Six prisoners who started an inmate protest at the Promontory pre-release facility at the Utah State Prison on Monday have been placed in a maximum security unit and could lose their opportunities for parole.

Some 140 inmates refused to return to their dormitories for a 4 p.m. head count Monday. Inmates were protesting a crackdown on the rules prohibiting them from freely moving between dorms, Corrections Jack Ford said.The protest prompted prison officials to call in a SWAT team, which used a flash-bomb to disperse the gathering of inmates who staged a sit-in in a common room outside the 400-bed minimum security prison.

Fred VanDerVeur, director of institutional operations, said the disturbance lasted only about 20 minutes. No one was injured, Ford said.

Promontory prisoners have a lot to lose by staging such a protest, Ford said. Most of the 400 inmates are only a few weeks from parole and many have work release jobs during the day. Any disciplinary issues could affect a prisoner's status with the Board of Pardons and Parole.

View Comments

The privilege of moving freely between Promontory's 50-bed dormitory's has never actually existed, Ford said. Officially, the rules at the privately run facility reflect those at the state prison.

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.