Bristol County Sheriff Shares Photos of Damage Caused in Dartmouth Jail Uprising

DARTMOUTH (WBSM) — Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux has shared photos of some of the damage caused during Friday’s inmate uprising in two units of the Bristol County House of Correction in Dartmouth.

According to Heroux, inmates were told at 7 a.m. on the morning of April 21 that they would be moved from the GA and GB housing units so staff could install suicide prevention measures in the units.

He said a group of 17 “ringleaders” then led the inmates to refuse to be moved, and at 9 a.m., the decision was made to pull corrections officers from the floor and put the units in lockdown.

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For the next several hours, inmates trashed the units, causing what Heroux estimated to be $100,000-$200,000 in damage, including ripping out the entire control console for one of the units.

The photos show the extent of that damage. They also show weapons the inmates had apparently fashioned during the destruction.

Heroux said it is likely those 17 “ringleaders” will face charges as a result of their actions. They have since been separated from one another and sent to other jails across the Commonwealth.

According to a Facebook post from the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office, the next steps are “documenting all of the broken items and damage and bringing charges against the inmates,” and “having our facilities team start planning repairs.”

Heroux was already planning on refurbishing the units with toilets in each individual cell in order to allow them to be locked. It would be done using $1.6 million in canteen profits.