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Prison Revolt in England

Prisoners in the horribly overcrowded Strangeways prison in Manchester, England rose in revolt on 1 April, 1990 protesting the conditions that had 1,660 men in a prison built in 1868 for 970 men. The prison does not have plumbing in the cells and the prisoners live in squalor. They are rarely allowed out of their cells except for weekly showers, eating and one hour's exercise a day in a dirty, crowded yard.

Prisoners took control of the prison, holding demonstrations on the prison's roof for several days. It was several days before prison officials, backed by riot police, were able to retake the prison. Damage is estimated in the millions of pounds and the prison will not be able to be re-opened for some time. There were unconfirmed reports that several sex offenders had been killed. The prisoners had not made any demands during the riot.

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