Four Corrections Officers Held Hostage by Inmates in Delaware Prison Over Treatment and Trump

The inmates of the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center are demanding better education and prison reforms.

February 2, 2017

An unknown number of inmates at the the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna, Delaware took four corrections officers hostage early Wednesday morning.

Shortly after 10:30 a.m., one of the corrections officers radioed for help from the C building at the all-male Delaware prison, which holds about 2,500 minimum, medium, and maximum security inmates, according to the prison's website. Four Department of Corrections employees were taken hostage. At around 2 p.m., the tipline of the News Journal in Delaware received a phone call from a woman claiming to be the fiancée of an inmate at the prison who was being held hostage. All of a sudden, a man was patched onto the line, telling the News Journal that he was asked by hostage takers to relay their demands.

The paper reports that their demands "came in the form of a manifesto or decree and mostly called for prison reforms," which included "improper sentencing orders. Status sheets being wrong. Oppression towards the inmates." When a different group of prisoners tapped into another line through a woman claiming her son was also being held hostage at the prison, they attempted to explain their reasoning behind the hostage situation, citing the actions of Donald Trump.

At around 2:30 p.m., one of the corrections officers was released. Eight inmates were then let go at 5:20 p.m. Just before 8 p.m., another staffer was released, along with 19 inmates. Two Department of Corrections employees are believed to be inside the prison. All prisons in the state have been placed on lockdown.