7 GUARDS HURT IN PRISON DISTURBANCE

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, February 11, 1993                   TAG: 9302110230
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By DAVID REED ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: OAKWOOD                                LENGTH: Medium
7 GUARDS HURT IN PRISON DISTURBANCE
Seven guards at the Keen Mountain Correctional Unit received minor injuries Wednesday during a disturbance.
About 100 inmates stayed in the prison yard after the incident, police said.
"They don't have any hostages, but they are very vocal and using abusive language," Lt. Curtis Bailey of the Virginia State Police said.
"They had been having problems over there off and on all day and it just exploded all of a sudden," Bailey said.
The disturbance began about 3 p.m. when an inmate punched a guard who had refused to allow him into the gymnasium, Operations Officer Sam Traverse said.
Other inmates then began fighting. No inmates were injured, and the most serious injuries to the guards were a possible broken rib and a broken finger, Traverse said.
About 300 inmates refused to leave the recreation yard after the fight, but after nightfall many inmates began moving into their cells, Traverse said.
"The majority weren't involved in the fighting and didn't want any part of it, but it was nice weather and they just kind of milled around," he said.
By 11 p.m., there still were about 100 inmates in the yard, and they broke up picnic tables and used them to start a small fire in the middle of the concrete basketball court to keep warm, Traverse said.
He added that Warden Bob Beck told him he was optimistic they would persuade the inmates to return to their cells after negotiating with two inmate representatives.
Traverse said he was uncertain exactly what the inmates wanted.
Extra guards and at least 20 state troopers were brought to the prison to reinforce the staff.
The disturbance was "nothing that serious," said Ben Hawkins, executive assistant to the director of the state Department of Corrections. "Things are under control."
Hawkins said the prison, which opened in 1990, has about 750 prisoners.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB