An Unspeakable Horror in New Mexico
- gregorymaness
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
One of the most depraved, horrific, and violent episodes in American corrections history occurred in New Mexico in the vicinity of where I recently vacationed. I am talking about the 1980 riot at the Penitentiary of New Mexico.
In the the public consciousness, it arguably doesn’t rank as highly as the uprising at the Attica Correctional Facility in 1971 which resulted in the deaths of 33 inmates and 10 correctional officers (the vast majority of whom died at the hands of the corrections and law enforcement forces sent in to end the standoff and reclaim the prison from the inmates). But the accounts of those that lived through the riot south of Santa Fe are chilling. When I suggest that the horror is “Unspeakable” in the title of this post, I am simply acknowledging that the accounts of the survivors and the witnesses undoubtedly are incapable of fully capturing and communicating the truly horrific nature of what transpired. I doubt that any of the survivors or witnesses to the carnage would dispute my characterization of the inadequacy of words to fully convey the emotional and psychological impact of the event. If I am wrong, I apologize and I stand corrected.
I chose not to tour the scene of the 1980 riot while I visited New Mexico. I have toured battlefields where almost unimaginable carnage took place. I’ve toured historic sites where great suffering and injustices have occurred. I have been in a couple of jails and a prison as a part of jobs that I have held. I would tour Alcatraz given the opportunity. I am certain that shocking violence and cruel acts of depravity have taken place in those correctional facilities. But the accounts of the violence and the depravity of the 1980 riot at the Penitentiary of New Mexico is shocking to the soul. Reading about it is tough. The idea of standing in the shadows of the event as a tourist seemed particularly ghoulish to me when contemplating a tour. And again, I have visited sites of past carnage and depravity. Perhaps someday I will visit the former Penitentiary of New Mexico. I can’t rule it out. There were instances of courage and sacrifice that definitely deserve to be remembered and celebrated. I just didn’t want to visit the site on this trip.
As I have said before, reading about the riot is tough reading. There isn’t really a happy ending. But I think that there is some value in understanding just how bad things can get when prisons are not well-managed and well-administered. There is some value in understanding what kind of evil resides within our correctional facilities. And there is value in understanding that the vast majority of inmates in our correctional facilities are not monsters.
Below are some links to articles and a video documentary on the 1980 riot at the Penitentiary of New Mexico, as well as information on tours of the “Old Main.” And if you’re interested in delving deeper into the history, books and additional articles are available. Just understand that this stuff is about as dark as you can get.
“Death in a Southwest Prison - 1980 Penitentiary New Mexico Riot Documentary Prison Santa Fe”
“Nation: What Happened to Our Men?”
“NM Riot Photos Still Haunt Ex-Corrections Officer”
“New Mexico State Penitentiary Riot Part One: Powder Keg”
“New Mexico State Penitentiary Riot Part Two: The Hate Factory”
“New Mexico State Penitentiary Riot
Part Three: The Devil’s Butcher Shop”
“The New Mexico Prison Riot Was The ‘Bloodiest Prison Riot’ in American History”
“The Country’s Deadliest Prison Riot Took Place Right Here In New Mexico Over 40 Years Ago”
“How New Mexico Transformed the Site of a Deadly Prison Uprising into a Tourist Destination”
New Mexico Corrections Department: Old Main
New Mexico Corrections Department: Old Main / Filming and Tours
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