Putting a young kid for shoplifting into a super max prison full of serial killer maniacs who were serving life sentences seems like the biggest miscarriage of justice ever.
My uncle died in the riots, he was only 22. He was not a rapist or a snitch. He was there for a nonviolent robbery. He was one of the few that weren’t brutally killed. He actually died of carbon monoxide poisoning. People who were there with him let my family know that he was trying to help other people stay safe when he died. RIP uncle RW. I will never forget you.
I'm so, so sorry. What a tragedy. And btw, there's nothing wrong with being a "snitch," ok? "Snitches" help prevent future crimes (and future crime victims). Only sociopaths and hardcore prisoners sneer at people who tell the truth in order to prevent other people from suffering. That's not "snitching," that's being a hero.
Josh Fierro not sure what Disney movie about prison you’ve been watching but snitches 90% of the time snitch ONLY for paybacks and to get revenge! Not to save the world of inmates! Dumbass!
@@vinakane3150 Really? Then what do you call what Sammy Gravano did? Gravano's testimony against Gotti pretty much crippled the Gambino Crime family. Not to mention other mob snitches whose testimony has lead to the incarceration of thousands of very dangerous men. Not to mention drug cartel snitches whose testimony has lead to the apprehension of thousands of animals who bring in tons of drugs into this country. It doesn't matter if they do it for "payback" or "revenge" their testimonies nonetheless lead to the apprehension, incarceration and demise of many many dangerous psychopaths and criminals. And by the way you're wrong......most of them do it for freedom or reduced sentences or immunity from their crimes (like Gravano) NOT for "'payback" or "revenge" some do indeed do it for payback or revenge but the vast majority do it for time off their sentence, a reduced sentence, freedom or immunity.
I was there, as a volunteer Fireman/Paramedic, we were called out to fight the fire and tend to the injured, but were delayed in doing so while the inmates still held control of the Prison. I saw with my own eyes and heard with my own ears the horrors that went on there. I personally saw the aftermath of the brutality suffered by the inmates that were tortured and killed. I helped carry out many of their bodies; seeing and hearing this documentary has brought back many long forgotten sights and sounds of those two days I spent there. The audio, video horrors described in this documentary are chilling enough,but pale in comparison to my own memories of those sights and sounds....... The leaders of the inmates had taken the radios from the guards, and were using them to communicate with each other while the rampage was going on. Our radios could receive those communications, and they themselves broadcast the pleading and horrific screams of the 'snitches' as they were being tortured, raped and murdered. All this was co-mingled with the sound of their own demonic laughter and taunting as they carried out their torment. Seeing the aftermath of all of this was bad enough. But for me it is the sounds that still haunt me to this day. The description that it was, as if 'all the forces of hell' were released then and there; is accurate. And just that small glimpse, of what Hell must be like that I witnessed was enough to have kept me on the 'straight and narrow' all these years. This is the first time I've tried to recount the memories and experience of those two days, forgive me if it comes off as a bit 'fragmented', but this is just as I remember it.
***** Yes, it was dangerous before the riots due to overpopulation and crowding of the inmates. Plus I don't believe the training or procedures of the staff was adequate for the job required. In a very real sense the inmates dictated the day to day operation of the prison. Yes, the staff was responsible for keeping them 'locked' in, but they were greatly outnumbered. So when you had a hundred or more inmates locked into an open dormitory, (not individual cells), once that dorm was locked; there was very little control of what went on inside, especially at night. Rapes, beatings, and 'shankings' (stabbings using improvised knives) were common occurrences. As for the staff's ability to keep the inmates confined, they were surprisingly incompetent of that very basic requirement. It was not uncommon to have inmates 'walk away' which was the term they used for escapes, as if that some how made the escape less serious. These were dangerous criminals. Murderers, rapists and the like all locked in with lesser criminals such as forgers and petty thieves. There was very little segregation of the inmates except for how they segregated themselves into various gangs. Blacks, Whites, Latinos, all in separate gangs, all locked together. There was also a serious problem of illegal drugs being smuggled into the prison which only added to the dangerous conditions, and highlighted the poor training of the staff.....So in a nutshell, to make a long story short. Yes, it was very dangerous prior to the riot..
+xman870096 I was there too with the Raton National Guard. You're right, this documentary pales in comparison to the sights and sounds of what happened there. We thought we were going to storm the prison, but when we got there, we were told we were just going to guard the outside perimeter. Once the State Police went in and took over, we were called inside to help re-establish order. I remember the smell very well, the water and ice all over the place. Blood covering the walls as if they had painted the walls with it. The cells that were cut open. The water in the toilets was all frozen and there were teeth and bone fragments frozen on top of the bloody ice in the toilets. One of my first jobs was guarding the pharmacy. There were two sets of steps leading up to it with a small platform in between the stairs. I was placed there as inmates were shoveling all the crap into one room just below my platform. We were told to keep our weapons on safe, but my team leader told us to take them off of safe and be ready to fire as the inmates didn't seem to be being guarded by anyone. One inmate started passing by me on the lower steps, dumped the crap out of his shovel, put the shovel up like he was going to hit me and started up the stairs. I shouldered my M16 and aimed at center body mass. We stared at each other for just a few seconds then he smiled at me backed back down the couple of stairs he had climbed and started cleaning up again. To say I got scared isn't a big enough statement. We worked throughout the entire prison for a couple of weeks. We were constantly egged on by the inmates in practically every area we had to work. It was hell for sure in there.
+Living4God Living4God That was for sure a 'huge crap sandwich'. Not soon forgotten, as n never! Too bad the general public never saw what happened there, a lot of kids would have thought twice about starting a life of crime.
xman870096 I believe you're right. Anyone who saw what really happened in there would have thought twice about committing a crime or continuing to do so. I know it sure changed my perspective about prisons overnight. Before the riot, I had applied to be a prison guard. I got my letter of acceptance in the summer afterwards. I threw it away real quick. BTW, thanks for what you did in there, I know those hellish sights and sounds will stay with you forever.
+Mike IzMe Forgive me but this is the first time I've been back to this post in a long time; you mentioning that you were there with the Nat. Guard brought back a memory I'd forgotten that involved the NG. at one time we were ordered to go inside the prison yard to go to the 'cafeteria' which was on fire and determine if we could save it and to look for possible 'victims'...We had all our gear on including masks and air tanks for incase we went into the cafeteria, we were told we would be escorted by the NG. As we assembled to go into the yard we had to stop inside the 'Sally port' which is a set of double gates through which we drove our fire truck; as we entered the Sally port we were stopped while the inside gate was opened and the outside gate was closed behind us. As we were waiting for the gates to open and close, we were flanked on either side by the tall fencing, we had turned off our air tanks to conserve the air in case we did go inside the cafeteria. Being that it was so cold outside our masks had fogged over and we could not see anything, we were delayed between the gates for short time and were told to remove our masks as we were not sure how long we would be 'stuck' between the gates.....When I lifted my mask I realized for the fist time, how close we were to the inmates, we could hear them of course as they were taunting us and telling us how they were going to 'fuck us up,' but we as yet had not seen how confined and close we were inside the Sally Port, if the fencing had not been there we would have been 'close enough' to touch. That was the first time I got a little 'concerned' and was damn glad the NG was with us.... We finally got inside the yard and started to proceed back behind the prison toward the Cafeteria when we were met by a large group of inmates who not only continued with the taunts but had all picked up rocks to throw at us; it was then that the Lieutenant who was leading the us gave the command for the troops to form up in front of us, that was when the 'shit' got really 'real' as the Lt. was ordering the inmates to back off and disperse and the inmates started coming closer. It was then that the Lt. ordered the troops to 'lock and load' that I went from 'concerned' to being truly scared. The sound of all those bolts being racked and closed on those rifles was a sound I'll never forget, it made me feel safe, and it sure made an impression on the inmates too as they backed-off a bit and gave us a little more distance.... It was then then, that who ever was in charge decided that it just might not be safe enough to go in yet!! It was then that we and the NG were ordered back out side of the yard........Perhaps you were one of NG who was with us in the yard; I try to remember what the Lieutenant's name as he was quite impressive, I keep thinking his name was Valdez, but I can't be sure. Perhaps if you were one of those with us you will remember, it would be nice to know after all these years... You thanked me for what we did in there, and I appreciate that. But it was you and all the Guard and law enforcement that really took all the risk, and are truly worthy of thanks!!
My friend tonio Martinez dad was one of the correctional officer who was held captive in that riot. His name Ronnie Martinez. He was 18yrs old at the time of the riot. Ronnie was one of the only cool COs who was cool with alot of the inmates and tried to help the inmates by telling the Warden and other higher ups about what's happening behind the bars, like over crowding and racial tensions, but no one ever listenend to Ronnie. Such as the big rooms that only should have only supported a few hundreds, supported thousands of inmates, all sleeping shoulder to shoulder in these crowded cramped sleeping conditions.The food was rotten most of the time. Alot of abuse of powers came from the higher ups . But we heard first-hand accounts from Ronnie Martinez himself the day/night it happened. That night Ronnie was taking his nightly routine rounds of his cell blocks and some of cell blocks doors didn't lock correctly and the inmates knew it. Once Ronnie was walking away from the door they rushed him , taking him hostage and taking his keys that opened almost every door because of staff shortages, In which Ronnie was the 5th guard outta 13 COs on duty that night. After they took Ronnie hostage, they tied them up against the wall and stabbed him between the fingers and toes and in places where he would not die immediately. After that they killed the black prisoners and they held a decapitated head of a black inmate with a prisoners hand inside the head thru the neck controlling the head and jaw making it seem like it was talking, and they held the head up to Ronnie's face and the other guards face, controlling the decapitated heads jaw, as if it was talking to them . Ronnie said they sodomized the guards next to him with whatever ever would fit up the guards @$$. Ronnie told me that a big reason why the prisoners did such evil things is because the inmates were injecting huge amounts of uppers, benzos and opiates they seized from the infirmary that drove them to act and look crazy . After they stabbed Ronnie hundreds of times between the toes and fingers, a group of shot callers remembered Ronnie(CO) as one of the cool guards so they cut him down wrapped his wounds up and hid his body along with the other guards, until the riots where over after a few days of living HELL. The shot callers of the prison used the guards as pawns in the negotiation process with the state for better treatments and food for the prisoners, in which they ended up closing that part of prison. Ronnie told me and his son that he started to smell a weird smells, loud screams that ended up being pedophiles burning alive in they're cells. He also told us they used a blow torque on the pedophiles and burned their eyes out and groin out, while they where alive . Others where hacked to death as well. But after all this was done Ronnie was so damaged, they awarded him retirement at the age of 18 after what was done to him, he earned it. He ended up with multiple blood poisonings with all the dirty blades that cut him. I remember I was chilling with Ronnie and all of sudden bright pink fluid came out of a blister on his arm, due to the blood diseases. So after all those traumatic events on that weekend In 1980s, he had a boy in 1986 that ended up my best friend, Tonio till this day. We also graduated together in 2005. Ronnie lived a peaceful, quiet life, who passed away in 2015. I was so close to him , he used to call me his other son . R.I.P Ronnie AKA Rabbit.
@@b_collins7846 right , you would have never known that even happened to him. He was always laughing and making us laugh. I miss him my 2nd dad I would tell him lol 😆
@@b_collins7846 ya he was. I remember this one time, I went over to his house with his son(tonio) after High school and his dad(rabbit) asked if we wanted some green chili stew ( cubes potatoes, beef, onions and New Mexico green chili) and I took one bite of the stew and it was sooooo F*"'KN hot 🥵 that as soon as I shallowed, I felt foam build up instantly in my belly and I ran to the bathroom and puked this acid tasting foam come out LMAO, rabbit had known that green chili stew was really hot, So wanted to see what would happen if we ate it . And it only affected me really bad , even with a headache right after I puked 😆 but that's the type of guy Ronnie was , just loved to laugh and do stuff like that to us. That's why when he told us that story of him working as a CO in Santa Fe. We both were so shocked at what he told us. But yet knowing him , you would never even know something so horrific went down in his life at the young age of 18.
Imagine waiting three hours while the people in the cells next to you are killed and mutilated and tortured. Having to listen to them begging and pleading for their lives , then screaming and shouting while they died, knowing your turn was coming. Unaldulterated terror.
@Fer Das Führer not necessarily. Inmates will kill anyone they even suspect is a rapist/pedo. Just someone spreading a false rumor is good enough to end someone's life behind bars...
@@ACECAL-cl4tb Nah. Ain't the way it works. People can try and hang a jacket on you, but inmates know/figure out who is actually a chomo and a snitch and who is not, with accuracy. Especially in this case. During the Old Main (Santa Fe in the vid above) riot, the inmates got access to the security files, so they knew exactly what people's charges were and who was actually a snitch. The guys who are in PC are there for one of only three reasons: One, either people have confirmed you're a chomo; Two, people have CONFIRMED you're a snitch (either an inmate clerical worker got access or a CO rolled on their file), or Three, you've "rolled up" and ASKED for PC because you can't handle yourself out in population. Remember, PC is different than Ad Seg. If you're in PC, there's a good reason, generally. And inmates do NOT run around "killing anyone they suspect is a rapist". LOL that's fucking absurd. Tons and tons of rapists running around in general population in State and Fed Prisons in the US, with no problems. They're fine as long as the crime wasn't particularly heinous/predatory/doesn't involve children and as long as someone on the outs doesn't put a green light on them for revenge... which does happen. Cash goes street-to-street and then ends up on books, and I knew lifers who would take on a hit for 500 bucks put on their books/500 bucks worth of store (commissary items). They have nothing to lose other than maybe a year in Seg, and some even enjoy that, as well as enjoying all the trips outside the prison to court in order to "fight" the case they catch if they get caught in the hit. They get a chance to see trees, cars, some chicks, maybe some animals and green grass/the Seasons, some color, smell new (or forgotten) smells. maybe even a novel meal or a cold soda. Just a trip outside like that is a big deal to a Max Security Lifer, and they'll get a bunch of those "outside" "court ride" trips in the process of having caught a new case- big fun; almost a vacation! I swear, the ideas the general public have about what actually goes on in prison are often hilariously ridiculous, and are seemingly gleaned from fictional TV shows and Movies almost exclusively. Guys DO NOT go round just jumping off on whoever they "think" may be a chomo, because that would cause utter chaos and then the actual prisoner-on-prisoner justice meted out would also be meaningless. The shot-callers know this, and they don't want half-cocked, non-sanctioned hits going off all the time because it brings on lockdowns, and lockdowns are bad for business- it crimps the drug and sex trades big time, plus commissary, plus TV time, visits, work assignments, etc- so when a hit happens it's confirmed, ordered, and handled in a way that causes the least collateral damage to everyone in the unit. Guys aren't just acting on rumors and going off left and right all the time; anyone who believes that shit doesn't understand how this shit works- anyone who does that kind of shit will get checked with the quickness by the guys riding the biggest car in the unit and rightfully so.
