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Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009

Northpoint demolition to begin next week

FRANKFORT — Demolition is set to begin next week on six buildings destroyed during a riot at the Northpoint Training Center on Aug. 21, state officials said Friday.

The riot injured eight guards and eight inmates. About 700 of the medium security prison's 1,200 inmates have been transferred to 10 other prisons around the state.

The cost of replacing the buildings is being determined, said Jennifer Brislin, a spokeswoman for the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet. The buildings that suffered extensive damage in the fire include the kitchen, a multipurpose area, a visitation area and the canteen and medical services building.

J. Michael Brown, secretary of the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, told a legislative panel on Friday that the Department of Corrections hopes that most, or even all, of the cost associated with rebuilding the medium-security prison in Boyle County will be paid for by the state's insurance carrier. However, if the state wanted to make upgrades or improvements to those buildings, it would have to foot the bill, Brown said.

Brislin said the state has been told that insurance will also cover the cost of the transfer and the housing of inmates at other prisons — including Lee Adjustment Center, which is a private prison.

The inmates and guards who were injured during the riot were released from hospitals by Aug. 24.

Inmates had been on lockdown shortly before the riot. The lockdown was ordered after 10 to 15 Hispanic inmates assaulted a black inmate and a white inmate, prison officials said at the time.

On the day of the riot, prison officials allowed inmates to enter the prison yard on a dorm-by-dorm basis. That's when the inmates started the riot, setting fires to many buildings on the grounds.