Several South Carolina prison guards and workers have been indicted by a federal grand jury over smuggling contraband such as cell phones, tobacco, and drugs to inmates, The Post and Courier reports. The move follows a riot last week at the maximum-security prison Lee Correctional Institute that was "all about territory, all about contraband," in the words of South Carolina prisons chief Bryan Stirling. Seven people were killed in the fight, and 22 others injured.
"These people are fighting about real money and real territory when they are incarcerated," Stirling said, adding that the incident was sparked in part over cell phones, which can allow gangs to continue to conduct criminal activity while incarcerated, CBS News reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Will Starmer's Brexit reset work?Today's Big Question PM will have to tread a fine line to keep Leavers on side as leaks suggest EU's 'tough red lines' in trade talks next year
-
How domestic abusers are exploiting technologyThe Explainer Apps intended for child safety are being used to secretly spy on partners
-
Scientists finally know when humans and Neanderthals mixed DNAUnder the radar The two began interbreeding about 47,000 years ago, according to researchers
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
