Two inmates were killed and more than 30 others were injured in a massive brawl at an Oklahoma prison, leading to a lockdown, a pause in visitations and renewed calls for reforms aimed at curbing violence in the state's prisons, USA Today reports. The fight broke out Friday at the the Lawton Correction and Rehabilitation Center, a privately managed prison 90 miles southwest of Oklahoma City. "We had a group disturbance ... which resulted in multiple inmates injured and two deaths," Corrections Department Spokesperson Kay Thompson told The Oklahoman. "It’s unknown at this time how many had minor injuries that were treated at the facility."
The incident, under investigation by the corrections department's inspector general, occurred after an "operational error," Thompson said, without explaining it. She added that visitation at the facility was cancelled through the weekend. Emily Barnes, founder of criminal justice advocacy group Hooked on Justice, said the incident involved two gangs who were supposed to have been kept separate. She said one of the gangs was let into the yard, which started the fight. Barnes was first notified by inmates the facility was on lockdown on Friday evening. She said inmates didn’t eat until about 1 a.m. because of it. “This is considered a mini riot because it was more than 30 people involved and more than 30 people hurt,” Barnes said. “[The corrections department]nis letting this stuff go on, and something needs to be done.”