Conditions of Attica Prison in 1971

Tyrone Larkins, an Attica survivor, speaks with Free Speech TV on the latest #JustSolutions about how the living conditions of the prison were before the revolt of 1971.

Fifty years ago, in September 1971, incarcerated men in Attica, a maximum-security prison in western New York, held an uprising to demand an end to the dehumanizing conditions they were held in.

After four days of rebellions, 39 people, including 10 hostages, were killed by state police and guards. A state commission into Attica concluded that with the exception of Indian massacres in the late 19th century, the State Police assault was the bloodiest one-day encounter between Americans since the Civil War.

After the massacre, the prisoners were subject to systematic torture and brutality by authorities. Attica paved the way for the modern anti-prison movement.

On the fiftieth anniversary of the Attica Uprising, we are joined by Tyrone Larkins, one of the Attica survivors, Sarah Kunstler, daughter of civil rights attorney William Kunstler who negotiated in behalf of the protesting inmates at Attica, and Soffiyah Elijah, Executive Director of Alliance of Families for Justice, a group that is working to change the landscape of injustice in American courts and prisons.

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Attica Attica Prison Revolt Free Speech TV Just Solutions Maximum Security PRison New York Prisoners Rights Movement Tyrone Larkins