@Ben Henderson If you read one of the books on the subject, The Hate Factory. That guard Benito Gonzalez was known as "Green Eyes" and was known for being cruel.
I had the crabs once, I literally could not stop scratching my balls. I was in jail too. Gives me the chills thinking back to that day. My cellmates were not happy campers too. The jailer threw a can of spray in the cell and everybody fought for it. My balls do not itch anymore as that was many moons ago. Many. Yakima WA. county "82" I had the crabs.
33:37 "And you've been accused of involvement in that. Were you involved... were you in cell block 4?" *Pauses and glances to the side* "I've been in cell block 4 before, yeah." Absolutely chilling.
The documentary titled Shakedown in Santa Fe features interviews with Michael Colby's buddy and fellow "negotiator" William Jack Stephens ( seen at 39:39 ). He describes what happened in CB4 in more detail, explaining how the inmates with blowtorches were systematically going down the row of cells. "And I wonder, you know, what was going through these guy's minds when they know, cell by cell, pretty soon it's gonna be their turn." Stephens also described the riot in the documentary Death in a Southwest Prison as "all the things you ever dream of." Being eye-to-eye with either of them, knowing what they were capable of, must have been a haunting experience.
I was an inmate at the Old Main from 1992-1993 before I was reclassified and shipped to medium security in Grants, NM. The place smells like blood. What happened in 1980 stuck to the place. Very eerie and dark vibe that clings. I was repeatedly told by inmates and CO's alike that the place was haunted. Shit like that don't wash out. I will never forget my time there and I damn sure wouldn't want to go back, not for a tour, documentary, nothing. Needs to be torn down. It's a tomb and always has been.
They did a dead files episode there, and it was by far the scariest one I've seen. They shot a film there,and one of the crew found a hat there, and carelessly took it home with her. Not long after dark things started happening. Haunted by a shadow figure and the like. Amy Adams ( the medium) said that the LA d itself was bad, something terrible happened there hundreds of years ago, a massacre. There have been loads of accounts by staff and inmates post riot, of seeing and feeling really dark things. The whole thing is terrifying.
Don't blame you, never been there (never been to prison period) how do you look at the prison the same way again after something like this happens to it. The people who were apart of it may die, the detailed memory may die, but its always going to be there.
i used to drive past this place before knowing what happened there, always gave me the creeps. pueblo indians supposedly stayed away from the area because of evil spirits and thats where the prison ended up. compared to all other prison riot stories, this one is truly diabolical.
There is an ancient evil In the ground. In the Earth itself In the land that surrounds that penitentiary. The Indians knew it and I know it because I lived in Santa Fe for 12 years. I drove by the place once and that was enough. The negativity and horror that you feel in the ground in the air.. It's palpable and it's undeniable. It's not a prison... it's a portal to hell. Why don't people ever listen to the American Indians? They knew there was evil there hundreds of years before there was a prison. They knew to avoid that whole area!
no worse than the inmates, yes. breaking the law gets you where you are whether stealing an apple or a car. Stealing is Stealing. IMO, I'd be x1,000 times harder on humans who break these laws they already KNOW are illegal-yet,, still choose to break the law. You teach others how to treat you. There HAS to be law. Each and every one of these individuals could've gotten a job or go to college etc, and if they didn't like any of the scenarios/options in america, they could've simply LEFT america and went elsewhere on the planet. THEND.
The inmate that carried the decapitated head around on a spike was transferred to an Arizona prison that I work for. The worst inmates that participated were sent to various out of state prisons.
Gary Nelson, along with his brother, survived the riots because they were both 6'2", 250lbs and armed with knives, walking back to back protecting each other. After he was released, he went straight and became a lawyer and civil rights proponent.
@@killerfrank8974 totally. Became a lawyer. And was, as of 2020, battling lukemkemia, which he suspects he may of contracted after all the noxious shit he breated in. He's probably passed by now unfortunately. Still, he lived a great life since the 80s
That's what's fucked up with the wood pile. (white convicts) They gravitate towards abusing their weaker brothers. I am white, grew up in the pens during that era and did my best to rescue those whom were vulnerable. Had I been ridin' on that yard at that time, I would have not allowed that to happen to him. He wouldn't have been raped and he wouldn't have had to check in. All he would have had to do is be willing to represent himself, ie: maybe take an ass kickin' in one of those day rooms heads up (WOULD NOT have allowed him to be rat packed) and that would have allowed me all the license I would have needed to Intervene, stave the wolves off, take him under the wing and school him. Never have nor would fuck a man, so that's why he would have had to initially go to bat for himself; unless you are steppin in as Dad, ie: claiming one for your personal property, thatz all that someone would have needed to do. Was in the pen in NV when a few of the NM transfers arrived. Dope fiend booty bandits; fuckin sick what they did to him.
@@stanmelvin3061 Bet you've seen some shit......damn. The whole scenario sounds scary as fuck and I'm 45. I know enough bad motherfuckes. Enough to you know, I damn sure ain't one.
@@sexdrive3682 i wonder if there is a list somewhere that shows what each of the 33 souls were in for...cause i agree. murderers that caused horrific crimes i dont feel for whatsoever they deserved everything they received...literally an eye for an eye in their case. but it sounds like more than we think could have been in for not so serious crimes which sucks. I dont think they would put the violent guys in the same cb as the non violent for the most part it'd defeat the purpose. the FKED part is that they were all locked in their cells with no way out and no chance to even fight back. literally surrounded and marked for torcher and death.
@@elpri553 oh I simply pointed out murder because I have a strong belief in the fact that murderers get away with literally murder never having to face the physical/emotional pain he/she caused. Pedo’s I agree with as well. The others are a gray area to me in this situation mainly because the pos guards forced a lot of them into their situation.
+DarrenBonJovi how would you be if you were held hostage by people allready doing life for murder. and the killers literly walk up to you dangling a human head in front of you ..asking you "witch one of you wants to go next" lol theres no way smh to even comprehend what this guy goes thru on a daily ptsd out of the fuckn roof for sure .
What God damn video you watching? Doesn't anybody pay attention. The Officers were the reason why they rioted. They treat the inmates like animals and beat them regularly. It all came out in this video. The Officers even admitted they abused the inmates and crowded them on purpose by the higher ranking Officers. Same thing happened at Sing Sing prison in that big riot. It's all documented. I can't believe how many people agree with your comment. Doesn't anybody pay attention to what your watching? The biggest enemy in the Prisons isn't blacks against white it's Officers against inmates period. Upstate New York Prisons are the worst. Those redneck farmboy officers will kill you up in there and get away with it. And they tell you that everyday. I seen it. They will put you in a cell and you won't never get fed. What do you think a inmate with life is gonna do if he had the chance to get revenge on a Officer who beat him numerous times and lied on him to get him a longer sentence etc. No mercy for them bastards!!!
Everyone wants to be a gangster until its time to do some gangster shit. Stay out of trouble kids. This place sounds like hell. Even for the perpetrators. Nobody wins. Everyone loses. Lets love each other and heal.
My uncle did 38 years in prison for 3 different merderd. He told me if he ever saw me in prison, he would kick my ass. He was there when the riot happened. He told me , it was hell on earth. Gruesome things he witnessed.
Colby and the guy with sunglasses and creepy mustache who felt no remorse are both total flatliners with no moral pulse. No human measures can help those two. Only Divine intervention. Why is Colby walking the streets?
@@kyleyoung1156 Is he back in or does he have to report in? I to looked him up and as of 2017 he was still expected to report in but the photos I've seen have him holding an id card like locked up people have but I may be wrong? As an aside apparently he won a substantial payout prior to his release from prison. Who says crime doesn't pay 🤷?
Michael Colby comes across as one seriously disturbed individual. Type of guy the vast majority of people would take a glance at and severely underestimate the depravity of Michael's character. This is one dangerous dude.
The former inmate crying in the sensory deprivation cell reliving his past got me. Old Mexican men from that era dont cry easy. So that must have been some crazy suffering
MUST WATCH THIS DOC !!!! The best prison story I've ever seen. Such a well told story !!! Thank you everyone involved in bringing this to this platform. . Absolutely incredible 👏
@Charlie Sosa Protective custody IS for rapists, child molesters, Snitches, drop outs and people who were 2 scared 2 live with everyone else.. Wouldn't be scared 2 live with other inmates unless u worried theyll find out something about u.. I got stuck in a high max 6 months before my 18th birthday. Didn't have a single issue 🤷
The only one i feel bad for is the black kid with the 12year old mind.. People like him DONT belong in prisons. They should be put into hospital institutions
My grandfather on my moms side was at PNM during the riots for a murder he didn’t commit. I heard my dad talking about the riots among him and his friends. My grandpa was a very silent and observant man, and I remember being old enough to finally ask him about the riots. We were sitting outside the porch and he was drinking his can of bud. I regret asking him about what happened. His facial expression went through 100 different expressions and he starts tearing up. “I’m trying my best to forget that mijo.” He saw chomos getting castrated, snitches be headed or disemboweled, inmates and guards being raped. Now as a full grown man I realized what I asked him to relive and I regret that.
Two wrongs don't make a right, but will cause a riot. Cell block 4 deaths are on the heads of any officer that partook in the "snitch jacket" labeling.
They tried to and new Mexico's legal went after them and denied any right to movie. They hide fact to date nm is behind and pays their guards low, has low man power and the elected persons increase their salary and dont budget more guards in or street cops. This will happen again mark my words. It's their own doing in being cheap like all places in Gov in nm are.
Harry Harry you are joking right!? You obviously watch too much television you know how many times I’ve heard people relate that movie to so many different events.....
The inmate at 30:00 in is Leroy "Tiger" Vigil. He was charged along with five other inmates for six separate rapes of another prison inmate in 1977. The raped inmate was sent to prison for violating his probation for a marijuana offence. Vigil was convicted of six counts of criminal sexual penetration and given 60-300 years. Interestingly enough, one of the inmates that he went into cell block 4 to kill during the riot, Jimmy Joe Vela, was also convicted in those same rapes and given six consecutive 10-50 year sentences.
@@afghantrucker I signed up to a website that allows me to navigate old newspapers. Every time I post the link it gets deleted for some reason. Anyways, I search for names and such and have been able to find a lot of information on many of these guys as well as other inmates from other prison videos and documentaries.
James Perrin was convicted of the horrible assaults and murders of a young mother and her two little girls. He broke into their mobile home in Chaparral in the middle of the night and was in there with them for hours. He got what he deserved in Santa Fe.
Makes me think that regardless of how far we advanced, how civilized we act, that part of us is still buried inside of us. And some of us are capable of embracing it, others would kill themselves before going down that path, and others would slowly accept it. Makes me think in a world like this, how many people in society and not in prison are close to that line already.
EmporerAaron When you think of human suffering, the greatest perpetrator has to be other humans. I mean, sure, earthquakes and tsunamis have killed hundreds of thousands, but that's pittance compared to the Holocaust, Stalin and Mao's purges, and Pol Pot's mass executions -- easily over 100 million died at the hands of these monstrous men. And then they say that the Middle Ages were "dark"!
How many violent inmates ended up getting out of prison early because they killed the other inmates in protective custody who were going to testify against them?
My brother was one of the inmates tortured and killed during the riot. His name is Joseph A. Mirabal. He got there by violating his probation for receiving stolen property. When he was young (9-14) he was a an alter boy in the catholic church in our town of Alamogordo. When I was very small and still learning to talk I gave everyone in my family their nickname that they still use to this day. Joseph's nickname was "Joe Tony". Everyone knew him by that name. He was raised by our grandparents. When my grandfather passed away, Joe Tony turned wild and often chased by the law all over town. In 1977 he told me he was having a recurring dream of him having a bad death and that he would never live past the age of 24. He told me no one would ever be convicted of his death and everyone would know about it. I asked him who is "everyone?" He said, "everyone everywhere." He explained to me that when you are a alter boy you are supposed to lead a clean life which is something he failed to do. So in order to receive forgiveness from God he would have to suffer a bad, torturous and painful death. He didn't know where this would take place. He was 21 at the time when he told me and my half-sister about his recurring dream. When he died in the NM prison riot he was 24 and two weeks after his birthday on January 18th, 1980. Joe Tony despised "snitches" all his life. He was not a gang member and was known to stand on his own two feet and fight his own battles. Many admired his courage and his willingness to help and protect others from those who meant to harm them. He served his country during the Vietnam War in the U.S. Navy. Before that he spent a year and half in reform school in Springer, NM. He was 17 1/2 when he was released. Six months later he joined the Navy. He led a remarkable life and would make a good book or a movie epic like Ben Hur with the prison riot as its centerpiece. I wonder if the prison riot was determined to happen no matter what anyone did to try and stop it. The riot was already foretold in his dreams.
@Tom Stanton I agree, I call BS. Also, if altar boys who go astray are supposed to die horrible deaths, what about the catholic priests who go astray and die of natural causes. Religion is BS too.
Its pretty crazy that the institution started threatening to label people as snitches and basically threaten their lives to get information out of them. The fact that they knowingly fed fuel to the barbaric act of snitch killing, fueled the violent atmosphere they were supposed to be cracking down on, and maintained that level of violence in the facility through threats just to serve their own agenda is one of the most disgusting and hypocritical things I've ever heard from a penitentiary
Imagine what else they did they aren’t telling us ,literally putting ppl lives at risk just like nothing wonder why they acted like animals . U treat ppl like animals don’t be surprised when they act like one when u release them !
