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Rowdy inmates at the county jail in Land O'Lakes rebel over food and are punished with a lockdown that is extended after further misbehavior.
By TAMARA LUSH
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 2, 2000
LAND O'LAKES -- A group of 42 inmates at the county jail were locked in their cells for six days after authorities said they swore at corrections deputies, refused to be quiet and hurled their meal trays into the common area.
The lockdown ended Tuesday at 11 a.m. after three incidents on Thursday triggered disciplinary measures that resulted in six days of inmates being restricted to their cells.
The first incident that touched off the uprising started Thursday afternoon, when the entire jail was under a five-hour lockdown because of scheduled maintenance on the building's generator, said Pasco County sheriff's Deputy Kevin Doll.
That's when the 42 inmates housed in the D-200 Pod refused to quiet down, Doll said. For that behavior, the inmates received a two-day lockdown. Later that day, the inmates hollered and swore at corrections deputies, and that earned them two more days in lockdown status.
The inmates living in that area of the county jail are classified as light-to-medium security prisoners who are either awaiting trial or serving a sentence of a year or less, Doll said.
All inmates are often locked down for an hour or two during daily head counts, but a disciplinary lockdown means inmates stay in their cells 24 hours a day, and are allowed shower privileges every 72 hours.
Doll said the majority of the inmates in the D-200 Pod were rowdy, and that's why the entire pod was punished.
"Due to security, as the majority goes, so goes everybody," Doll said. "There may have been inmates who were not creating a disturbance, but everybody was disciplined."
On Thursday evening during dinner, the inmates became angry that they were given water instead of juice or tea. The inmates threw their trays and food through the bars of their cells into the common area of the pod, Doll said. The group was punished with two more days of lockdown.
The water wasn't a punishment for earlier behavior -- Doll said all of the inmates in the jail that night received water. Sometimes, inmates receive tea or juice.
Doll said it is uncommon for county jail officials to punish inmates for so long.
"It's a detention center, and rules have to be followed," Doll said. "Discipline is paramount."
There are more than 500 inmates in the Land O'Lakes and New Port Richey county jails. In Land O'Lakes, inmates housed in the pods have a day area immediately outside their cells. The day area contains a TV, tables, chairs, phones and a shower, and is supervised by deputies from a control room nearby.
No corrections guards or inmates were hurt during last week's incident, Doll said.
- Staff writer Tamara Lush is the police reporter in Pasco County. She can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6245 or (800) 333-7505, ext. 6245. Her e-mail address is lush@sptimes.com.