Politics of a Prison Riot: The 1980 New Mexico Prison Riot Its Causes and Aftermath

by Adolph Saenz

Trade 190 Pages; 1986 Rhombus Publishing Company Edition.

Paperback

Published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Patrick O'Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Santa Fe New Mexico state prison riot of 1980 was unbelievably brutal. It was one of the most violent prison riots in the history of America's entire correctional system. In the end the toll was 33 dead, 200 wounded, all prisoners – none of the 12 correctional officers taken hostage died, although they were wounded and none returned to work at the prison. Yet if you were to ask the average person if they've ever heard of the Santa Fe riot, most wouldn't know what you were talking about. Although, if you ask them about the riot at Attica in 1971, they could almost assuredly answering the question without hesitation. Of course this is probably due to Attica becoming a household word associated with police brutality and government cover ups – as the police shot and killed: 35 people, 9 of which were correctional officers and civilian employees (the total death toll was 39 – 1 correctional officer, and 4 prisoners were said to have been murdered by prisoners). The question of who was to blame at Attica being obvious as it is universally known that the governor, state police, and prison officials made horrible decisions that cost people's lives, and were responsible for the decrepit living conditions and oppressive atmosphere that lead to and caused the riot in the first place.

Yet all the evidence shows that the conditions at Santa Fe state prison were as bad if not worse and had been for a long time. The riot of 1980 was the third one at the same institution – the other two occurring years earlier: 1922 and 1953. Which attests to the prison's history of bad conditions and neglect. The state of New Mexico spent a little as possible on corrections. They hired untrained guards, and instituted an atmosphere of violence that allowed the convicts to virtually run the prison. As Santa Fe was a maximum penitentiary, it supposedly held the hardest criminals – however there's numerous examples of convicts sentenced to Santa Fe who had no prior convictions and their offences did not warrant maximum security – and it was these inmates who were then at the mercy of the most violent convicts. Add to this the authority's admitted policy of using snitches to turn convicts against convicts, and the deplorable living conditions and you have the prevail atmosphere that led to the riot.

However that is where the comparisons to Attica end – the death toll at Santa Fe wasn't due to the police storming the prison shooting anything that moved. Quite the contrary – at Santa Fe the police stood outside the prison and did absolutely nothing for 36 hours while inside prisoners killed, maimed, and raped other prisoners. The police, National Guard, and correctional officers all admit to hearing the screams of victims continuously throughout the ordeal. This time it was the government's inaction that caused the deaths. And consequently the outright blame wasn't as obvious, nor was the news coverage as extensive.

Interestingly enough in the aftermath a lot has been written about the riot. One really good book, by Roger Morris The Devil's Butcher Shop depicts the violence and tells the tale of what lead up to it. However this book: Politics of a Prison Riot: The 1980 New Mexico Prison Riot Its Causes and Aftermath written by Adolph Saenz, the former New Mexico Secretary of Corrections – the man who actually brought about the end of the riot – concerns itself with the administration's inaction to stop the riot. Saenz writes in third person to add some objectivity – but he does point fingers and lay some of the blame where it should be laid. An interesting additional account to those already written on this unbelievably horrifying incident.

[Dachokie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Proof that corruption kills ..., July 1, 2008

Having read the three other books focusing on the carnage at the New Mexico State Penitentiary in 1980 ("The Devil's Butcher Shop", "Descent into Madness" and "The Hate Factory"), Saenz' book offers a much-needed perspective of the horrific event ... the political side.

Saenz effectively gives the reader a birds-eye view of the horrific events unfolding those days in February 1980. From the gruesome, cruel and inhuman behavior occuring behind the prison walls to the dumb-founded ineptitude exhibited by government officials, who were completely helpless and pathetic in their actions prior to, during and following the riot.

You can't finish reading the book without shaking your head in anger ... at the corruption, nepotism, ignorance and arrogance of those in control of the prison system ... from low-level prison personnel to the governor. 33 men lose their lives in a horrific manner and, as usual, the only response from officials is finger-pointing and cover-ups ... only a handful of men responsible for the violence are prosecuted and relatively few lessons were learned by administrators ... it was "business as usual".

Saenz really makes your realize how fragile our prison system truly is and you end up hoping that his book is required reading by the governors of all fifty states.

[Madonna Analla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was more from the viewpoint of the officials in NM about the riot. Very good regardless because they were on the outside trying to negotiate with the prisoners. I recommend reading it in conjunction with the inmates accounts.