You're really green if you think that doesn't still happen in loadsa jails. Police allover the World do it too, they don't care about no-one, they only care about getting promoted, they don't Care if some junkie who wouldnt hurt a fly gets beaten up or killed.
My heart goes out to the surviving inmates like my Uncle Chilo Maes, Tommy Barboa and countless other O.G.s. The guards had it coming. I was in Central Los Luna's in 89 and one of the guards that worked there was a guard in the riot. He got gang raped and got his own night stick stuck up his ass and left it there and they had him crawling around naked on a leash. The O.G.s said he was a real asshole. Karma is a bitch que-no? 😂😂
We are all animals when it comes down to it. Imagine throwing a bunch of animals in a cell and mistreating them for years, then they break out. All of that frustration surfaces and turns to blind rage. Our justice system and prison system is completely inhumane. You treat people like animals, that’s exactly what you’ll get. Rest in Peace to those who lost their lives. This was a horrible tragedy
Completely broken individuals, almost right from birth whether how they were raised (abused, neglected), or some mental defect void of compassion and decency for others.
"When I was released from my cell the first place I went was the pharmacy and... and then went and proceeded to consume it and everything I had gotten from the pharmacy" LOL
Pure and utter savages. What’s really horrifying is that they had that “snitch” strategy where either you snitched or they hung clothes on you adorned with the word snitch. So you’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. Just imagine how many people chose to snitch out of fear because they give you two options, snitch and be thrown into a protected cell or be thrown into population labeled as a snitch where you’ll probably be beaten and raped. So many people just made up information to give to not wear the snitch suit and it is those people who were in cell block four and who were murdered, many innocent. Just unreal. This is on guards and prisoners alike. Cause and effect.
The entire system is crooked as a dogs hind leg. From egomaniacal judges, cops & CO’s to the politicians financially invested in the prison system. The bitch about it is there’s not a fucking thing we can do about it.
Yeah well you should not be able to ruin someone’s life then take their life just cause you’re in the position to do so. That’s acting like an animal. If you lock a man up like an animal, treat him like an animal, beat him like an animal, feed him like an animal, he’s going to adapt to his environment and turn into an animal.
They didn’t actually put jackets with the word snitch on them on people dude snitch jacket is just a term for someone with the reputation of being a snitch that’s all a snitch jacket means
No human being, criminal or otherwise should be subjected to this level of inhumanity. This is the darkest and deepest depths that a human being can sink to.
"They made us that way. They made us do it." Sounds like a lot of deflection for someone who wants to justify their murder. You didn't just murder guards, you murdered anyone you could get a hold of that you wanted. I hope that Hep B treats you well.
Long periods in prison ruin your vision. Low light or little natural light, and not being able to focus on things at a distance can ruin or weaken your eyes. Guys can go decades never seeing anything farther away from them than maybe 50 yards, so their eyes lose the ability to focus properly without assistance.
My family lived just off of Highway 14, south of Santa Fe when this happened, about 6 miles north of the prison. We could see the water tower of the prison from there. Before and after this happened whenever I took the school bus to the homes of my friends that lived beyond the prison the bus would swing into the place as, apparently, some guards and whatnot had families that lived there... Gates, guards, etc. That was always scary, especially afterwards. As an aside one of my dearest childhood friend’s (they lived a few miles beyond the prison) mother was the head librarian there. It was cold and crystal clear when it all broke out, two days before I turned ten years old. At night we could see the glow of the fire coming from that atrocity. Helicopters kept us up at night, the constant sound of them and the search lights sweeping about, now and again coming through the bedroom window I shared with my two younger siblings, as the search for presumed escaped prisoners was carried out. I don’t actually know if people did escape, but I seem to recall that a number did. Lots of guns about and even the kind, gentle janitor at what was then called Sunset Elementary School was strapped for a number of days, including, if memory serves (which it may well not), during a band concert during or very shortly after the riot. My pops, now gone, was a pharmacist at the SF Indian Hospital and it was all hands on deck there, and at all hospitals in the region, to deal with the injured and what was presumed to be a massive rush of more. It was a horrible time that I will never, ever forget. We were told by our mom to see to our outside chores seeing to the goats, chickens and whatnot as quickly as possible, stay together and get back inside as soon as possible. That all had to be done and dad was caring for folks horribly injured and mutilated. Needless to say, I have no recollection of a celebration of my tenth birthday. I’m certain one took place, but it is gone from my memory. It was a cold, hard and scary time that I wish hadn’t happened, not least,certainly, for those that found themselves within the confines of the Hate Factory. Whilst certainly not among my most defining moments as a human, I wish, for the sake of those for whom it was, that it hadn’t taken place. That was absolutely horrific stuff, even for a kid with only a view from the sidelines. ✌️❤️🥂
I also read a book on this riot. Much abuse from guards before riot. Guards even stole inmates food (large pieces of meat that they drove away with their trucks, stole money, watches, ... anything). You could even buy your parole (DA and later governer were involved). Landgrabs took place by people working in the DOC. After riot ended, (state) police officers have been seen driving away with televisions, tools and furniture from prison.. After riots nothing really changed. Inmate abuse by guards kept taking place. Nothing of the promisses came true. Guards als didnt follow procedures. Gates were left open. All keys were available at certain moments during their rounds. Therefore it was so easy for the inmates to get control over the complete prison. NOTE: 33 deaths are an estimate. Statements have been made the deaths were actually over 70!
Yeah. They found 2 sympathetic guards to tell the story (the hostage and the one telling the story of the shoplifter), but most if not all of them were involved in brutalizing the prisoners (in addition to not following security procedures). Also, prisoners: "bad conditions, overpopulation, brutalization", guards: "bad conditions, overpopulation, brutalization", prison psychologist: "They were just animals". OK, dude, I don't think you are qualified for your position.
6:17 is disturbing. "They had some poor guy dancing on the table. And then, after a while they took him down...you could smell the feces, the human feces, and I knew right away what was happening..."
sticking a white hot piece of re-bar through someone's eye socket causing their head to explode is probably one of those disgusting ways to get killed. Let alone think of killing someone that way...these were some fucking demons in prison.
lairdriver that's not how it happened. they took acetylene torches to his face and that's what eventually blew his head up. another inmate was killed when a piece of rebar was driven through his head
I believe the shoplifter guy who suffered a dreadful end to his life was 29, so he wasn't a kid, but my God, what a horrific life he must have had. I have many regrets in my life and the consequences of them, but this is beyond horrible. No man should ever have bad choices end this way.
I couldn't disagree more. I believe that 29 is a kid. Everything is relative. I'm in my 50s and there are people who are in their 70s and eighties who still call me a kid to this day and tell me that I still have my whole life ahead of me. So to me 29 is definitely just a kid and much much much too young to die, no matter what kind of death.
@@SeanP7195 WRONG AGAIN!!! He is telling me that I am still young and can still either turn my life around or make it better than it already is. And 29 is TOTALLY A KID, of course not the same as a 7 year old kid, but a kid nonetheless. You are obviously a very negative and fatalistic person. You better check yourself.
Hell ain't real, sadly. God(s) is(are)n't real either. It's a facade made up by Schizophrenic People in various areas of Earth to Justify fucking little kids and child abuse. Some Religious people are nice, but a bunch of them are ass.
The ex guard in the denim shirt and jeans is likely to be suffering from serious PTSD, even 20 years after the original riot. I hope he was given help and financial support.
I believe after a couple of failed attempts he went on disability benefits. There is a mugshot of him online so I think he may have been caught up in some troubles? Feel sorry for the man. He suffered
Thank you. I'm currently seeking anyone who was there during the riot for a film I'm doing. If you know anyone who may be willing to speak with me, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.
I bet he bashed inmates ! All prison staff are the same ! The officers . Medical staff. They all abide by a code of silence not to report corruption/ mistreatment !
@PNM Oldschool Yes. Thank you. I would be very interested in speaking with him about possibly making a documentary about his experience. My email is jlsicard@yahoo.com. Would you please contact me so that we may discuss this matter in private? Thank you.
Good question. An even better one is who thought it was a good idea to put the most hardened and dangerous inmates in there with the non-violent ones????!!!!!
As a New Mexico native i grew up within 50 miles of the prison. In fact I was born the day after this happened. I've always been fascinated with the resilience of the survivors. My heart aches for Mr Mendoza and the surviving guards who were just trying to make a living. The inmate in the white shirt and glasses is 1 of the coldest individuals I've seen.
I feel for Larry Mendoza. At first, I thought he looked like an evil inmate. But after hearing him, he was so sad about what happened and the horrific torturing, mutilation and murders that he saw and experienced. The fact that the prison did the "snitch system" with putting a jacket with snitch written on the jacket, was horrible to do to them. The torches left behind was a horrible thing to overlook. How stupid and evil some of the guards were. There was the horrific beatings and tortures against inmates and visa versa. I really feel for Larry Mendoza, though. He still looks scared and anguished.
Larry Mendoza is my Uncle, I was 12..... I was at home in California watching the news. My mother turned it off and informed me my favorite uncle was being held hostage. We all got close to God real fast. The happenings of this event will never be forgotten. 😪 The demons were real God's word kept my Uncle alive 🙌
I've driven through NM a number of times, staying overnight in various locations. Maybe it's just the places I saw, but NM is the most thuggish-looking places I've ever been. I noticed the place was trashy and unkempt, as were the people. I've been in Wal-Marts all over the country, but the one I entered in Albuquerque to get a dog food and few other things for the RV looked like I'd stepped into gangland. And, this was a Wal-Mart!! My wife stayed in the RV and told me not to ever leave her again when in NM. I told her that inside was worse. Never stopped in NM anywhere that I wasn't armed and wishing I had eyes in the back of my head. I think the state should be returned to Old Mexico.... it's about there anyway.
I worked in several federal prisons over a 31-year career; retiring as an Associate Warden at Leavenworth. I never, ever tolerated misconduct by staff, but I know it still happens throughout the system. At 43:20 is a perfect example of an extremely manipulative, incredibly violent convict. Referencing the horrific brutality inflicted on others, the convict says, "that's what the administration made us." That excuse is beneath a real convict. A real convict would simply admit the violence and say that's what it takes to survive in that environment.
I am from a small town about 40 miles from the old New Mexico State Prison. I remember the riot of 1980 very well. It was hell on earth. Those men have PTSD.
absinthe64 was he the Aryan that forced that inmate in cb4 to cut off the black guys head? he has a line when asked if he's been in cb4 before "ive been in cell block 4 before" and sips his coffee. I wish they had more of an angle on who did what during the riot. I'd like to know everything that happened
Hi absinthe64. May i ask a question please? I can remember watching this waaaaayy back in 2000. It stuck with me and one of the reasons it stuck with me was Michael Colby. You mentioned you knew him? Is he still around, bear in mind i guess he was in his late 40's,early 50's then and i would imagine he has led a hard life. What was he like? arrogant, sadistic or a victim of "life" I seem to remember reading that when he went there in the early 70's a lot of his cousins were already in there. I am from the UK so no real ties to any of this but as i mentioned he stuck in my head. What did he do when he got out?
I was 9 year's old when this happened. I could see the smoke comming from the facility from my grandmother's house. I could see the helicopters hovering above. The most smoke I've ever seen before that was from zozobra.
I saw this documentary in TV in 2000 and it has always stayed with me. One of the most disturbing programs/films Ive ever seen. Just watched it again and it remains a powerful and chilling watch
Documentaries of the 1970’s, 1980’s & early 1990’s still hold up to this day. The BBC, PBS, along with other State funded TV station reporting had plenty of depth and respect for the content they were investigating. When a good story is produced with truthful, meaningful content, even savage horrifying stories can become spellbinding. An honest story merged with excellent editing, a good narrative and a soundtrack that aligns with its visual & narrative content, what results is evidenced in films like this one. To capture the elements of history with great storytelling and expound upon it with graphic imagery,...that just can’t be beat. Such qualities in filmmaking are often missing in documentaries today.
Documentaries of the 2020s and beyond will reveal even more horrendous crimes, as more cyber criminals are thrown in with hard-core violent criminals. Those guys commiting serious crimes with keyboards won't stand a chance against the real violent offenders.
i was in 10th grade and living just a mile away from this prison when this happened. i remember the smoke from the building fires. i remember the horrifying possibility of the inmates escaping and coming to my house! i told myself that i would never commit a crime and end up in prison!
I have watched a lot of truly terrifying cases of mass murder, I have watched this particular episode several times and I must say that these events stand out in my mind as uniquely horrifying in the evil and cold-blooded manner in which it was carried out. Those men waiting to be tortured and mutilated with nowhere to go. It seems that hell was literally on earth during that instance. It opens your eyes to the reality of the darkness that exists in "all" men when you pack them in like sardines.
I just can't condone this level of violence and brutality. I understand the overcrowding problem. It's real. It was not fun detoxing from dope on the floor of Henrico jail with 50 other bitches next to me. Being thrown in the hole is real. In a turtle suit. For 11 days. I get the anger and frustration. I just can't get beyond the torture. It's obscene.
@@margaretfiester3689*Read The Hate Factory. Gives you some insight about the mentality of the convicts who committed the atrocities. Also read The Devil's Butcher Shop.*
The images & accounts of what went down are definitely #2 most horrifying that i’ve ever seen in a documentary. #1 would have to be the raw, unedited “Concentration Camps” footage that was captured by the Military who discovered the camps on accident played at the Nuremberg Trials.
All AB’s are about that life. You can’t get in without willing to kill. Though I’m not white, I had respect for those guys in there. Was friends with a few of them. Very intelligent and hardcore individuals.
@@eddilovee jail is simple like everything in life 1 stand up FOR YOUR SELF then others stand up for you. 2 don't get into debt you can't but drugs don't do them. 3 you lose a fair fight no big deal leave it let it go. 4 no matter what keep your mouth shut. If you don't your done your on your own end of story.
I read the book, The Hate Factory. A book I bought up in Farmington. That book describes a lot of the horror that happened in that hellhole that isn't told in this documentary. I suggest you all read it. I finished it in a day. A real page turner.
