Buzz
Correctional officers, commonly referred to as prison guards, take on a role that many would find overwhelming. They voluntarily work in facilities constructed from concrete and steel, housing individuals who are often dangerous and unpredictable. At any given moment, these officers face the risk of violent encounters while on duty.
However, there are extraordinary instances where the very inmates they oversee step in to save them from peril.
10. Anonymous Officer Lee Correctional Institution
On September 14, 2012, at the Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville, South Carolina, a group of 120 inmates armed with improvised weapons seized an unnamed corrections officer around 5:00 PM. The maximum-security prisoners confined him in a dormitory closet, leading to a high-stakes standoff. Authorities faced a critical challenge: they were unaware of the guard's exact location within the dorm. A SWAT team intervention risked potential harm or even fatal consequences for the hostage.
Remarkably, fellow inmates in the dorm used smuggled cell phones to contact external authorities, revealing the guard's hidden location in the closet. Armed with this crucial information, authorities authorized a rescue operation. At 9:34 PM, the SWAT team stormed the dorm and, within 15 minutes, successfully freed the guard and subdued the riot.
The guard sustained no life-threatening injuries, though he suffered facial lacerations. He was airlifted to a hospital for treatment, and the dorm was placed under strict lockdown.
9. Kenneth Moon Hillsborough County Jail
On November 2, 2009, Deputy Kenneth Moon, aged 64, was stationed alone at a desk in Hillsborough County Jail, Florida. Unnoticed by Moon, 24-year-old Douglas Burden, incarcerated for drug offenses and DUI, approached from behind and swiftly placed him in a chokehold.
Nearby, 48-year-old Jerry Dieguez Jr., a former Marine Corps trainee jailed for robbery and non-violent resistance, sprang into action. He charged at Burden, delivering a powerful punch, causing all three to tumble to the floor. Dieguez then used his elbows to force Burden off Moon. Meanwhile, 34-year-old David Schofield radioed for assistance, while 27-year-old Hoang Vu and 38-year-old Terrell Carswell attempted to wrestle Burden away. Additional inmates soon joined the effort, successfully rescuing Moon, a guard held in high regard.
Following the incident, the inmates were celebrated as heroes and even featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show. As a reward, they were treated to a meal of fried chicken.
8. Ira Griffith Stateville Correctional Center
On October 1, 1958, 67-year-old prison guard Ira Griffith was supervising three inmates at the Stateville maximum-security prison in Crest Hill, Illinois. The trio, identified only as a robber, a burglar, and a fence (someone who deals in stolen goods), were processing limestone using a rock crusher. While Griffith leaned over the crusher to dislodge some rocks, he accidentally fell in. The limestone acted like quicksand, threatening to bury him alive. Fortunately, the three inmates didn’t hesitate. They risked their own lives by climbing into the crusher and pulling Griffith to safety.
Griffith escaped with only shock and minor cuts. The warden, deeply moved by the inmates' bravery, promised to bring their actions to the parole board's attention, though it remains unknown if they received any formal recognition or reward.
7. Michael Felton Burruss Correctional Training Center
On December 18, 1993, Michael Felton was stationed alone in the control room of the Burruss Correctional Training Center in Forsyth, Georgia. While eating a ham biscuit, a piece became stuck in his throat, blocking his airway. Unable to breathe or use his radio to call for help, Felton rushed to the nearest cell, occupied by Michael Hudgens and Theodore Ruger. Hudgens, imprisoned for cocaine trafficking, immediately performed the Heimlich maneuver. Ruger, serving a life sentence, comforted Felton and eventually reached into his throat to remove the obstruction.
Ruger had acquired first aid skills as part of a specialized inmate training program, while Hudgens had learned the Heimlich maneuver prior to incarceration. Their swift actions saved Felton’s life, allowing him to continue his duties.
6. James Chapman Florida State Prison
In July 1983, James Chapman, a 35-year-old officer with five years of service in the Florida State Department of Corrections, was advising convicted murderer Alfonzie Mathis Jr. against pursuing a relationship with another inmate. Mathis, displeased with the advice, brandished a makeshift weapon—a razor blade embedded in a toothbrush. As Mathis lunged at Chapman, another inmate intervened, causing Mathis to miss his target. Chapman sustained a shallow 20-centimeter (8-inch) chest wound that did not require stitches.
