ST. LOUIS, MI (MPRN)-- A mid-Michigan prison is on lockdown after several days of fighting among dozens of inmates.
The incident at the St. Louis Correctional Facility is gang-related.
It started with a fight on Thursday, then multiple fights on Sunday during meals and finally a fight in a prison yard on Monday. That’s when prison officials locked the place down.
Rival gangs fought over control of the prison’s pay phones and email system.
Chris Gautz is a spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Corrections. He says about 20 inmates have been transferred. Others are waiting for hearings. The plan is to separate members of the gangs to dilute their power.
“We don’t want a group of prisoners feeling that they can have power and authority inside the walls,” he says
Gautz says the prison will phase-out of the lockdown over the next week.