I don't care what you have to say about these criminals or "wastes of human beings" -- NO ONE deserves to be treated this way. If you didn't feel appalled at the crime scene photos from CB 4 or feel empathy for the survivors who clearly are still experiencing PTSD some 33 years later, you have the brain of a reptile.
getshorty75 i hope you also dont care what kind of PTSD these criminals and gang members have inflicted to members of the public like u and me. They dont think about that when they did it dont they
getshorty75 Who gives a fuck what happened to these murderers? No fucking sympathy. Who would care about assholes commit such horrible crimes? Fuck them and who would feel sorry for snitches? Snitches deserve everything that happens to them so I don’t blame the criminals for getting revenge on them.
Did anyone notice how many things were allowed ( plastic mirrors, windows, pillows, etc) ?? These things would be used as weapons, kite strings, hanging materials. Wow have things changed! Or maybe prisoners have changed. Who knows.
The Hate Factory is an insiders look. People ended up in Max because lesser security facilities were full and odd administrative rules would rotate small timers thru Max. The place ran into the sudden overcrowding when NM like most of the country starting locking up every drug offense.
I visited my brother Joseph Mirabal (Joe Tony) one week before the riot. Something he told me still remains with me to this day. He told me that there are 3 types of cons in this place. One type is someone who is here doing time and is totally innocent. He was caught up in something that happened and was at the wrong place, at the wrong time. Guilty by association. Another is someone who freely admits to his crime and is now paying his dues for the crime he committed. The last is the con who is extremely dangerous and in some cases very smart, and who should never be released from this place. Some of these really dangerous one's are serving life, and some are not.
He was absolutely right. There are people who are equally dangerous as the dangerous inmates in the NM corrections facility who are walking freely on the street
*Producer:* Hey how's the song selection process going? Remember we got a lot of different scenes with lots of different emotions we want to convey. *Audio Director:* Oh great does that mean we can get an increase to our song budget? We spent the entire thing so far on a single Steve Earle song. *Producer:* Hmm. On second thought just use that one song over every single scene, no one is going to notice!
This is a shocking documentary because of the sheer brutality that occurred during the riot, but it is lacking in the detail of the conditions that led up to the riot. It says nothing of the corruption, incompetence, or willful neglect of the prison's administration, guards, and other officials leading all the way up to Governor King. I watched this documentary to learn more after reading The Devil's Butcher Shop by Roger Morris, but Morris covered all of the dirty details which the people who created this film either did not research, failed to document, or felt it better to leave out for sake of simply blaming the caged animals. This horrific event is truly a stain on New Mexico's history.
I wouldn't say that it says "nothing" of those things. The brutality of the guards, the terrible living conditions, the deceitful and manipulative "snitch jacket" program are all covered. It's a 48-minute doc; it's not going to cover everything exhaustively.
Tommy Blanton The book Politics Of A Prison Riot is good too. I was a criminology/forensic psychology student starting in 1988 & there was still lots of talk & research on the riot going on at that time. You are absolutely right. This is a stain on NM history. It's still reverberating through the New Mexico DOC to this day.
According to research by the author of "The Devil's Butcher Shop", the actual death toll from the riot will probably never be known, but it may have been as high as 60. The prison staff kept very poor records on the tally of prisoners, many prisoners were immediately transferred elsewhere after the riot was over, and in many instances of those prisoners killed, the authorities could only find body parts but no whole bodies.
Narrator: "They burnt through the bars, tortured him with a blowtorch and killed him by piercing a rod through his skull". IN THE BLUUUUUUUUUUUUUE OF THE EVEEEEEEEEEEEEENIN'
Wow great piece, had two uncles that were in there, one was my uncle Dwight Duran I knew he did some documentary but I never saw it until now, unfortunately he passed away around 7 years ago of cancer, and he was literally born in prison ,his mom was 5 months pregnant with him when she went in for arm robbery , I also had another uncle in there at the time of the riots he stayed low because he was getting out in two months, him and five other inmates stayed in the gas chamber playing cards the whole time ,and he also passed away 10 years ago of pancreatic of his liver, but they told me some crazy stories of what happened that week ...
Arm robbery, did she get way with many arms then? And what the fuck is pancreatic of the liver? Is that like your pancreas attacked the liver, or a shit on the liver or maybe even pancreatic or liver cancer?
I was hired on at a Sheriff’s Dept county jail in North Texas in like 1990. During the training + Orientation class they made us watch this documentary to kind of. let you know what you’re getting into corrections job - I think ? It scared everyone a little bit ?
Putting a young kid for shoplifting into a super max prison full of serial killer maniacs who were serving life sentences seems like the biggest miscarriage of justice ever.
it was but remember before there was no classification in NM. They started classifying because of the riot
USA at its finest
Thats why we stress, don't break the law. Going in on a 1 year bid could end up costing you your life.
The judge who put him there must've been happy about that..just a kid..
@@TrackpadProductions so true.. so many people just don't give a shit about this big issue america has.
My uncle died in the riots, he was only 22. He was not a rapist or a snitch. He was there for a nonviolent robbery. He was one of the few that weren’t brutally killed. He actually died of carbon monoxide poisoning. People who were there with him let my family know that he was trying to help other people stay safe when he died. RIP uncle RW. I will never forget you.
hes a total hero in my book. God Bless Him. What a total hero
I'm so, so sorry. What a tragedy. And btw, there's nothing wrong with being a "snitch," ok? "Snitches" help prevent future crimes (and future crime victims). Only sociopaths and hardcore prisoners sneer at people who tell the truth in order to prevent other people from suffering. That's not "snitching," that's being a hero.
Josh Fierro not sure what Disney movie about prison you’ve been watching but snitches 90% of the time snitch ONLY for paybacks and to get revenge! Not to save the world of inmates! Dumbass!
I'm very sorry for you and your family's loss. What a horrific thing that happened there.
@@vinakane3150 Really? Then what do you call what Sammy Gravano did? Gravano's testimony against Gotti pretty much crippled the Gambino Crime family. Not to mention other mob snitches whose testimony has lead to the incarceration of thousands of very dangerous men. Not to mention drug cartel snitches whose testimony has lead to the apprehension of thousands of animals who bring in tons of drugs into this country. It doesn't matter if they do it for "payback" or "revenge" their testimonies nonetheless lead to the apprehension, incarceration and demise of many many dangerous psychopaths and criminals. And by the way you're wrong......most of them do it for freedom or reduced sentences or immunity from their crimes (like Gravano) NOT for "'payback" or "revenge" some do indeed do it for payback or revenge but the vast majority do it for time off their sentence, a reduced sentence, freedom or immunity.
I was there, as a volunteer Fireman/Paramedic, we were called out to fight the fire and tend to the injured, but were delayed in doing so while the inmates still held control of the Prison.
I saw with my own eyes and heard with my own ears the horrors that went on there. I personally saw the aftermath of the brutality suffered by the inmates that were tortured and killed. I helped carry out many of their bodies; seeing and hearing this documentary has brought back many long forgotten sights and sounds of those two days I spent there.
The audio, video horrors described in this documentary are chilling enough,but pale in comparison to my own memories of those sights and sounds.......
The leaders of the inmates had taken the radios from the guards, and were using them to communicate with each other while the rampage was going on. Our radios could receive those communications, and they themselves broadcast the pleading and horrific screams of the 'snitches' as they were being tortured, raped and murdered. All this was co-mingled with the sound of their own demonic laughter and taunting as they carried out their torment. Seeing the aftermath of all of this was bad enough. But for me it is the sounds that still haunt me to this day.
The description that it was, as if 'all the forces of hell' were released then and there; is accurate. And just that small glimpse, of what Hell must be like that I witnessed was enough to have kept me on the 'straight and narrow' all these years.
This is the first time I've tried to recount the memories and experience of those two days, forgive me if it comes off as a bit 'fragmented', but this is just as I remember it.
***** Yes, it was dangerous before the riots due to overpopulation and crowding of the inmates. Plus I don't believe the training or procedures of the staff was adequate for the job required.
In a very real sense the inmates dictated the day to day operation of the prison. Yes, the staff was responsible for keeping them 'locked' in, but they were greatly outnumbered. So when you had a hundred or more inmates locked into an open dormitory, (not individual cells), once that dorm was locked; there was very little control of what went on inside, especially at night.
Rapes, beatings, and 'shankings' (stabbings using improvised knives) were common occurrences. As for the staff's ability to keep the inmates confined, they were surprisingly incompetent of that very basic requirement. It was not uncommon to have inmates 'walk away' which was the term they used for escapes, as if that some how made the escape less serious.
These were dangerous criminals. Murderers, rapists and the like all locked in with lesser criminals such as forgers and petty thieves. There was very little segregation of the inmates except for how they segregated themselves into various gangs. Blacks, Whites, Latinos, all in separate gangs, all locked together.
There was also a serious problem of illegal drugs being smuggled into the prison which only added to the dangerous conditions, and highlighted the poor training of the staff.....So in a nutshell, to make a long story short. Yes, it was very dangerous prior to the riot..
+xman870096 I was there too with the Raton National Guard. You're right, this documentary pales in comparison to the sights and sounds of what happened there. We thought we were going to storm the prison, but when we got there, we were told we were just going to guard the outside perimeter. Once the State Police went in and took over, we were called inside to help re-establish order. I remember the smell very well, the water and ice all over the place. Blood covering the walls as if they had painted the walls with it. The cells that were cut open. The water in the toilets was all frozen and there were teeth and bone fragments frozen on top of the bloody ice in the toilets. One of my first jobs was guarding the pharmacy. There were two sets of steps leading up to it with a small platform in between the stairs. I was placed there as inmates were shoveling all the crap into one room just below my platform. We were told to keep our weapons on safe, but my team leader told us to take them off of safe and be ready to fire as the inmates didn't seem to be being guarded by anyone. One inmate started passing by me on the lower steps, dumped the crap out of his shovel, put the shovel up like he was going to hit me and started up the stairs. I shouldered my M16 and aimed at center body mass. We stared at each other for just a few seconds then he smiled at me backed back down the couple of stairs he had climbed and started cleaning up again. To say I got scared isn't a big enough statement. We worked throughout the entire prison for a couple of weeks. We were constantly egged on by the inmates in practically every area we had to work. It was hell for sure in there.
+Living4God Living4God
That was for sure a 'huge crap sandwich'. Not soon forgotten, as n never!
Too bad the general public never saw what happened there, a lot of kids would have thought twice about starting a life of crime.
xman870096 I believe you're right. Anyone who saw what really happened in there would have thought twice about committing a crime or continuing to do so. I know it sure changed my perspective about prisons overnight. Before the riot, I had applied to be a prison guard. I got my letter of acceptance in the summer afterwards. I threw it away real quick. BTW, thanks for what you did in there, I know those hellish sights and sounds will stay with you forever.
+Mike IzMe Forgive me but this is the first time I've been back to this post in a long time; you mentioning that you were there with the Nat. Guard brought back a memory I'd forgotten that involved the NG. at one time we were ordered to go inside the prison yard to go to the 'cafeteria' which was on fire and determine if we could save it and to look for possible 'victims'...We had all our gear on including masks and air tanks for incase we went into the cafeteria, we were told we would be escorted by the NG. As we assembled to go into the yard we had to stop inside the 'Sally port' which is a set of double gates through which we drove our fire truck; as we entered the Sally port we were stopped while the inside gate was opened and the outside gate was closed behind us. As we were waiting for the gates to open and close, we were flanked on either side by the tall fencing, we had turned off our air tanks to conserve the air in case we did go inside the cafeteria. Being that it was so cold outside our masks had fogged over and we could not see anything, we were delayed between the gates for short time and were told to remove our masks as we were not sure how long we would be 'stuck' between the gates.....When I lifted my mask I realized for the fist time, how close we were to the inmates, we could hear them of course as they were taunting us and telling us how they were going to 'fuck us up,' but we as yet had not seen how confined and close we were inside the Sally Port, if the fencing had not been there we would have been 'close enough' to touch. That was the first time I got a little 'concerned' and was damn glad the NG was with us.... We finally got inside the yard and started to proceed back behind the prison toward the Cafeteria when we were met by a large group of inmates who not only continued with the taunts but had all picked up rocks to throw at us; it was then that the Lieutenant who was leading the us gave the command for the troops to form up in front of us, that was when the 'shit' got really 'real' as the Lt. was ordering the inmates to back off and disperse and the inmates started coming closer. It was then that the Lt. ordered the troops to 'lock and load' that I went from 'concerned' to being truly scared. The sound of all those bolts being racked and closed on those rifles was a sound I'll never forget, it made me feel safe, and it sure made an impression on the inmates too as they backed-off a bit and gave us a little more distance.... It was then then, that who ever was in charge decided that it just might not be safe enough to go in yet!! It was then that we and the NG were ordered back out side of the yard........Perhaps you were one of NG who was with us in the yard; I try to remember what the Lieutenant's name as he was quite impressive, I keep thinking his name was Valdez, but I can't be sure. Perhaps if you were one of those with us you will remember, it would be nice to know after all these years... You thanked me for what we did in there, and I appreciate that. But it was you and all the Guard and law enforcement that really took all the risk, and are truly worthy of thanks!!
My friend tonio Martinez dad was one of the correctional officer who was held captive in that riot. His name Ronnie Martinez. He was 18yrs old at the time of the riot. Ronnie was one of the only cool COs who was cool with alot of the inmates and tried to help the inmates by telling the Warden and other higher ups about what's happening behind the bars, like over crowding and racial tensions, but no one ever listenend to Ronnie. Such as the big rooms that only should have only supported a few hundreds, supported thousands of inmates, all sleeping shoulder to shoulder in these crowded cramped sleeping conditions.The food was rotten most of the time. Alot of abuse of powers came from the higher ups .
But we heard first-hand accounts from Ronnie Martinez himself the day/night it happened. That night Ronnie was taking his nightly routine rounds of his cell blocks and some of cell blocks doors didn't lock correctly and the inmates knew it. Once Ronnie was walking away from the door they rushed him , taking him hostage and taking his keys that opened almost every door because of staff shortages, In which Ronnie was the 5th guard outta 13 COs on duty that night.
