A spokeswoman with the state Department of Corrections said that charges are possible for more than a dozen inmates allegedly responsible for an altercation Wednesday that led to the lock down of Turbeville Correctional Institution for several hours.
Sommer Sharpe said that property damage at the prison included a broken window, a broken sprinkler head and broken lights.
"Any charges would be pending the conclusion of the investigation," said Sharpe. "There were a few dozen inmates involved."
Sharpe said she could not talk specifics about the incident, but said Wednesday night that the facility, which houses mostly adult offenders sentenced under the Youth Offender Act, was "secured" for several hours after the incident.
“This incident was contained to one wing of a dorm,” said Department of Corrections Public Information Officer Sommer Sharpe. “Our institution has been secured, and no threat to the public existed.”
Sharpe said she could not release further details or get into specifics as to when the incident happened.
The Youthful Offender Institutional Services program focuses on the needs of offenders ages 17-25 sentenced by the courts as youthful offenders and is a behavior and performance-driven program in which the state provides education, work details, mental health services, behavioral health counseling and substance abuse services.
Offenders are placed in the general population based on their identified needs such as substance abuse services for those with alcohol and drug problems; sex offender treatment for those referred for treatment; Thinking for Change for first-time offenders; and Criminal Thinking to assist with behavior modification due to parole revocation.
There are 928 Youthful Offender beds in the institution. Additionally, Turbeville Correctional has 544 beds assigned to the adult straight-time population. The mission is directed by three major areas – administration, operations, and program services. These functions are developed and administered by personnel trained to interact professionally with both offenders and staff.
