Editor’s note: This article is the third installment in the Words Matter Series: Critical Messaging in Corrections, a multi-part look at how correctional agencies communicate during their toughest moments. The first two articles examined communication during line-of-duty deaths and inmate deaths — moments that test a leader’s compassion. This installment shifts the focus to facility disturbances, which test coordination, timing and operational awareness as events unfold minute by minute, often before all facts are known.
Facility disturbances, whether a housing unit fight, a staff assault or a large-scale disruption, are operational crises that unfold in real time. For the people living and working inside those walls, they are also deeply personal. Officers worry about their coworkers. Incarcerated individuals fear retaliation or escalation. Families refresh their phones looking for any update. The public wants to know whether anyone escaped and whether they are safe.
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The first sign of a disturbance often comes from outside your command post. A family member posts on Facebook that “something is happening at the prison.” A neighbor near the facility sees specialty teams arriving and starts recording. A local reporter hears scanner traffic describing a “riot in progress.” By the time the warden receives the first briefing, the public may already believe they know what is happening. Perception often moves faster than fact.
Leaders cannot control every rumor. They can control how and when their agency communicates. The first official message will either calm fear or fuel chaos.
Understanding facility disturbances
“Disturbance” is a technical term that covers a wide spectrum of events. It may describe a two-person fight, a coordinated inmate protest or a large-scale incident requiring a tactical response. To the public, the word sounds vague. Inside a correctional facility, it signals uncertainty, danger and the potential for rapid escalation.
The public expects transparency. Elected officials expect accountability. Oversight boards expect accurate information. Staff expect reassurance that leadership is engaged and communicating honestly.
Meeting those expectations requires a communication plan that is deliberate, timely and credible.
Rumor psychology and how misinformation spreads in corrections
Rumors behave differently during correctional emergencies for several reasons:
- Inmates can communicate almost instantly through monitored calls, voicemail systems or third-party apps.
- Family group chats amplify secondhand information quickly.
- Neighborhood Facebook groups often spread inaccurate but sensationalized updates.
- Scanner listeners post incomplete emergency radio traffic online within seconds.
- Former staff sometimes add speculation, believing they understand how the facility operates.
People tend to believe the information that reaches them first. This is known as first-message bias, and it applies during disturbances more than during any other correctional incident. If your agency does not issue a statement early, someone else will fill the silence for you.
Common communication mistakes
Even experienced communicators make predictable errors during facility disturbances:
- Waiting too long to confirm the basics. By the time the first news release is issued, social media may have already told its own story.
- Overstating or understating severity. Calling something “minor” when multiple agencies respond can permanently damage credibility.
- Contradicting partner agencies. Corrections, law enforcement, fire and EMS must coordinate messages to avoid confusion.
- Sounding defensive. Saying “no one was hurt” may sound dismissive if ambulances are visible or staff are shaken.
- Using jargon. Technical terms confuse the public and widen the gap between the department and its community.
The solution is clarity, accuracy and, when appropriate, empathy.
Priorities and sequence
When a disturbance occurs, communication priorities should follow a clear but flexible structure:
- Internal awareness. Staff need to know leadership is aware and engaged, even if full details are not yet available. When internal messages cannot come first, they should be issued simultaneously with public statements.
- Executive and partner coordination. Keep commissioners, governors and responding agencies informed throughout the incident. No one should learn about an event from a reporter before hearing from you.
- Public notification. The public needs assurance that the situation is contained and that there is no threat to the community. A concise, verified statement issued within the first hour after stabilization demonstrates control and transparency.
- Family communication. If your department has a policy to keep staff or incarcerated individuals’ families informed, follow it. These messages can be issued at the same time as public notices.
Transparency does not mean releasing every operational detail. It means communicating what is known, committing to updates and doing so in plain language.
Communication inside the command post
During significant disturbances, information moves quickly and changes often. Clear communication channels inside the command post are essential.
A public information officer should maintain direct access to the incident commander or designee, receive verified information rather than unconfirmed radio traffic, coordinate with operations, investigations and legal counsel, share draft statements with command staff for accuracy, document what is released and when, and coordinate messaging with supporting agencies or unified command elements.
