By C1 Staff
HUNTSVILLE, Texas – The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has reported 10 homicides this year in prisons, up from only three in 2011.
There were five in 2010 and just one in 2009, according The Orange Leader. Still a far cry from the 1980s, where a wave of violence swept a much smaller Texas corrections department, the slayings count for 2012 is the highest since 10 were reported in 1997.
Reasons for the surge are unclear, according to Bruce Toney, the agency’s inspector general. The homicides don’t appear to be connected and have been scattered throughout the 111-prison system.
Toney described the nature of the deaths as “hands and feet kicking,” not inmates armed with contraband weapons.
“It’s a situation where they have some kind of disagreement and it results in a death,” Toney told the newspaper. “Inside a prison cell, everything is metal so that leaves the potential for injuries if someone gets knocked down.”
A prisoner accused in a slaying could face a capital murder charge if they are already serving a life term.
None of the deaths has occurred in units where the agency is experiencing chronic difficulties filling corrections officer vacancies, according to the article.