducted by the Department of Public Safety.