After they took Ronnie hostage, they tied them up against the wall and stabbed him between the fingers and toes and in places where he would not die immediately. After that they killed the black prisoners and they held a decapitated head of a black inmate with a prisoners hand inside the head thru the neck controlling the head and jaw making it seem like it was talking, and they held the head up to Ronnie's face and the other guards face, controlling the decapitated heads jaw, as if it was talking to them . Ronnie said they sodomized the guards next to him with whatever ever would fit up the guards @$$.
Ronnie told me that a big reason why the prisoners did such evil things is because the inmates were injecting huge amounts of uppers, benzos and opiates they seized from the infirmary that drove them to act and look crazy .
After they stabbed Ronnie hundreds of times between the toes and fingers, a group of shot callers remembered Ronnie(CO) as one of the cool guards so they cut him down wrapped his wounds up and hid his body along with the other guards, until the riots where over after a few days of living HELL.
The shot callers of the prison used the guards as pawns in the negotiation process with the state for better treatments and food for the prisoners, in which they ended up closing that part of prison.
Ronnie told me and his son that he started to smell a weird smells, loud screams that ended up being pedophiles burning alive in they're cells. He also told us they used a blow torque on the pedophiles and burned their eyes out and groin out, while they where alive . Others where hacked to death as well.
But after all this was done Ronnie was so damaged, they awarded him retirement at the age of 18 after what was done to him, he earned it. He ended up with multiple blood poisonings with all the dirty blades that cut him. I remember I was chilling with Ronnie and all of sudden bright pink fluid came out of a blister on his arm, due to the blood diseases.
So after all those traumatic events on that weekend In 1980s, he had a boy in 1986 that ended up my best friend, Tonio till this day. We also graduated together in 2005. Ronnie lived a peaceful, quiet life, who passed away in 2015. I was so close to him , he used to call me his other son . R.I.P Ronnie AKA Rabbit.
Crazy he survived that and lived a full life after! Rip to your friend
@@b_collins7846 right , you would have never known that even happened to him. He was always laughing and making us laugh. I miss him my 2nd dad I would tell him lol 😆
@@jacobgates1986 sounds like a real stand up man, tough SOB. Rip to your 2nd father bubba
@@b_collins7846 ya he was. I remember this one time, I went over to his house with his son(tonio) after High school and his dad(rabbit) asked if we wanted some green chili stew ( cubes potatoes, beef, onions and New Mexico green chili) and I took one bite of the stew and it was sooooo F*"'KN hot 🥵 that as soon as I shallowed, I felt foam build up instantly in my belly and I ran to the bathroom and puked this acid tasting foam come out LMAO, rabbit had known that green chili stew was really hot, So wanted to see what would happen if we ate it . And it only affected me really bad , even with a headache right after I puked 😆 but that's the type of guy Ronnie was , just loved to laugh and do stuff like that to us. That's why when he told us that story of him working as a CO in Santa Fe. We both were so shocked at what he told us. But yet knowing him , you would never even know something so horrific went down in his life at the young age of 18.
Was this the officer who didn't lock the door???
Police officer: That guys head exploded
Former inmate: yeah there was a bit of frustration released in cell block 4
@@anthonygriego1136eeeeee Chill ese ala bro
That got me so good
@@anthonygriego1136 so are you 😀 .....
I spit my drink out when I read this comment
While he casually takes a drip of his drink.
Imagine waiting three hours while the people in the cells next to you are killed and mutilated and tortured. Having to listen to them begging and pleading for their lives , then screaming and shouting while they died, knowing your turn was coming. Unaldulterated terror.
@Fer Das Führer James Perrin got it the worst out of all the prisoners
@Fer Das Führer not necessarily. Inmates will kill anyone they even suspect is a rapist/pedo. Just someone spreading a false rumor is good enough to end someone's life behind bars...
@@ACECAL-cl4tb Nah. Ain't the way it works. People can try and hang a jacket on you, but inmates know/figure out who is actually a chomo and a snitch and who is not, with accuracy. Especially in this case. During the Old Main (Santa Fe in the vid above) riot, the inmates got access to the security files, so they knew exactly what people's charges were and who was actually a snitch. The guys who are in PC are there for one of only three reasons: One, either people have confirmed you're a chomo; Two, people have CONFIRMED you're a snitch (either an inmate clerical worker got access or a CO rolled on their file), or Three, you've "rolled up" and ASKED for PC because you can't handle yourself out in population. Remember, PC is different than Ad Seg.
If you're in PC, there's a good reason, generally. And inmates do NOT run around "killing anyone they suspect is a rapist". LOL that's fucking absurd. Tons and tons of rapists running around in general population in State and Fed Prisons in the US, with no problems. They're fine as long as the crime wasn't particularly heinous/predatory/doesn't involve children and as long as someone on the outs doesn't put a green light on them for revenge... which does happen. Cash goes street-to-street and then ends up on books, and I knew lifers who would take on a hit for 500 bucks put on their books/500 bucks worth of store (commissary items). They have nothing to lose other than maybe a year in Seg, and some even enjoy that, as well as enjoying all the trips outside the prison to court in order to "fight" the case they catch if they get caught in the hit. They get a chance to see trees, cars, some chicks, maybe some animals and green grass/the Seasons, some color, smell new (or forgotten) smells. maybe even a novel meal or a cold soda. Just a trip outside like that is a big deal to a Max Security Lifer, and they'll get a bunch of those "outside" "court ride" trips in the process of having caught a new case- big fun; almost a vacation!
I swear, the ideas the general public have about what actually goes on in prison are often hilariously ridiculous, and are seemingly gleaned from fictional TV shows and Movies almost exclusively. Guys DO NOT go round just jumping off on whoever they "think" may be a chomo, because that would cause utter chaos and then the actual prisoner-on-prisoner justice meted out would also be meaningless. The shot-callers know this, and they don't want half-cocked, non-sanctioned hits going off all the time because it brings on lockdowns, and lockdowns are bad for business- it crimps the drug and sex trades big time, plus commissary, plus TV time, visits, work assignments, etc- so when a hit happens it's confirmed, ordered, and handled in a way that causes the least collateral damage to everyone in the unit. Guys aren't just acting on rumors and going off left and right all the time; anyone who believes that shit doesn't understand how this shit works- anyone who does that kind of shit will get checked with the quickness by the guys riding the biggest car in the unit and rightfully so.
@@blankspott4467 true
The Artful Dodger imagine you stfu
The part “I can hear scratching at the walls “ and “ scratching is my scratching” gives me chills and sad in same time
Thanks wasnt sure if he said my or mice
@Ben Henderson If you read one of the books on the subject, The Hate Factory. That guard Benito Gonzalez was known as "Green Eyes" and was known for being cruel.
I had the crabs once, I literally could not stop scratching my balls. I was in jail too. Gives me the chills thinking back to that day. My cellmates were not happy campers too. The jailer threw a can of spray in the cell and everybody fought for it. My balls do not itch anymore as that was many moons ago. Many. Yakima WA. county "82" I had the crabs.
@@vs4798crabs 🦀 ain’t forever? I learned something new ig
33:37 "And you've been accused of involvement in that. Were you involved... were you in cell block 4?"
*Pauses and glances to the side*
"I've been in cell block 4 before, yeah."
Absolutely chilling.
i wonder what he did when he was down in the cell block 4
@@pauljones8218*You know what he did.*
Mike Colby was a stone cold killer.
The documentary titled Shakedown in Santa Fe features interviews with Michael Colby's buddy and fellow "negotiator" William Jack Stephens ( seen at 39:39 ). He describes what happened in CB4 in more detail, explaining how the inmates with blowtorches were systematically going down the row of cells.
"And I wonder, you know, what was going through these guy's minds when they know, cell by cell, pretty soon it's gonna be their turn."
Stephens also described the riot in the documentary Death in a Southwest Prison as "all the things you ever dream of."
Being eye-to-eye with either of them, knowing what they were capable of, must have been a haunting experience.
very.....hes a long time convict so he knows to say ...nothing
I was an inmate at the Old Main from 1992-1993 before I was reclassified and shipped to medium security in Grants, NM. The place smells like blood. What happened in 1980 stuck to the place. Very eerie and dark vibe that clings. I was repeatedly told by inmates and CO's alike that the place was haunted. Shit like that don't wash out. I will never forget my time there and I damn sure wouldn't want to go back, not for a tour, documentary, nothing. Needs to be torn down. It's a tomb and always has been.
+Edward Carter not meaning to bother. thats so interesting you were there. were you ever in CB4? also any crazy stories from that place?
They did a dead files episode there, and it was by far the scariest one I've seen. They shot a film there,and one of the crew found a hat there, and carelessly took it home with her. Not long after dark things started happening. Haunted by a shadow figure and the like. Amy Adams ( the medium) said that the LA d itself was bad, something terrible happened there hundreds of years ago, a massacre. There have been loads of accounts by staff and inmates post riot, of seeing and feeling really dark things. The whole thing is terrifying.
Edward care to discuss penitentiary war stories?
ghosts don't exist. very spooky tho
Don't blame you, never been there (never been to prison period) how do you look at the prison the same way again after something like this happens to it. The people who were apart of it may die, the detailed memory may die, but its always going to be there.
Documentary aired year 2000, in case you are wondering about the ages of everyone interviewed.
Thank you
It looks older than that. It looks as if it was filmed in the early 90's
Prison cat was wearing a Bolo. Sorry but this is more like early 90s.
@@HandlingItAll well the guy wearing the hat it says got out of incarceration in 1998 so there's no way this was filmed in the early 90s.
why does it look like it was shot in the late 80's though?
i used to drive past this place before knowing what happened there, always gave me the creeps. pueblo indians supposedly stayed away from the area because of evil spirits and thats where the prison ended up. compared to all other prison riot stories, this one is truly diabolical.
It's one of the most haunted places in New Mexico, if not the U.S. Some great footage in My Ghost Story(caught on camera)
@@Paddyllfixit can I see the video bro
@@Paddyllfixit can I see that pls and where can I find it?
There is an ancient evil In the ground. In the Earth itself In the land that surrounds that penitentiary. The Indians knew it and I know it because I lived in Santa Fe for 12 years. I drove by the place once and that was enough. The negativity and horror that you feel in the ground in the air.. It's palpable and it's undeniable. It's not a prison... it's a portal to hell. Why don't people ever listen to the American Indians? They knew there was evil there hundreds of years before there was a prison. They knew to avoid that whole area!
Your clearly from New Mexico 👽
To label someone a snitch and put their life on the line for information is evil asf. The prison warden and CO s are no better than the inmates
no worse than the inmates, yes. breaking the law gets you where you are whether stealing an apple or a car. Stealing is Stealing. IMO, I'd be x1,000 times harder on humans who break these laws they already KNOW are illegal-yet,, still choose to break the law. You teach others how to treat you. There HAS to be law. Each and every one of these individuals could've gotten a job or go to college etc, and if they didn't like any of the scenarios/options in america, they could've simply LEFT america and went elsewhere on the planet. THEND.
Of course not. When I was "away" a guard said, "The only difference between you and I, is you got caught "
The inmate that carried the decapitated head around on a spike was transferred to an Arizona prison that I work for. The worst inmates that participated were sent to various out of state prisons.
I'm from Arizona what was his name ??
azolivas please explain more ? I imagine the dude is an old guy by now.
Helen coe ok boomer
Junior Mudd bro how you boomers get free education but still dumb ass shit smh
Was that black killed for being a snitch or just because ?
One of the most powerful documentaries I’ve seen. Glad it was made and thanks for uploading.
It must have been absolutely terrifying watching your bars get cut one by one and knowing what is next.
@Walter Dumbrowski more like just hearing it.
Ya, but I'm taking at least one or two with me.
@@anamericanman hearing it and not knowing if u would get it worse or hopefully something quick, gives me chills
That's why you DON'T snitch.
@@ronaldogutierrez8807 Personally I'm not in a place where I'll ever be asked to snitch, nor will I ever be. Are you?
Gary Nelson, along with his brother, survived the riots because they were both 6'2", 250lbs and armed with knives, walking back to back protecting each other. After he was released, he went straight and became a lawyer and civil rights proponent.
He seemed like a very interesting and smart guy. I'm glad he straightened his life out and made something of himself.
@@killerfrank8974 totally. Became a lawyer. And was, as of 2020, battling lukemkemia, which he suspects he may of contracted after all the noxious shit he breated in. He's probably passed by now unfortunately. Still, he lived a great life since the 80s
I thought felons were barred from practicing law.
Guess not🤷🏻♀️
Tight video straight up
He went straight and became a lawyer?!? He didn't go straight - he went bad
May that young shoplifting boy rest in peace. Innocent blood spilled...
Same goes for that black kid with the mind of a 12 year old.
@@Beastgrows Savage bro
@@Baraka_Obama_ Any hole's a goal !!!
That's what's fucked up with the wood pile. (white convicts) They gravitate towards abusing their weaker brothers. I am white, grew up in the pens during that era and did my best to rescue those whom were vulnerable. Had I been ridin' on that yard at that time, I would have not allowed that to happen to him. He wouldn't have been raped and he wouldn't have had to check in. All he would have had to do is be willing to represent himself, ie: maybe take an ass kickin' in one of those day rooms heads up (WOULD NOT have allowed him to be rat packed) and that would have allowed me all the license I would have needed to Intervene, stave the wolves off, take him under the wing and school him. Never have nor would fuck a man, so that's why he would have had to initially go to bat for himself; unless you are steppin in as Dad, ie: claiming one for your personal property, thatz all that someone would have needed to do. Was in the pen in NV when a few of the NM transfers arrived. Dope fiend booty bandits; fuckin sick what they did to him.
@@stanmelvin3061 Bet you've seen some shit......damn. The whole scenario sounds scary as fuck and I'm 45. I know enough bad motherfuckes. Enough to you know, I damn sure ain't one.
Damn, I can only imagine the level of fear a man would experience knowing a horribly brutal fate is just down the hall.
If they were murders and rapist good.But if there crime was lower...R.I.P.
