Santa Cruz County Jail, Santa Cruz, CA
January 16, 2018

Prisoners tie trip lines from ripped jail-cell sheets, cover their arms with socks, hide their faces with makeshift masks and arm themselves with soap, a radio, mop, books and bottles of liquid. The 26 men housed in the west-wing L Unit complained it was too cold in their cells and drove an offensive against Santa Cruz County Jail officers entering the two-story, booby-trapped cell block. The men covered the unit floor with soap and water and blocked stairwells and walkways with mattresses as they tried to pelt the guards with books and soap.

Damage at the Santa Cruz County Jail, California (Photo Source: CBS Local)

Citations:

“Masked Inmates Booby Trapped Entire Cell Block At Santa Cruz Jail”, CBS SFBay Area, January 18, 2018.

“Masked inmates use booby traps in Santa Cruz County Jail skirmish”, Santa Cruz Sentinel, January 17, 2018.

“Santa Cruz jail guards quell ‘disturbance’ staged by inmates“, KSBW Monterey, January 16, 2018.

“Santa Cruz County Jail inmates make barricades after complaints of chilly temperatures”, KION, January 18, 2018

Background:

“Hundreds March for Freedom at Cages Kill Rally in Santa Cruz“, Santa Cruz IMC, January 26, 2015

“Prisoners Respond to Noise Demo at Santa Cruz County Jail”, YouTube, August 8, 2013