Cell phone video allegedly shows inside of Cummins Unit during a prison riot
GRADY, Ark. (KATV) — Cell phone video given to channel 7 shows a prison barrack that's believed to be from the Cummins Unit in Grady, Arkansas, trashed by prisoners.
Channel 7 received two videos that are allegedly from that unit.
We got it from a sibling of a prisoner inside the unit, who says the conditions inside are not good.
It's a scene of disorder.
Prisoners flipping beds and trashing the barracks of what is believed to be from inside the Cummins Unit.
The person who sent channel 7 the video wanted to remain anonymous to protect himself and his sibling who's incarcerated.
He says his sibling told him it was from an overnight disturbance last week that the Arkansas Department of Corrections says involved inmates breaking windows and damaging surveillance equipment.
According to ADC spokesman Solomon Graves, he said in a written statement that "we are attempting to compare the video clips against available video surveillance footage from the Cummins disturbance. However, our initial review does indicate that the footage is consistent with the barrack's layout at Cummins."
The footage you've been looking at, is from a cell phone that would be considered contraband for prisoners.
Graves said "the department continuously takes steps to reduce the presence of contraband, to include drugs, in its facilities."
And that "the department maintains various search and surveillance methods that are both active and passive."
The person we spoke with says his brother tells him the unit is maintained poorly and that there are things like mold, and roaches in the food.
But Graves refutes both those claims, saying "the allegations of roaches in the food or black mold in the unit are not supported by any facts available to the unit."
Tonight, we requested a list of items that have been obtained by the Department of Corrections within the last six months, that would be considered contraband.
We hope to hear back from the department on that request soon.