If your command post has no defined communication workflow, you are already behind.
Holding statements for disturbances
Holding statements should be short, factual and calm. They should acknowledge the incident, confirm safety, outline the response and commit to further updates.
Internal example: “There was a fight this evening in Unit C involving several incarcerated individuals. Staff responded immediately and secured the area. No staff were seriously injured. Thank you to the team that acted quickly to maintain order. The facility remains on lockdown while we review footage and assess damage. I will share another update before morning lineup.”
External example: “A disturbance involving multiple incarcerated individuals occurred this evening at [facility name]. Staff quickly contained the situation, and there is no threat to the public. Several individuals and one officer were treated for minor injuries. The facility remains secure. The department will release additional details once the review is complete.”
The human element behind the operations
Disturbances are operational crises, but they are deeply personal for those inside. Officers experience fear and exhaustion. Incarcerated individuals face anxiety about safety and potential repercussions. Families want reassurance that their loved ones are safe.
Communication should acknowledge this human reality. Simple phrases such as “we are focused on everyone’s safety” help restore calm and reinforce trust.
Empathy is not weakness. It is leadership.
When legal meets operational reality
Legal counsel and public information officers must work together. Attorneys protect liability. Communicators protect credibility. Both roles are essential.
Messages that are overly technical lose humanity. Messages that are overly emotional or speculative create risk. The balance is plain language that is factual, measured and compassionate.
Use of force during disturbances
Use of force during a disturbance brings heightened scrutiny. Every agency should be prepared to communicate promptly and accurately.
The second article in this series, Inmate deaths and in-custody fatalities, addressed the danger of defending staff too early. That same principle applies here. Early statements must hold up if the facts change, so leaders should be cautious about what they say before all information is confirmed.
Leaders should also be prepared to answer questions about the employment status of involved staff, when permitted by law or policy. Privacy rules vary, but transparency still matters. The public needs assurance the incident is being reviewed objectively and that the facility is secure.
The importance of transparency
Transparency is expected at every level. The public wants reassurance, elected officials demand accountability, oversight boards require accuracy and staff expect honest communication from leadership. Transparency does not mean releasing every operational detail. It means explaining what happened, what is being done and when additional information will be available. Agencies that meet those expectations earn trust. Those that avoid communication or retreat into vague statements often lose it permanently.
Wrong way versus right way
Wrong way: “An incident occurred. There were no escapes. No further information will be provided.”
Right way: “A fight occurred this afternoon involving several incarcerated individuals. Staff restored order quickly. No escapes occurred, and there is no threat to the community. The incident remains under review.”
Planning and preparation
Disturbances are unpredictable. Communication should not be.
Preparation should include pre-drafted holding statements, identified spokespeople for internal and external communication, established coordination with operations, legal and public safety partners, social media and scanner monitoring protocols, Joint Information Center procedures and after-action reviews that include communication performance.
Agencies drill for tactical readiness. If your agency is not drilling for communication readiness as well, the effort to be the source of truth becomes an uphill battle.
Conclusion
Facility disturbances test every part of a correctional system and demand speed, accuracy, empathy and authority from leadership. The public wants information, families seek reassurance and staff expect transparency. Speed without accuracy creates chaos, while accuracy without speed allows rumor to fill the gap. Finding the balance between the two builds trust. Leaders who are prepared to communicate early can shape the narrative before misinformation takes hold, because in corrections, words matter — and in the chaos of a disturbance, the right words can help restore calm even before order is fully visible.
Training discussion points
- Who in your agency is authorized to release the first official message during a facility disturbance, and how quickly can that decision be made?
- What specific information should always be included in an initial holding statement to reassure the public without compromising operations?
- How does your agency coordinate internal staff messaging with public communication when a disturbance is still unfolding?
- Where have rumors or misinformation created challenges during past disturbances, and how could earlier communication have changed the outcome?
Tactical takeaway
Before the next disturbance, draft and pre-approve a short holding statement template that confirms safety, explains what is known and commits to updates so leadership can communicate within minutes, not hours.
