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AP Exclusive: Survivor blames officials for prison riot

Posted at 8:12 AM, Jul 17, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-17 08:12:45-04

A state corrections counselor who was taken hostage during a deadly riot at Delaware's maximum-security prison says prison officials are to blame.

Sixty-eight-year-old Patricia May says officials saw signs of trouble brewing but ignored them. She says that less than an hour before the February 2017 riot broke out, she had expressed fears to a colleague that she might be killed inside the prison.

May recounted her experience to The Associated Press on Friday in her first public interview about the ordeal.

The retired counselor says inmates are sorely in need of better conditions, counseling and programs, and that officials need to take suggested reforms seriously.

On Tuesday, Gov. John Carney and corrections officials will release a final report on efforts to implement 41 recommendations from an independent review team.