Multiple Inmates Stabbed During Riot At The Salinas Valley State Prison In Soledad

SOLEDAD, CALIFORNIA (August 17, 2023) – Four inmates were stabbed and hospitalized after a riot broke out in the yard of the Salinas Valley State Prison, according to the CDCR.

Monterey County officials are saying that the incident took place on Wednesday night. A riot broke out in the prison yard which resulted in a total of four inmates being stabbed.

Prison officials were able to disperse the riot through less-than-lethal options including chemical agents. Paramedics were called to the scene at the Salinas Valley State Prison in order to help all of the victims.

Inmate-made weapons were recovered at the scene. One person was treated and released back to the prison. The conditions of the three other inmates is unknown at this time.

A full investigation into the attack at the Salinas Valley State Prison remains ongoing.

 

Liability For Monterey County Inmate-On-Inmate Attacks

Violence within the U.S. prisons system is incredibly common. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, “The number of homicides in state prisons reached a record high of 120 deaths in 2018, a reminder that while prisons are secure, they are largely unsafe. Violence in prison is commonplace, tied to trauma prior to incarceration as well as mental health stressors inside.” There are several measures that jails should take in order to prevent inmates from attacking one another.

• Jails should never be overcrowded.
• There should always be an adequate number of correctional officers for any prison population.
• Jails should take reasonable measures to prevent inmates from gaining access to weapons.
• Violent inmates should typically be segregated away from non-violent offenders.

Jails and prisons have a legal obligation to protect inmates from reasonably foreseeable sources of harm. This includes violence at the hands of other inmates. When an jail is deliberately indifferent to the possibility that an inmate will be attacked, this could form the basis of a constitutional claim. In order for a jail to be liable, correctional employees or officials must have had specific knowledge of a risk of serious harm to a prisoner and knowingly failed to take action to prevent that harm. There are a number of steps that should be taken after any inmate is harmed by another inmate.

• Jail records related to the assailant should be examined.
• Eye witnesses should be interviewed.
• It should be determined what jail officials knew about the attack beforehand and what measures if any they took.
• An experienced civil rights attorney should be contacted.

Attacks within the prison system are rarely ever random. They are often planned out. As such, they can often be prevented by jails that follow proper safety protocols. Any person that is injured after being attacked by another inmate may have legal recourse through a civil claim. It is important that all evidence is properly preserved after any attack. Evidence is what will be used to determine liability.

 

Getting Legal Help After A Monterey County Inmate Attack

We at the Sehat Law Firm extend our best wishes to all of the inmates injured in this attack at the Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad. It is our sincere hope that they will be able to make a full recovery. Any person that may have more information about what happened should reach out to investigators.

Have you or someone that you care about been injured at the Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad? There are a number of laws designed to help you. You may be entitled to damages through a civil claim. Our team of civil rights attorneys are here to help in any way that we can. We focus on helping people who have been harmed during their incarceration. Whether you just have legal questions or need any type of support we are here for you. You can reach out to us anytime at (949) 825-5200.