Jessica Masulli Reyes, Karl Baker, and Betsy Price

The News Journal

The News Journal received two phone calls from inside the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center near Smyrna Wednesday afternoon with inmates explaining that they were relaying demands from hostage takers inside the prison.

Newspaper staff turned over the correspondence to the Delaware Department of Correction and the Delaware State Police.

The News Journal confirmed that the calls were from a Delaware prison because they carried the marker of an automated message used by the third-party service handling prison calls.

The first call to the newspaper’s tip line came at 1:59 p.m. from a woman who said her fiancé is an inmate at the prison, where he and others said 126 people were being held. Several different people spoke to a reporter as the phone was passed around.

A woman who was identified by another inmate as a prison therapist briefly spoke.

Jayme Gravell, a spokeswoman for the Department of Correction, was able to verify the call came from the prison because of a marker from its phone service provider GTL.

Some inmates said demands would be relayed through the media.

Gravell couldn’t comment on that means of communication, but noted, “You guys have actually had more contact with the institution than I’ve been privy to. We are working on it, and it is being investigated.”

One inmate on the call explained that “a cop (presumably a corrections officer) had been stabbed. I’m calling from Smyrna prison. I’m currently a hostage.”

The phone was then passed to a woman identified as a therapist, whose voice was shaking as she said that 126 people were being held hostage. Gravel said that is the average number of people on a tier.

The phone was then passed back to a male.

The reporter asked who had taken the inmates hostage. He replied, “I don’t know. They all got masks on. I don’t know.”

The reporter began recording the conversation at that point.

STORY: 4 staff remain hostage at Smyrna prison

BACKGROUND: History: Last prison hostage situation in 2004

He then started reading a list of demands on behalf of the hostages.

“This rebellion was manifested to demand … which is to be … to our loved ones, inmate advocacy groups, nonprofit organizations. It says programs.”

The reporter interrupted and asked for his name.

“They told me I can’t give you my name,” he replied.

“Ma’am, I’m just doing what I’m being told. I’m just trying to help, ma’am. We just need someone to hear what they need to, their demands. … They want me to finish telling you what they’re saying. … It says bridging the gap between JTVCC and society creates a symptomatic appreciation of remedies conducive to reform and rehabilitation.”

He paused and asked his captors, “All right, so what do I do now?”

The audio gets choppy.

The caller manages to get across “oppression toward the inmates,” then the line was cut as an automated voice intoned, “Thank you for using GTL.”

The second call was from a woman whose son is at the prison. She patched a male caller who said, “Listen, this is what’s going on, this is what’s going on. We’re done playing games, we’re on the f— phone, this is what’s happening. We’re trying to explain the reasons for doing what we’re doing.

“Donald Trump. Everything that he did. All the things that he’s doing now. We know that the institution is going to change for the worse. We know the institution is going to change for the worse.

“We got demands that you need to pay attention to, that you need to listen to, and you need to let them know. I’m talking directly to The News Journal.”

The editor tried to ask a question but was cut off.

“You need to pay the f— attention if you want to save lives. I’m done bullshitting.”

Said the editor: “OK, I’m good with that.”

The man complained of abusive treatment among corrections officers. He said the inmates wanted better education and rehabilitation programs – and transparency on how tax dollars were being allocated for those programs.

“If they keep on playing games, it going to get ugly.”

The mother interrupted and explained that she didn’t understand what was happening, but didn’t want to be a part of it.

“Son, I love you, and I hope whatever’s going on everything will be all right. … That’s all that I can say.”

Soon an automated voice tells the callers they have one minute remaining. The mother hangs up.