Following the thwarted attack, two additional inmates attempted to disarm Mathis. He fled down a hallway but was subdued by other officers and placed in isolation. The prison chose not to reveal the identities of the three inmates who saved Chapman, citing concerns that it might create an “awkward” situation for them.
5. Unidentified Officer SeaTac Federal Detention Center
In early 2012, James M. Flowers Jr., a 42-year-old career cocaine dealer, faced a strong case against him. Authorities had video evidence of him selling drugs to an informant, and after a violent police chase, he was arrested with a gun, adding firearm charges to his drug offenses. Facing a potential 20–40 year sentence, Flowers was held at the SeaTac Federal Detention Center in Seattle awaiting trial.
Also detained at SeaTac were Sabir Shabazz and Roy Fritts. Shabazz, 22, had been arrested for attempting to exploit two 13-year-old girls, while Fritts was imprisoned for carjacking. On January 3, 2012, as an unidentified corrections officer unlocked cells, Shabazz and Fritts ambushed him. Shabazz used a U-shaped pipe from his sink to strike the officer’s head, while Fritts wielded a shiv to threaten other officers, though he didn’t stab anyone.
Remarkably, Flowers and another inmate intervened, shielding the injured officer until additional staff arrived to restrain Shabazz and Fritts. The officer suffered a fractured skull in three places, requiring surgery and a metal plate implantation. He underwent rehabilitation to relearn basic skills and now lives with cognitive impairments that prevent him from returning to work.
Flowers declined to cooperate with the investigation to avoid being labeled a snitch. He accepted a plea deal, reducing his sentence by 10 years but still leaving him with a decade in prison. Fritts received 28 years for the attack, while Shabazz was sentenced to 32 years for assaulting the officers and exploiting minors.
4. Unidentified Correctional Officer Rikers Island
On the night of February 28, 2015, at Rikers Island, Raleek Young, incarcerated for the rape of a 13-year-old girl, informed a female correctional officer that he needed to retrieve a mattress from another unit. To reach his destination, he had to pass a watch station manned solely by the unnamed officer. Young succeeded in opening the security door, isolating himself with the officer in the watch station. Despite her use of pepper spray, it proved ineffective. Young then violently slammed her head against the wall and dragged her into a restroom, where he began choking her while engaging in inappropriate behavior.
Two officers witnessed the assault and mobilized a group of inmates to break through the plexiglass barrier of the watch station. With the barrier removed, the inmates entered and restrained Young until additional officers arrived.
Following the attack, the prison section was closed, and Young faced charges including rape, forcible touching, assault, and harassment. A conviction could add up to 15 years to his sentence.
3. Rachel Harris
Rachel Harris, a 22-year-old correctional officer at Lower Buckeye Jail in Maricopa County, Arizona, faced her most harrowing day at work on June 24, 2013. While conducting a routine cell check on inmate Bobby Ruiz, who was serving time for aggravated assault involving a deadly weapon, Ruiz suddenly attacked her, biting her right ear. Hearing her screams, inmates Ricky Shillingford and Andrew Davis rushed to her aid, pulling Ruiz away and restraining him with the help of others until backup arrived.
Harris was immediately taken to the hospital, where doctors managed to save a portion of her ear, though the bitten-off part could not be reattached. Davis injured his hand while preventing Ruiz from further attacking Harris. In gratitude, the inmates who assisted her were treated to pizza for lunch. Despite requesting to return to work on June 26, just two days after the attack, Harris was denied and placed on a four-week medical leave. Ruiz, meanwhile, was placed in solitary confinement and restricted to a diet of bread and water.
2. Mike Riggs, Nevada State Prison
On November 29, 1960, Mike Riggs, aged 42, transported nine inmates to a mountain cemetery near Carson City, Nevada, for cleanup duty. To remove the overgrown weeds, they carried a gas canister intended for burning. Tragically, the canister exploded, igniting Riggs's clothing and leaving him severely injured.
Faced with a critical decision, the inmates found themselves unsupervised, with Riggs critically injured before them. They could have easily fled, but instead, they acted swiftly, stripping off his burning clothes and loading him onto the prison truck to rush him to the hospital.
Thanks to the inmates' prompt actions, Riggs survived the explosion, though he suffered severe burns to his chest, face, and hands. The sheriff pledged to recommend the inmates for commendation to both the warden and the parole board for their heroic efforts in saving the guard's life.
1. Unidentified Officer, