The Biggest Prison Riots From Around The World

30. West Lothian, Scotland - 2020

Image source / Edinburgh LiveTwo inmates sparked a huge riot at a West Lothian jail in Scotland after flying into a rage when the world stopped as a result of COVID.  Michael McBride, aged 27 and Connor McCall, 26, took control of a wing at HMP Addiewell.  They attacked guards with makeshift blades and held 2 other prisoners hostage.  The chaotic scenes continued with a fire which ripped though the wing.  It took 10 hours to control the violence.

29. Willacy, UK - 2015

Image source / BBCIn 2015, prisoners took over the facility for 2 days. The privately owned prison housed about 2800 inmates, mostly illegal immigrants awaiting deportation.  The inmates rebelled over inadequate medical care, unsanitary conditions and maggot-infested food.  They set fire to tents and destroyed the plumbing and electrical systems..  Armoured vehicles with tear gas were deployed to control the riot.

28. Atlanta, Georgia - 1987

Image source / Fox 5 AltlantaIn 1987,  Atlanta prisoners set fire to the facility, forcing firefighters to fly helicopters over the prison, dumping water on the blaze.  They orchestrated a duplicate the following week! Several inmates had been detained without a proper trial and this was their way of gaining attention.  It worked and the system was changed to go through the proper channels.

27. Lansing, Kansas - 2019

Image source / Wichita EaglePrison officials managed to thwart an uprising of dozens of inmates at the Lansing correctional facility in Kansas.  Prisoners, many of whom had caught COVID and were panicking, ransacked offices, broke windows and set small fires.  It took a day to control the situation and the arson attacks.

26. Lincoln, Nebraska - 2015

Image source / Daily MailOn May 10, 2015, prisoners gained control of a prison in Lincoln, Nebraska.  One inmate, Robert Clayborne Jr., who was in protective custody at the time, actually sued the jail as he was unable to get medical attention during the riot!  The riot died down after several hours although there was extensive damage caused and two inmates lost their lives.

25. Qala-i-Jangi, Afghanistan - 2001

Image source / WikipediaIn 2001, Taliban prisoners held in the Afghanistan prison, gained access to weapons and opened fire. CIA agent, Mike Spann, was the first person killed in the riot, reports saying that a prisoner had rushed towards him with a live grenade. When it exploded, both Spann and the inmate were killed.

24. Mississippi, USA - 2012

Image source / AccessWDUNThe Mississippi Prison is a for-profit Correction Corporation of America facility and holds non-citizen inmates. The jail has 2500 inmates incarcerated for re-entering the United States illegally after they had been deported. Claims of abuse and mistreatment was the motivation by inmates for the riots that ensued.  Twenty guards were injured and one murdered.

23. West Virginia, USA - 1973

Image source / Reason 

This historical landmark bore the horrors of prison life as well as capital punishment. It was notorious for riots, murder and electrocutions.  The final years of this prison were marked with riots and escapes, with two particularly gruesome riots. The first one in March 1973 involved a convict committing arson. The fire led to utter chaos and eventually a full scale riot that left two convicts hospitalized and one prisoner dead.

22. Lucasville, Ohio - 1993

Image source / Libcom.orgHome to the most violent prisoners, Lucasville prison is Ohio’s primary maximum security facility and has a reputation for violence that extends way back.  In 1993, a riot broke out on Easter Sunday and lasted 10 days.  Three prison gangs banded together,  They were protesting at being forced to have a tuberculosis vaccination.  More than $40 million of damage was done to the facility and 9 inmates were killed with 5 beaten to death on the first day.

21. Strangeways, Manchester - 1990

Image source / Manchester Evening NewsIn 1990, 300 inmates at Strangeways prison in Manchester, England, started a riot, in protest of the prison’s horrendous conditions.  The prison was built for 970 prisoners but in 1990, 1,600 inmates were housed there, with 3 to a cell and one bed to share between the trio.  It took 25 days for the authorities to gain control and get the many prisoners off the roof.

20. Alcatraz, California - 1946

Image source / Rare NewspapersFor weeks in early 1946, Alcatraz inmate Bernard Coy slowly lost over 20 pounds so he could wedge himself between a pair of bars into the prison’s armory.  When the plan went into action with 5 other inmates, Coy captured two prison guards ....but it didn't go well.  They opened fire on the guards with a San Francisco Chronicle reporter saying, 'The island was a ring of fire in the night.'  By the morning, 3 of the escapees, including Coy and both guards who had been taken hostage, were dead.

19. San Quentin, California - 1971

Image source / Los Angeles TimesWhat looked like a regular meeting between an inmate and his attorney turned into a prison riot that left 6 dead and a lengthy criminal trial... for the attorney. George Jackson, founder of the Black Guerrilla Family prison gang, was given a handgun by his attorney and hid it under his wig!  He used the gun to shoot a guard dead so prisoners could escape.  The riot was known as the 'San Quentin Six.'

18. Guayaquil, Ecuador - 2021

Image source / The GuardianClashes between two rival criminal rings at the country's largest prison, escalated to two days of riots.  It started as a result of some gang members being told they were to be transferred to other jails.  Prisoners and officers were injured as the inmates ran wild, with one of the criminals being killed.

17. Mahara, Sri Lanka - 2020

Image source / BBCThe riot resulted in an arson attack which took place between inmates and police officials from 29 November 2020 to 30th.  Eleven inmates were killed and 117 severely injured at the Mahara prison.  Police guards had to open fire in order to prevent a jail break out and to deal with a hostage situation involving two officers.

16. Montana, USA - 1959

Image source / Kevin S. GilesIn 1959, George Alton, Jerry Myles and Myles's lover, Lee Smart, started a riot at Montana State Prison. Alton worked in the garage, meaning he had access to gasoline. The trio created torch rags using rags and mop handles. They quickly overpowered the guards and set other prisoners free. Both staff and inmates were held hostage and the riot ended in the murder-suicide of Myles and Smart.