@@sexdrive3682 i wonder if there is a list somewhere that shows what each of the 33 souls were in for...cause i agree. murderers that caused horrific crimes i dont feel for whatsoever they deserved everything they received...literally an eye for an eye in their case. but it sounds like more than we think could have been in for not so serious crimes which sucks. I dont think they would put the violent guys in the same cb as the non violent for the most part it'd defeat the purpose. the FKED part is that they were all locked in their cells with no way out and no chance to even fight back. literally surrounded and marked for torcher and death.
@@redbeardjohnson2570 you respected if you go in with murder. Any *pedofiles, snitches or thieves* no one can’t stand .
@@elpri553 oh I simply pointed out murder because I have a strong belief in the fact that murderers get away with literally murder never having to face the physical/emotional pain he/she caused. Pedo’s I agree with as well. The others are a gray area to me in this situation mainly because the pos guards forced a lot of them into their situation.
Just like a Family with a Home invasion .....
That former guard, Larry sounds like a bag of nerves, even so many years after the event.
Did you forget?.... It was his first day on the job he said at the beginning of his interview
I guess being back brought back memories to him and has we saw he was Hell as we know it ,
Patrick Rodriguez Sorry, sir, I forgot.
+DarrenBonJovi how would you be if you were held hostage by people allready doing life for murder. and the killers literly walk up to you dangling a human head in front of you ..asking you "witch one of you wants to go next" lol theres no way smh to even comprehend what this guy goes thru on a daily ptsd out of the fuckn roof for sure .
Talk about incurable PTSD.
Been a few years since I've watched this and it hasn't lost its shock value one bit.
The poor prison guards, the poor prison staff, the poor inmates who were non-violent offenders. What a tragedy.
What God damn video you watching? Doesn't anybody pay attention. The Officers were the reason why they rioted. They treat the inmates like animals and beat them regularly. It all came out in this video. The Officers even admitted they abused the inmates and crowded them on purpose by the higher ranking Officers. Same thing happened at Sing Sing prison in that big riot. It's all documented. I can't believe how many people agree with your comment. Doesn't anybody pay attention to what your watching? The biggest enemy in the Prisons isn't blacks against white it's Officers against inmates period. Upstate New York Prisons are the worst. Those redneck farmboy officers will kill you up in there and get away with it. And they tell you that everyday. I seen it. They will put you in a cell and you won't never get fed. What do you think a inmate with life is gonna do if he had the chance to get revenge on a Officer who beat him numerous times and lied on him to get him a longer sentence etc. No mercy for them bastards!!!
Everyone wants to be a gangster until its time to do some gangster shit. Stay out of trouble kids. This place sounds like hell. Even for the perpetrators. Nobody wins. Everyone loses. Lets love each other and heal.
My uncle did 38 years in prison for 3 different merderd. He told me if he ever saw me in prison, he would kick my ass. He was there when the riot happened. He told me , it was hell on earth. Gruesome things he witnessed.
The USA throws people in prison for petty crimes.
It was and it was planned
@@angeloflight8714 I’m sorry for you’re uncle is he alright?
@@bruceperkins7253 elaborate on this. What was planned?
Colby and the guy with sunglasses and creepy mustache who felt no remorse are both total flatliners with no moral pulse. No human measures can help those two. Only Divine intervention. Why is Colby walking the streets?
I looked him just up and he got locked back up not long ago... once again
@@kyleyoung1156 Is he back in or does he have to report in? I to looked him up and as of 2017 he was still expected to report in but the photos I've seen have him holding an id card like locked up people have but I may be wrong? As an aside apparently he won a substantial payout prior to his release from prison. Who says crime doesn't pay 🤷?
I agree that that's one nasty looking mustache.
The guy with the creepy mustache has hepatitis B, wonder how he got that🤢🤢
Michael Colby comes across as one seriously disturbed individual. Type of guy the vast majority of people would take a glance at and severely underestimate the depravity of Michael's character. This is one dangerous dude.
And he’s a free man!!
@@demon515no, thankfully the animal is back in prison for unloving someone.
The former inmate crying in the sensory deprivation cell reliving his past got me. Old Mexican men from that era dont cry easy. So that must have been some crazy suffering
Dont do the crime if you cant do the time.
@@SCBMD2020 I know that its an idiom, but that's kind of tasteless no? He did far more than his time in that cell man.
@@SCBMD2020 Fairly douchey thing to say..
@@trent617tw A wolf doesn't concern himself with the opinion of sheep.
@@SCBMD2020 Wow. Even douchier. Impressive
MUST WATCH THIS DOC !!!! The best prison story I've ever seen. Such a well told story !!! Thank you everyone involved in bringing this to this platform. . Absolutely incredible 👏
You weirdo !
"You were accused of involvement of that.. in cell block four..?"
"👀......👀 ....Ive been in cell block four."
Kristina Rain lmao. I saw that too. Paranoia.
Colby should have been taken out first!!! fucker was annoying piece of garbage
@Charlie Sosa Protective custody IS for rapists, child molesters, Snitches, drop outs and people who were 2 scared 2 live with everyone else.. Wouldn't be scared 2 live with other inmates unless u worried theyll find out something about u.. I got stuck in a high max 6 months before my 18th birthday. Didn't have a single issue 🤷
The only one i feel bad for is the black kid with the 12year old mind.. People like him DONT belong in prisons. They should be put into hospital institutions
@@mikefrost8815 What about the other kid, the spanish kid. He didn't deserve that.
My grandfather on my moms side was at PNM during the riots for a murder he didn’t commit. I heard my dad talking about the riots among him and his friends. My grandpa was a very silent and observant man, and I remember being old enough to finally ask him about the riots. We were sitting outside the porch and he was drinking his can of bud. I regret asking him about what happened. His facial expression went through 100 different expressions and he starts tearing up. “I’m trying my best to forget that mijo.” He saw chomos getting castrated, snitches be headed or disemboweled, inmates and guards being raped. Now as a full grown man I realized what I asked him to relive and I regret that.
Good story …any other stories you can make up for us?
Damn ....sorry bro
i would respect him if not for the fact he drink bud light
@@ENGRAINING Where's it say he was drinking bud light? 12 warm regular budweiser definitely takes the pain away
@@ENGRAININGyou’re so closeted 😂
Two wrongs don't make a right, but will cause a riot.
Cell block 4 deaths are on the heads of any officer that partook in the "snitch jacket" labeling.
Right. And the assholes who killed the "snitches" are okay. No. They are cowards who never took responsibility for anything in their lives.
You missed the first thing he wrote?
@@RatatRatR criminals are losers in the USA. A lot of opportunity in this country. If you wanna be a loser, then live in prison.
That's like a little child's take on the situation.
@@RatatRatR Sure. And your take is brilliant.
I'm totally horrified and fascinated at the same time about this situation
You need help
@@lllliiilllliiillll you need Jesus
There should be a movie made about this event, like a three hour movie.
They tried to and new Mexico's legal went after them and denied any right to movie. They hide fact to date nm is behind and pays their guards low, has low man power and the elected persons increase their salary and dont budget more guards in or street cops. This will happen again mark my words. It's their own doing in being cheap like all places in Gov in nm are.
@Harry Harry WTF are you talking about? NBK isn't about the PNM riot
Jason Kessler would be perfect for HBO to do!
@Antonio Jackson One Of The greatest shows ever
Harry Harry you are joking right!? You obviously watch too much television you know how many times I’ve heard people relate that movie to so many different events.....
The inmate at 30:00 in is Leroy "Tiger" Vigil. He was charged along with five other inmates for six separate rapes of another prison inmate in 1977. The raped inmate was sent to prison for violating his probation for a marijuana offence. Vigil was convicted of six counts of criminal sexual penetration and given 60-300 years. Interestingly enough, one of the inmates that he went into cell block 4 to kill during the riot, Jimmy Joe Vela, was also convicted in those same rapes and given six consecutive 10-50 year sentences.
How did you find this info? I want to know more about some of the other victims.
@@afghantrucker I signed up to a website that allows me to navigate old newspapers. Every time I post the link it gets deleted for some reason. Anyways, I search for names and such and have been able to find a lot of information on many of these guys as well as other inmates from other prison videos and documentaries.
@@afghantrucker I'll post more info on some of these other guys soon.
James Perrin was convicted of the horrible assaults and murders of a young mother and her two little girls. He broke into their mobile home in Chaparral in the middle of the night and was in there with them for hours. He got what he deserved in Santa Fe.
Is he the one Leroy Vigil was convicted of raping? Or another inmate in the documentary?
It was pure savagery -- humans are capable of the most heinous barbarisms.
MrBoywonder1985
Yup. and to think almost every man around you is capable of this under the right circumstances
V Ling
Yikes! How frightening that is.
Makes me think that regardless of how far we advanced, how civilized we act, that part of us is still buried inside of us. And some of us are capable of embracing it, others would kill themselves before going down that path, and others would slowly accept it. Makes me think in a world like this, how many people in society and not in prison are close to that line already.
EmporerAaron
When you think of human suffering, the greatest perpetrator has to be other humans. I mean, sure, earthquakes and tsunamis have killed hundreds of thousands, but that's pittance compared to the Holocaust, Stalin and Mao's purges, and Pol Pot's mass executions -- easily over 100 million died at the hands of these monstrous men. And then they say that the Middle Ages were "dark"!
Humans are intelligent animals, so they could only be worse than animals!
Crazy to think that a lot of the guys who were involved in the murders and rape/gang rape are out in the free world...
A lot would be pretty old now!
Oj they killed more people
This was a shit show.
How many violent inmates ended up getting out of prison early because they killed the other inmates in protective custody who were going to testify against them?
@@GanjikaAranyaka NONE !!
They Were Transferred To Other Prisons
My brother was one of the inmates tortured and killed during the riot. His name is Joseph A. Mirabal. He got there by violating his probation for receiving stolen property. When he was young (9-14) he was a an alter boy in the catholic church in our town of Alamogordo. When I was very small and still learning to talk I gave everyone in my family their nickname that they still use to this day. Joseph's nickname was "Joe Tony". Everyone knew him by that name. He was raised by our grandparents. When my grandfather passed away, Joe Tony turned wild and often chased by the law all over town. In 1977 he told me he was having a recurring dream of him having a bad death and that he would never live past the age of 24. He told me no one would ever be convicted of his death and everyone would know about it. I asked him who is "everyone?" He said, "everyone everywhere." He explained to me that when you are a alter boy you are supposed to lead a clean life which is something he failed to do. So in order to receive forgiveness from God he would have to suffer a bad, torturous and painful death. He didn't know where this would take place. He was 21 at the time when he told me and my half-sister about his recurring dream. When he died in the NM prison riot he was 24 and two weeks after his birthday on January 18th, 1980. Joe Tony despised "snitches" all his life. He was not a gang member and was known to stand on his own two feet and fight his own battles. Many admired his courage and his willingness to help and protect others from those who meant to harm them. He served his country during the Vietnam War in the U.S. Navy. Before that he spent a year and half in reform school in Springer, NM. He was 17 1/2 when he was released. Six months later he joined the Navy. He led a remarkable life and would make a good book or a movie epic like Ben Hur with the prison riot as its centerpiece. I wonder if the prison riot was determined to happen no matter what anyone did to try and stop it. The riot was already foretold in his dreams.
@Tom Stanton I agree, I call BS. Also, if altar boys who go astray are supposed to die horrible deaths, what about the catholic priests who go astray and die of natural causes. Religion is BS too.
@@EvilRevanX Have you ever asked how the 12 apostles died?
This sound like a ton of crap no one gives a shit what he did when he was a child people don’t stay children for ever
@@Rigoberto365- The Church is based. You have stupid prison wardens or whatever, making religious decisions for a bunch of inmates. Idiotic.
@Robert Mirabal
I’m sorry that happened to your brother
I watched this documentary years ago & it’s always stuck with me. It’s horrific
“ I could hear scratching on the walls, and that scratching was my scratching. “ 😢
🙏😢
I remember when I became a correctional officer I had to watch this at the Academy. I've never forgotten the insufferable soundtrack. ON THE BLUEEEEEE
Did the inmates run a train on you like a car assembly line ??? Lol 🤣 not funny really but hopefully you treated ppl like ppl not animals
Yo I just came here because we talked about it in academy today 😂
@@bennywooly304 you aren't KY DoC are you :D
@@AppalachianCryptidDoge no actually, Idaho corrections. Shows you how much reach this documentary has😂
@@karenault6273 go figure a Karen
Its pretty crazy that the institution started threatening to label people as snitches and basically threaten their lives to get information out of them. The fact that they knowingly fed fuel to the barbaric act of snitch killing, fueled the violent atmosphere they were supposed to be cracking down on, and maintained that level of violence in the facility through threats just to serve their own agenda is one of the most disgusting and hypocritical things I've ever heard from a penitentiary
Imagine what else they did they aren’t telling us ,literally putting ppl lives at risk just like nothing wonder why they acted like animals .
U treat ppl like animals don’t be surprised when they act like one when u release them !
You're really green if you think that doesn't still happen in loadsa jails. Police allover the World do it too, they don't care about no-one, they only care about getting promoted, they don't Care if some junkie who wouldnt hurt a fly gets beaten up or killed.
Cops been doing that in and out of prison since the 60s
My heart goes out to the surviving inmates like my Uncle Chilo Maes, Tommy Barboa and countless other O.G.s. The guards had it coming. I was in Central Los Luna's in 89 and one of the guards that worked there was a guard in the riot. He got gang raped and got his own night stick stuck up his ass and left it there and they had him crawling around naked on a leash. The O.G.s said he was a real asshole. Karma is a bitch que-no? 😂😂
@@CR1xNM Yeah all you did was prove why you deserved to be locked up. Not smart folk lol
It really send shivers down my spine to know that other human beings could treat other human beings so inhumane, so vile.
We are all animals when it comes down to it. Imagine throwing a bunch of animals in a cell and mistreating them for years, then they break out. All of that frustration surfaces and turns to blind rage. Our justice system and prison system is completely inhumane. You treat people like animals, that’s exactly what you’ll get. Rest in Peace to those who lost their lives. This was a horrible tragedy
I was in San ta to
Yoy soy de Los paillas NM burque
Have you ever read a history book?
