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Southern Alabama’s Holman Correctional Facility is currently under lock down after a recent prisoner uprising that starting on Friday night. While trying to take over one of the dorms, two prison officials were stabbed, one nine times, “but their injuries are not life-threatening,” NPR confirmed

Apparently, after the second stabbing early Saturday morning, the prisoners gained access to the hallway of the housing unit and began setting fires and freely roaming the unit. The Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) said that they have the situation under control after deploying three Corrections Emergency Response Teams (CERT) prison to “secure and detain” the prisoners, AL.com reported

The prisoners, who were armed with knives and broken broom handles, used cell phones, which are not allowed, and taped themselves with towels over their faces setting fires. They then posted the videos on social media.

Also posted to social media were calls for help.

One man posted “Attention: We need yall help here at Holman Correction Facility Prison. The police down here beating on and jus treating us any kind way. We down here fighting for [our lives]. Please contact the News, Newspaper, Radio station. NCAAP. Help please.”

Zannice Houston posted this on her Facebook page: “Please pray for my son in Holman Prison. A riot lord Jesus.”

Numerous reports state that only one dorm was affected by the riot and that only 100 residents of their total 1,000 resident population was involved. So why did this happen?

While it’s been reported that the opportunity to riot presented itself when a guard tried to break up a fight between to inmates, the reason behind rioting is unknown, says the local sheriff’s office. But some believe that statewide overcrowding and prisoner mistreatment may have played a role.

“Alabama has 24,000 inmates in a state system designed to hold 13,000,” says Alabama Public Radio’s Pat Duggins. He added, “State lawmakers are opposing a plan by Gov. Robert Bentley to spend $800 million on more prison space.”

What happened in Holman Correctional Facility is part of a growing trend in prison violence throughout the state, which includes inmate on inmate, inmate on staff and staff on inmate crime, AL.com noted.

Just last year, the Equal Justice Initiative filed a suit against’s Alabama’s St. Clair prison after three inmates were killed last year under Warden Carter Davenport’s watch. Davenport, who has a history of past abuse of prisoners, left St. Clair prison for Holman Correctional and was one of the officials stabbed during this recent riot. 

Criminal charges may be brought up against those involved in the riot. The prison will remain on lockdown until the ADOC’s Intelligence Division is finished with their investigation. 

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Alabama Prison On Lockdown After Recent Prisoner Uprising  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com