The August Rebellion refers to the August 28, 1974

uprising Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

at the

Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women a women's prison in the town of Bedford, New York, is the largest women's prison in New York state. The prison previously opened under the name Westfield State Farm in 1901. It lies just outside t ...

, a New York State

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

in Bedford Hills in the Town of Bedford,

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. In August 1974, about 200 women imprisoned at Bedford Hills rebelled, taking over parts of the prison, in protest of the inhumane treatment of Carol Crooks. A subsequent civil-action lawsuit, ruled in the inmates favor, led to greater protections of Fourth Amendment (due process) rights for incarcerated people. Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, the only maximum security prison for women in the State of New York- 2014-04-24 10-10

Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, the only maximum security prison for women in the State of New York- 2014-04-24 10-10

Causes and catalyst

Crooks filed a lawsuit challenging the placement of women in

solitary confinement Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which the inmate lives in a single cell with little or no meaningful contact with other people. A prison may enforce stricter measures to control contraband on a solitary prisoner and use additi ...

without a 24-hour notice of prison disciplinary charges, hearings, and the reason for the punishment. This lawsuit was filed in July 1974 because the guards at Bedford Hills had placed prisoners into the special housing units (solitary confinement) for reasons that were not fair or just, or without giving any reason at all. In August of the same year, after the judges who heard Crooks' case ruled in her favor, the prison guards retaliated by beating her and putting her in a segregated cell. The actions of these guards resulted in the uprising in the prison by about two hundred inmates. These inmates took action by fighting the guards and for about two and a half hours they were in control of parts of the prison.

Leaders of the uprising

Carol Crooks became the poster child for prisoners' rights in the August Rebellion. Crooks was incarcerated at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility at age 18, jailed originally for first degree manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years in 1972. Crooks had had a difficult childhood, with the death of her father and having to provide for her sister and mother. She was arrested and charged with manslaughter after killing a worker of her heroin distribution ring. The worker allegedly blackmailed her and, later, police found him dead by a gunshot wound. While in prison Crooks met Cidney Reed, and the two became lovers. Reed, then 16, was serving a five-year sentence for robbery. When Crooks was in solitary confinement, Reed helped rally up female inmates and started the rebellion against officers. Along with Reed, another important leader was Dollree Mapp, who was known as the “ Rosa Parks for the Fourth Amendment.” Mapp refused to let officers into her home without a search warrant and sued in the ''

Mapp v. Ohio ''Mapp v. Ohio'', 367 U.S. 643 (1961), was a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the exclusionary rule, which prevents prosecutors from using Evidence (law), evidence in co ...

'' case. The case decided that evidence seized illegally from criminal prosecution could not be used in court.

Legal impact

The August Rebellion led to greater protection of the rights of incarcerated people in the United States. Following the prison riot the women filed and won the

class-action lawsuit A class action, also known as a class-action lawsuit, class suit, or representative action, is a type of lawsuit where one of the parties is a group of people who are represented collectively by a member or members of that group. The class action ...

''Powell v. Ward''. This lawsuit ended in a legally binding pledge by prison guards to conduct disciplinary proceedings fairly and to only send truly mentally ill prisoners to

psychiatric hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...

s. After an eight-year long legal battle, an out-of-court settlement was reached in

U.S. District Court The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

and the plaintiffs were also awarded a fund of $127,000 to be controlled by an inmate committee. The inmates used this fund for educational and training programs, word processors, and funding for legal services. In addition, the uprising led to the replacement of the prison administration. Although these women have contributed to fairness in the prison system, the event also led to mandatory inserts of male correctional officers in female prisons, which has contributed to the sexual exploitation of incarcerated women.

References

{{reflist Prison uprisings in the United States Riots and civil disorder in New York (state) Imprisonment and detention of women in the United States Penal system in New York (state) 1974 riots 1974 in New York (state) August 1974 events in the United States History of women in New York (state)