Completely broken individuals, almost right from birth whether how they were raised (abused, neglected), or some mental defect void of compassion and decency for others.
"When I was released from my cell the first place I went was the pharmacy and... and then went and proceeded to consume it and everything I had gotten from the pharmacy" LOL
Looool
Lol. Better than killing fellow inmates just cause.
@@Lemon_squee though the kid who snitched for getting raped didn’t deserve it. Many others did.
Everybody that could get up was getting down
THAT MF THE ULTIMATE BADASS
SUNGLASSES ON HIS MUGSHOT
Thanks for posting this man, excellent documentary!
Pure and utter savages. What’s really horrifying is that they had that “snitch” strategy where either you snitched or they hung clothes on you adorned with the word snitch. So you’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. Just imagine how many people chose to snitch out of fear because they give you two options, snitch and be thrown into a protected cell or be thrown into population labeled as a snitch where you’ll probably be beaten and raped. So many people just made up information to give to not wear the snitch suit and it is those people who were in cell block four and who were murdered, many innocent. Just unreal. This is on guards and prisoners alike. Cause and effect.
The entire system is crooked as a dogs hind leg. From egomaniacal judges, cops & CO’s to the politicians financially invested in the prison system. The bitch about it is there’s not a fucking thing we can do about it.
@@binko969 u can not not act like an animal
Yeah well you should not be able to ruin someone’s life then take their life just cause you’re in the position to do so. That’s acting like an animal. If you lock a man up like an animal, treat him like an animal, beat him like an animal, feed him like an animal, he’s going to adapt to his environment and turn into an animal.
The snitch jacket isn’t an actual jacket. It’s a metaphor. They just spread rumors about you. No clothing was labeled “snitch.”
They didn’t actually put jackets with the word snitch on them on people dude snitch jacket is just a term for someone with the reputation of being a snitch that’s all a snitch jacket means
Penitentiaries in the 60's, 70's and 80's looked like hell on earth.
been to Ryker's?
@@debiokane9772 No. From Chicago
They look like public schools from the outside.
@@E.C.2 I went to HS on the south side of Chicago. We didn't have glass mirrors it was polished sheet metal lol. It was rough
@@TRIIGGAVELLI My father (RIP) was a truck driver,used to go on the road w him. Everytime we passed a prison it looked like a public school.
No human being, criminal or otherwise should be subjected to this level of inhumanity. This is the darkest and deepest depths that a human being can sink to.
If the human is a rapist or child molester then they deserve death and the worst of the worst, that's way they get dumb mother fuckers....
@@daughtersofisrael4617 James 4:11-12
NO LIVING THING should be subjected to this level of humanity.
There, I fixed it for you :-).
@@spiralrose hey I am a former inmate, if you're interested we could chat ? U got any socials?
Absolutely agree. But the US seems too be - perhaps due to religious reasons - to be stuck in late 1890's.
"They made us that way. They made us do it."
Sounds like a lot of deflection for someone who wants to justify their murder. You didn't just murder guards, you murdered anyone you could get a hold of that you wanted. I hope that Hep B treats you well.
You should try it some time,
see how you end up
@@sherrycambridge1531 nah I don't think he likes to murder people
@@kimjongun2536 ok then
Ya that guy is a piece of shit..
He'd be long dead by now. This doc is 21 years old
"We never used physical force," that lie made me go play chess on my phone.
@Gary Mcguckin shut the F up dummy
This never happened!! Its a joke you idiot!
You skell ..are they going to hand out fucking balloons and flowers??..there not in prison because their boy scouts
According to the one of the books I read about the riot, the guard who said that was one of the worst of the guards working there at the time
@@lacymarie78 I think he's a liar and I hope he's long dead !
One of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen
......"ON THE BLUUUUUUUUUUUE....."
mycollegefund they needed to pay for rights to just three lines on ONE SONG
That's Steve Earle, LOVE his music, but your voice is pretty good too, especially on the BLUUUUUUU etc
@Ricki Lee what about mine "ON THUH BLEEEEWWWW SAHD UH EVENIN' " 3 more words than everyone else!
Hahahahaha fucking golden bro!!!
🙉🙉lol....nah...lit bro
Everyone in this film has serial killer glasses.
or birth control glasses...same thing
Moo
you need glasses as the quality is that shit !!!
The 80's even the 90's were awkward
Long periods in prison ruin your vision. Low light or little natural light, and not being able to focus on things at a distance can ruin or weaken your eyes. Guys can go decades never seeing anything farther away from them than maybe 50 yards, so their eyes lose the ability to focus properly without assistance.
How good was that line, "Anybody who could get up was getting down" ??
Classic 70's jive, ya dig?
70s talk 😂
Gangster af
My family lived just off of Highway 14, south of Santa Fe when this happened, about 6 miles north of the prison. We could see the water tower of the prison from there. Before and after this happened whenever I took the school bus to the homes of my friends that lived beyond the prison the bus would swing into the place as, apparently, some guards and whatnot had families that lived there... Gates, guards, etc. That was always scary, especially afterwards.
As an aside one of my dearest childhood friend’s (they lived a few miles beyond the prison) mother was the head librarian there.
It was cold and crystal clear when it all broke out, two days before I turned ten years old. At night we could see the glow of the fire coming from that atrocity. Helicopters kept us up at night, the constant sound of them and the search lights sweeping about, now and again coming through the bedroom window I shared with my two younger siblings, as the search for presumed escaped prisoners was carried out.
I don’t actually know if people did escape, but I seem to recall that a number did. Lots of guns about and even the kind, gentle janitor at what was then called Sunset Elementary School was strapped for a number of days, including, if memory serves (which it may well not), during a band concert during or very shortly after the riot.
My pops, now gone, was a pharmacist at the SF Indian Hospital and it was all hands on deck there, and at all hospitals in the region, to deal with the injured and what was presumed to be a massive rush of more. It was a horrible time that I will never, ever forget. We were told by our mom to see to our outside chores seeing to the goats, chickens and whatnot as quickly as possible, stay together and get back inside as soon as possible. That all had to be done and dad was caring for folks horribly injured and mutilated.
Needless to say, I have no recollection of a celebration of my tenth birthday. I’m certain one took place, but it is gone from my memory. It was a cold, hard and scary time that I wish hadn’t happened, not least,certainly, for those that found themselves within the confines of the Hate Factory.
Whilst certainly not among my most defining moments as a human, I wish, for the sake of those for whom it was, that it hadn’t taken place. That was absolutely horrific stuff, even for a kid with only a view from the sidelines.
✌️❤️🥂
Thank you for sharing that!!
♥️♥️
A little melodramatic, buddy.
3rd time I heard "the song" I wanted to jump out a window.
Chris Saindon ON THE BLUEEEEEEEEEEEEE
thats why the riot started
Abel1120 conlget hahahahahahaha
@@Abel1120 well in that case its justified
@@ajh8913 baahhhhh 🤣🤣🤣
The ex Latino correction office seems like a good dude. Hope he’s ok.
he's not latino anymore?
@rihardo123 im just making fun. you're right that it still doesn't sound right
@@momma1taught1me1good 😂😂😂
He ended up being convicted of fraud and embezzlement...
@@momma1taught1me1good it do be like that sometimes
I also read a book on this riot. Much abuse from guards before riot. Guards even stole inmates food (large pieces of meat that they drove away with their trucks, stole money, watches, ... anything). You could even buy your parole (DA and later governer were involved). Landgrabs took place by people working in the DOC. After riot ended, (state) police officers have been seen driving away with televisions, tools and furniture from prison.. After riots nothing really changed. Inmate abuse by guards kept taking place. Nothing of the promisses came true.
Guards als didnt follow procedures. Gates were left open. All keys were available at certain moments during their rounds. Therefore it was so easy for the inmates to get control over the complete prison.
NOTE: 33 deaths are an estimate. Statements have been made the deaths were actually over 70!
Yeah. They found 2 sympathetic guards to tell the story (the hostage and the one telling the story of the shoplifter), but most if not all of them were involved in brutalizing the prisoners (in addition to not following security procedures). Also, prisoners: "bad conditions, overpopulation, brutalization", guards: "bad conditions, overpopulation, brutalization", prison psychologist: "They were just animals". OK, dude, I don't think you are qualified for your position.
I was done with that fucking song after the 3rd time.
Lol true
Sean Hannity will use it to open his radio show.
😅😅😅
It was better without any music.
Lmao…
Glad the BBC covered this, no one in US thought to. Thanks for posting
sin nombre
Bill Kurtis did this in the USA. BEFORE the BBC.
..and WITHOUT that horrific music..
I recorded it onto a VHS back when It was first time aired on American Justice.
The U.S. version, which pre-dates the BBC version, is also on RUclips:
ruclips.net/video/K-7u3Q4p6t0/видео.html
6:17 is disturbing. "They had some poor guy dancing on the table. And then, after a while they took him down...you could smell the feces, the human feces, and I knew right away what was happening..."
Jesus Fucking Christ that part flew over my head.
LEMON MERINGUE
Help me out, what happened?
LEMON MERINGUE
What happened??
@@mcdonaldsfreewifi7262 The man was raped.
@ It was a gang rape.
sticking a white hot piece of re-bar through someone's eye socket causing their head to explode is probably one of those disgusting ways to get killed. Let alone think of killing someone that way...these were some fucking demons in prison.
There are even worse demons working in cartels. So sick.
lairdriver that's not how it happened. they took acetylene torches to his face and that's what eventually blew his head up. another inmate was killed when a piece of rebar was driven through his head
This shows how absolutely disturbed some humans can be.
After season 2 ofBehind bars rookie year i had to check this out
I have been watching behind bars rookie year for a couple days now
Douche bag Mangin would have taken care of this if he was here back in the day lol
domo tmc same that’s literally where I came from
lmao same
Same.shit brought me here
I believe the shoplifter guy who suffered a dreadful end to his life was 29, so he wasn't a kid, but my God, what a horrific life he must have had. I have many regrets in my life and the consequences of them, but this is beyond horrible. No man should ever have bad choices end this way.
By looking at his picture you can tell he’s not fit for prison.
I couldn't disagree more. I believe that 29 is a kid. Everything is relative. I'm in my 50s and there are people who are in their 70s and eighties who still call me a kid to this day and tell me that I still have my whole life ahead of me. So to me 29 is definitely just a kid and much much much too young to die, no matter what kind of death.
@@dannysullivan8929 of course 29 is not a kid that’s ridiculous
@@dannysullivan8929 and if some 70 year old calls a guy in his 50s a kid he is talking down to you and you should put him in check immediately.
@@SeanP7195 WRONG AGAIN!!! He is telling me that I am still young and can still either turn my life around or make it better than it already is. And 29 is TOTALLY A KID, of course not the same as a 7 year old kid, but a kid nonetheless. You are obviously a very negative and fatalistic person. You better check yourself.
What those murderers did to those men... I hope the killers burn in hell forever. I hope hell exists so they can pay...
Stephen /lfda be careful for what you wish for... you might be going there too 😂😂😂
Hell not real smh
I hope so too, slow deaths to all
@@jeffreyadams8345 hell is real
Hell ain't real, sadly. God(s) is(are)n't real either. It's a facade made up by Schizophrenic People in various areas of Earth to Justify fucking little kids and child abuse. Some Religious people are nice, but a bunch of them are ass.
The ex guard in the denim shirt and jeans is likely to be suffering from serious PTSD, even 20 years after the original riot.
I hope he was given help and financial support.
I believe after a couple of failed attempts he went on disability benefits. There is a mugshot of him online so I think he may have been caught up in some troubles? Feel sorry for the man. He suffered
Doubtful, and.... doubtful.
He wasn’t given much support. The state pretty much left them all hung out to dry
Duck em
What are you, some kind of clothing designer? Denim Dan over here
My uncle was a prison guard there at that time, the s*** he would tell us would curl your toes.
Thank you. I'm currently seeking anyone who was there during the riot for a film I'm doing. If you know anyone who may be willing to speak with me, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.
Well tell your uncle to make a RUclips channel and tell us them stories I would like to here them no joke
was your uncle one of the 7 booty bandits ?
I bet he bashed inmates !
All prison staff are the same !
The officers .
Medical staff.
They all abide by a code of silence not to report corruption/ mistreatment !
@PNM Oldschool Yes. Thank you. I would be very interested in speaking with him about possibly making a documentary about his experience. My email is jlsicard@yahoo.com. Would you please contact me so that we may discuss this matter in private? Thank you.
Dormitory style prisons? Who thought that was a good idea?
Today in 2018, Alabama still has dormitory style prisons. And the conditions are deplorable.
Those dorms look like torture
It's cheap
California still has dorms
Good question. An even better one is who thought it was a good idea to put the most hardened and dangerous inmates in there with the non-violent ones????!!!!!
As a New Mexico native i grew up within 50 miles of the prison. In fact I was born the day after this happened. I've always been fascinated with the resilience of the survivors. My heart aches for Mr Mendoza and the surviving guards who were just trying to make a living.
The inmate in the white shirt and glasses is 1 of the coldest individuals I've seen.
...where abouts, in grew up not to far from the pen. Los Cerrillos, the pen was on county road 14...rode by it when my parents drove into Santa Fe...
Sadly it still is. 😔
I feel for Larry Mendoza. At first, I thought he looked like an evil inmate. But after hearing him, he was so sad about what happened and the horrific torturing, mutilation and murders that he saw and experienced. The fact that the prison did the "snitch system" with putting a jacket with snitch written on the jacket, was horrible to do to them. The torches left behind was a horrible thing to overlook. How stupid and evil some of the guards were. There was the horrific beatings and tortures against inmates and visa versa. I really feel for Larry Mendoza, though. He still looks scared and anguished.