15. Davao City, Philippines - 1989

Image Source / InquirerThe Davao Metrodiscom prison riot in 1989 saw 16 prisoners escape and take 15 civilians as hostage.  All the hostages were members of a Protestant group, the Joyful Assembly of God. The crisis ended after an intervention by police and the military, leading to the rescue of 10 hostages. However, 21 people were killed in the riot, 16 of them inmates and  the others were civilians.

14. Pulau Senang, Singapore - 1963

Image Source / True Crime AsiaPulau Senang was first opened in an attempt at rehabilitation for prisoners.  They were shipped to the small island south of Singapore and worked on a farm in a prison without walls.  All went well until 70 inmates rebelled and attacked staff with knives and bottles.  Three police officers were murdered and the death sentence was given to 18 prisoners.

13. La Ceiba, Honduras - 2004

Image source / ElfAroIn 2004, at the El Porvenir prison outside of La Ceiba, Honduras, rival gang members fought each other.  One of the gang members allegedly started fighting with the intention of escaping.  An unknown inmate committed arson during the fight and the fire sparked a riot, killing 86 people.  Many were burned to death or died from smoke inhalation.

12. Ciudad Juarez, Mexico - 2023

Image source / DWThe New Year's Day riot took place at the Chihuahua state prison in Mexico, where 14  died and around 24 inmates linked to drug cartels fled the scene.  The shocking incident occurred when gunmen in armoured vehicles attacked the prison in Ciudad Juarez, close to the border with El Paso, Texas.

11. Carandiru, Brazil - 1992

Image source / Fox NewsBack in 1992, the inmates at Brazil’s Carandiru Prison, were playing soccer.  The game turned into a brawl that spread to the rest of the prison.  As the general air of violence made authorities extremely uncomfortable, they sent in special troops who shot and killed 111 inmates.  As some prisoners were shot more than 5 times, 74 of the assaulting officers were convicted of human rights violations and murder.

10. Attica, New York - 1971

Image source / The New York TimesIn the early 1970s, Attica Correctional Facility was so overcrowded that prisoners were allowed only one shower a week and one roll of toilet paper a month.  Tempers mounted within the inmates and 39 prison employees were held hostage.  Authorities raided the prison and in the ensuing battle 29 inmates and 10 hostages were killed.  A total of 89 others were injured.

9. New Mexico, USA - 1980

Image source / Yahoo FinanceGary Nelson, a bank robber, was being held in the high security prison and getting drunk with another prisoner, on homemade moonshine.  They decided to start a revolt and took a dozen guards hostage. When other prisoners didn't wat to join in, they were shot dead, all 33 of them.

8. Iquique, Chile - 2001

Image source / BBCThe riot was started by prisoners in May 2001 at a prison in Iquique, Santiago. According to Chile’s President, the riot was the outcome of unbearable prison conditions in Chile, especially the overcrowding. In the midst of the chaos, inmates started a fire that took hours to get under control, not before 28 inmates were burned to death and 150 were seriously injured.

7. Porvenir, Central America - 2003

Image source / BBCEl Porvenir in Honduras is notorious for being one of the most dangerous prisons in Central America.  There have been numerous escapes and riots but none as serious as this. A hundred members of a gang were armed with pistols and went through the prison,  attacking inmates and guards.  Other prisoners fought back with contraband weapons.  A grenade was thrown, and a deadly fire started up,  Out of the 69 murdered, those that didn't perish in the fire were shot, stabbed or clubbed to death.

6. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil - 2017

Image source / The GuardianA fight between two of the country's largest rival gangs spiralled out of control and left prisoners beheaded and dismembered in the melee.  Guards were held hostage and  fighting lasted more than 18 hours.  This disaster  took place in a jail in Rio De Janeiro which left 56 dead and many more critically injured.

5. Bishopville, South Carolina - 2018

Image source / The StateA riot caused by a scuffle that started as a prison cell robbery and escalated to violence between gangs, intensified into a full blown riot, leading to the death of 7 inmates.  This followed with a number of vengeful killings and one of the most violent and chaotic prison riots ever recorded in the United States.

4. Colorado, USA - 1929

Image source / Rare NewspapersIn 1929, 5 prisoners led by Danny Daniels, tried to escape the Colorado State Penitentiary. Pinned down by police gunfire, Daniels and his cohorts took 8 prison guards hostage. Over the next few hours, the military attempted to oust the prisoners, using dynamite on the wall where the hostages were being held.  That didn’t work so out came the tear gas. In fear of being captured and executed, Daniels panicked and began killing his hostages before turning the gun on himself.

3. Quito, Ecuador - 2022

Image source / Channels TelevisionTen inmates were killed in a riot at a prison in Ecuador’s capital Quito.  Authorities said it took place because of the government’s decision to relocate three crime bosses to a high high security facility. Over 400 inmates had been killed in the country's prisons IN ONE YEAR.

2. Featherston, New Zealand - 1943

Image source / New Zealand GeographicDuring WWII, Japanese POW were often incarcerated in Australia and New Zealand. One of the prisons in New Zealand, Featherston, served as the grounds for one of the deadliest and fastest prison riots that turned to massacres.  Prisoners refused to work and guards opened fire, killing 48 of them within ONE MINUTE.

1. Cowra, New South Wales - 1944

Image source / Sydney Morning HeraldA sudden and frightening riot broke out in World War II involving Japanese POWs.  It was the war's largest prison escape and one of the bloodiest. Within minutes, over 1,100 prisoners set prison buildings on fire, swarming guards with makeshift weapons and tearing down the high fences.  There were 235 deaths and hundreds more wounded.