DOVER, Del. (AP) - Gov. John Carney is promising an independent review of an uprising at a Delaware prison where four Department of Correction staffers were held hostage and one was killed.
Carney said Tuesday that he will announce his selection to lead the review by Feb. 15.
The review will examine the immediate and underlying causes of the inmate uprising at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center last week.
“We will find out how this happened, and work together with all parties involved to prevent this type of incident from happening again,” Carney said in prepared statement.
Administration officials said the review will start after the completion of a state police criminal investigation into the death of Lt. Steven Floyd, so as to not interfere with that probe. The Department of Correction also is conducting its own internal investigation.
Earlier Tuesday, justice reform advocates called for a federal investigation as well.
The Delaware Coalition of Prison Reform and Justice also called on Carney and state lawmakers to provide more training and funding for staff, more programs and job training for inmates, and to address prison overcrowding.
Floyd, who was posthumously promoted from sergeant to lieutenant, was killed during a nearly 20-hour hostage standoff. The leader of his union said his death was preventable, and that state officials have ignored chronic staffing shortages that put prison workers at greater risk.
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