Larry Mendoza is my Uncle, I was 12..... I was at home in California watching the news. My mother turned it off and informed me my favorite uncle was being held hostage. We all got close to God real fast. The happenings of this event will never be forgotten. 😪
The demons were real God's word kept my Uncle alive 🙌
I've driven through NM a number of times, staying overnight in various locations. Maybe it's just the places I saw, but NM is the most thuggish-looking places I've ever been. I noticed the place was trashy and unkempt, as were the people. I've been in Wal-Marts all over the country, but the one I entered in Albuquerque to get a dog food and few other things for the RV looked like I'd stepped into gangland. And, this was a Wal-Mart!! My wife stayed in the RV and told me not to ever leave her again when in NM. I told her that inside was worse. Never stopped in NM anywhere that I wasn't armed and wishing I had eyes in the back of my head. I think the state should be returned to Old Mexico.... it's about there anyway.
I worked in several federal prisons over a 31-year career; retiring as an Associate Warden at Leavenworth. I never, ever tolerated misconduct by staff, but I know it still happens throughout the system. At 43:20 is a perfect example of an extremely manipulative, incredibly violent convict. Referencing the horrific brutality inflicted on others, the convict says, "that's what the administration made us." That excuse is beneath a real convict. A real convict would simply admit the violence and say that's what it takes to survive in that environment.
i’m glad you’re retired now.
I am from a small town about 40 miles from the old New Mexico State Prison. I remember the riot of 1980 very well. It was hell on earth. Those men have PTSD.
Who else is watching n reading the comments?
Great video
Me
Me
Colby's line is funny, "Anyone who could get up was getting' down."
sicardjlful "What did you take?"…"……………………..….drugs…"
Colby was and is a total douche bag. And yes, I knew him.
absinthe64 was he the Aryan that forced that inmate in cb4 to cut off the black guys head? he has a line when asked if he's been in cb4 before
"ive been in cell block 4 before"
and sips his coffee.
I wish they had more of an angle on who did what during the riot. I'd like to know everything that happened
absinthe64, I cannot find anything on how he was released. and your use of tense leads me to believe he passed away?
Hi absinthe64. May i ask a question please? I can remember watching this waaaaayy back in 2000. It stuck with me and one of the reasons it stuck with me was Michael Colby. You mentioned you knew him? Is he still around, bear in mind i guess he was in his late 40's,early 50's then and i would imagine he has led a hard life.
What was he like? arrogant, sadistic or a victim of "life" I seem to remember reading that when he went there in the early 70's a lot of his cousins were already in there. I am from the UK so no real ties to any of this but as i mentioned he stuck in my head. What did he do when he got out?
"I've been to cell block 4 before." Coldest thing I ever heard.
Really? That's gotta be quite the experience. Did you see the body outline of the prisoner who was burned so badly it was burned into the concrete?
@@Drozzzable It's the Micheal Stephens quote.
@@StephenWitharoseoh yeah? I've watched this documentary a few times I should have picked up on that quote. Thanks for the clarification
What a piece of shit
It's Michael Colby not whatever tf u said above ...
Last thing I would do while being surrounded by psycho murderers is zone out on drugs...
Nah I’d get high as a kite if I knew I was gonna die sometime soon.
He was the biggest psycho
Only the flunkies do shit in prison
I was 9 year's old when this happened. I could see the smoke comming from the facility from my grandmother's house. I could see the helicopters hovering above. The most smoke I've ever seen before that was from zozobra.
I was born this year cant remember it but i have seen the burn body marks
Brutal
I saw this documentary in TV in 2000 and it has always stayed with me. One of the most disturbing programs/films Ive ever seen. Just watched it again and it remains a powerful and chilling watch
The music couldn't be more perfect
12:09 I honestly felt heartbroken for that man. Yah he's a criminal, but at the same time it is just not right to put someone in a room like that.
It is horrible. And those kinds of cell set ups are.still around. For days and days and weeks they are kept in isolation that is absolutely cruel
Solitary confinement is considered torture.
It’s horrible and should never be practiced. People can go insane.
Documentaries of the 1970’s, 1980’s & early 1990’s still hold up to this day. The BBC, PBS, along with other State funded TV station reporting had plenty of depth and respect for the content they were investigating. When a good story is produced with truthful, meaningful content, even savage horrifying stories can become spellbinding. An honest story merged with excellent editing, a good narrative and a soundtrack that aligns with its visual & narrative content, what results is evidenced in films like this one. To capture the elements of history with great storytelling and expound upon it with graphic imagery,...that just can’t be beat. Such qualities in filmmaking are often missing in documentaries today.
Documentaries of the 2020s and beyond will reveal even more horrendous crimes, as more cyber criminals are thrown in with hard-core violent criminals. Those guys commiting serious crimes with keyboards won't stand a chance against the real violent offenders.
👍I miss these types of quality professional documentaries.
i was in 10th grade and living just a mile away from this prison when this happened. i remember the smoke from the building fires. i remember the horrifying possibility of the inmates escaping and coming to my house! i told myself that i would never commit a crime and end up in prison!
I have watched a lot of truly terrifying cases of mass murder, I have watched this particular episode several times and I must say that these events stand out in my mind as uniquely horrifying in the evil and cold-blooded manner in which it was carried out. Those men waiting to be tortured and mutilated with nowhere to go. It seems that hell was literally on earth during that instance. It opens your eyes to the reality of the darkness that exists in "all" men when you pack them in like sardines.
I just can't condone this level of violence and brutality. I understand the overcrowding problem. It's real. It was not fun detoxing from dope on the floor of Henrico jail with 50 other bitches next to me. Being thrown in the hole is real. In a turtle suit. For 11 days. I get the anger and frustration. I just can't get beyond the torture. It's obscene.
@@margaretfiester3689*Read The Hate Factory. Gives you some insight about the mentality of the convicts who committed the atrocities. Also read The Devil's Butcher Shop.*
that level of violence was from the drugs they ransacked. Amphetamines do that to you when you overdose.
The images & accounts of what went down are definitely #2 most horrifying that i’ve ever seen in a documentary. #1 would have to be the raw, unedited “Concentration Camps” footage that was captured by the Military who discovered the camps on accident played at the Nuremberg Trials.
This whiteboy Sipping the coffee is about that life
Colby is an original AB soldier
All AB’s are about that life. You can’t get in without willing to kill. Though I’m not white, I had respect for those guys in there. Was friends with a few of them. Very intelligent and hardcore individuals.
@@eddilovee jail is simple like everything in life 1 stand up FOR YOUR SELF then others stand up for you. 2 don't get into debt you can't but drugs don't do them. 3 you lose a fair fight no big deal leave it let it go. 4 no matter what keep your mouth shut. If you don't your done your on your own end of story.
I read the book, The Hate Factory. A book I bought up in Farmington. That book describes a lot of the horror that happened in that hellhole that isn't told in this documentary. I suggest you all read it. I finished it in a day. A real page turner.
tell me again where you bought the book? and from whom? please elaborate, did the nice lady in farmington have motherly features?
@@seniorjulio she was a fine pole smoker
Audiobook is on RUclips
you feel better you got your attention for the day?
Joey Trimble i read the book, a dude got melted to the floor by a blow torch and the mark is still there, it’s sick
Man... the director of this doc suuuure loves the chorus of that song. 😆
What is the song
@@frankkilama5974
ON THE BLUUUUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEE
@@MrManio1000 cheers
Lol hahaha
Thinking the same I hate that song
My grandpa was in this jail when it happened. Luckily he was alright but he would never talk about what he saw
He probably seen the worst but tried his best to forget it
I don't care what you have to say about these criminals or "wastes of human beings" -- NO ONE deserves to be treated this way. If you didn't feel appalled at the crime scene photos from CB 4 or feel empathy for the survivors who clearly are still experiencing PTSD some 33 years later, you have the brain of a reptile.
getshorty75 i hope you also dont care what kind of PTSD these criminals and gang members have inflicted to members of the public like u and me. They dont think about that when they did it dont they
getshorty75
Who gives a fuck what happened to these murderers? No fucking sympathy. Who would care about assholes commit such horrible crimes? Fuck them and who would feel sorry for snitches? Snitches deserve everything that happens to them so I don’t blame the criminals for getting revenge on them.
Fuck these guys
Who are you getting mad at? Who's disagreeing? Your attitude is the problem here, pal. Stop talk fighting with nobody.
@PanQuakes I'm willing to argue they deserve a hell lot more than that
Did anyone notice how many things were allowed ( plastic mirrors, windows, pillows, etc) ?? These things would be used as weapons, kite strings, hanging materials. Wow have things changed! Or maybe prisoners have changed. Who knows.
Aww that poor Guard. My heart goes out to him. I'm reading the book The Hate Factory about this. Hell came to life there.
Also read the devil's butcher shop.
Thank u for the name of the book
The Hate Factory is an insiders look. People ended up in Max because lesser security facilities were full and odd administrative rules would rotate small timers thru Max. The place ran into the sudden overcrowding when NM like most of the country starting locking up every drug offense.
@@nikispaniki imagine if people just stopped doing drugs we wouldn't have to lock them up
I visited my brother Joseph Mirabal (Joe Tony) one week before the riot. Something he told me still remains with me to this day. He told me that there are 3 types of cons in this place. One type is someone who is here doing time and is totally innocent. He was caught up in something that happened and was at the wrong place, at the wrong time. Guilty by association. Another is someone who freely admits to his crime and is now paying his dues for the crime he committed. The last is the con who is extremely dangerous and in some cases very smart, and who should never be released from this place. Some of these really dangerous one's are serving life, and some are not.
He was absolutely right. There are people who are equally dangerous as the dangerous inmates in the NM corrections facility who are walking freely on the street
I know your carnal
What do you know?@@JOSEPHBARBOA-hs9pw
*Producer:* Hey how's the song selection process going? Remember we got a lot of different scenes with lots of different emotions we want to convey.
*Audio Director:* Oh great does that mean we can get an increase to our song budget? We spent the entire thing so far on a single Steve Earle song.
*Producer:* Hmm. On second thought just use that one song over every single scene, no one is going to notice!
ONN THE BLUUUUUUUUEEE
The worst song. Ever.
Could have went with copperhead road
Never gonna give you up...🎼🎵🎶
*I remember this security guard at high school said he was a CO working there and got PTSD after the riot happened*
is it just me or did that song get really annoying?
Agreed, I got sick of hearing it every five minutes.
+Carey Mcclure yeah !gives me chills
ON THE BLUUUUUUU
I can make it stop. JUST SEND IN 4 EASY PAYMENTS OF 19.99 AND U WILL NOT HEAR IT AGAIN.
yes. blue grass and ralph stanley are garbage. im sorry they didnt put trendy billie eilish in the background.
I like what that prison guard said - “…all the forces of hell were unleashed.” Beyond words horrifying
That was the prison shrink, Marc Orner.
OOOOONNN THE BLUUUUUUUUUUUE SIDE! Dear god never gonna get that outta my head
Hahahaha...its a crazy ass sounding song but somehow its perfect in this context
ON THE BLUUUUUUUUUUUE
sorry just had to remind you a year later in case you forgot
😁😁😁 Same here !!
@@bigbowlowrong4694 🤣🤣🤣
@@bigbowlowrong4694 lol
This is a shocking documentary because of the sheer brutality that occurred during the riot, but it is lacking in the detail of the conditions that led up to the riot. It says nothing of the corruption, incompetence, or willful neglect of the prison's administration, guards, and other officials leading all the way up to Governor King. I watched this documentary to learn more after reading The Devil's Butcher Shop by Roger Morris, but Morris covered all of the dirty details which the people who created this film either did not research, failed to document, or felt it better to leave out for sake of simply blaming the caged animals. This horrific event is truly a stain on New Mexico's history.
I wouldn't say that it says "nothing" of those things. The brutality of the guards, the terrible living conditions, the deceitful and manipulative "snitch jacket" program are all covered. It's a 48-minute doc; it's not going to cover everything exhaustively.
Tommy Blanton The book Politics Of A Prison Riot is good too. I was a criminology/forensic psychology student starting in 1988 & there was still lots of talk & research on the riot going on at that time.
You are absolutely right. This is a stain on NM history. It's still reverberating through the New Mexico DOC to this day.
These people were murders before prison what’s to stop them in prison
According to research by the author of "The Devil's Butcher Shop", the actual death toll from the riot will probably never be known, but it may have been as high as 60. The prison staff kept very poor records on the tally of prisoners, many prisoners were immediately transferred elsewhere after the riot was over, and in many instances of those prisoners killed, the authorities could only find body parts but no whole bodies.
Yeah the staff sucked...hence the riot
That prison psychologist lost all faith in humanity after this.
Narrator: "They burnt through the bars, tortured him with a blowtorch and killed him by piercing a rod through his skull".
IN THE BLUUUUUUUUUUUUUE OF THE EVEEEEEEEEEEEEENIN'
Whoever did the soundtrack for this documentary deserves a kick in the head hahaha.
I like the song.
Lmfao!
The song is actually pretty cool but yeah the timing of its use throughout the documentary was kinda silly.
Wow great piece, had two uncles that were in there, one was my uncle Dwight Duran I knew he did some documentary but I never saw it until now, unfortunately he passed away around 7 years ago of cancer, and he was literally born in prison ,his mom was 5 months pregnant with him when she went in for arm robbery , I also had another uncle in there at the time of the riots he stayed low because he was getting out in two months, him and five other inmates stayed in the gas chamber playing cards the whole time ,and he also passed away 10 years ago of pancreatic of his liver, but they told me some crazy stories of what happened that week ...
Can I Kno some stories
cool story
Arm robbery, did she get way with many arms then? And what the fuck is pancreatic of the liver? Is that like your pancreas attacked the liver, or a shit on the liver or maybe even pancreatic or liver cancer?
was he deadass playing cards? damn lmao
In the gas chamber?
This was the most mind-blowing documentary I've ever seen can't believe I've never heard of it before!
I was hired on at a Sheriff’s Dept county jail in North Texas in like 1990. During the training + Orientation class they made us watch this documentary to kind of. let you know what you’re getting into corrections
job - I think ? It scared everyone a little bit ?
@@CarlosAlvarado-sf6km - They made you watch a documentary that wasn't even made then?
I'd be mind blown as well.
@@iby914 probably talking about death in a southwest prison or shakedown in santa fe
@@iby914
😂😂😂😂😂😂
This is right up there with Gladiator days as the best prison documentary ever
If you make a recipe for disaster you cant expect to get cup cakes.
What about disaster cakes they are delicious 😋