Gordon Friedman

Statesman Journal

The Oregon State Penitentiary is on lockdown after more than 150 inmates took part in multiple fights Friday, according to the Department of Corrections.

Fights broke out at 2:30 p.m. Friday, and continued into the evening and Saturday morning. Corrections officials did not say if the fights were gang related or give another reason for the brawls, but an investigation has been opened.

155 inmates were placed into solitary confinement for their involvement in the fights. Five inmates needed medical attention for non-life threatening injuries. Officials did not disciose the extent. or nature of the injuries. No staff were injured.

The penitentiary is one of 14 penal institutions in Oregon, and is the state's only maximum security prison. It houses more than 2,000 male inmates and is surrounded by 25-foot high walls. The prison was established in 1866.

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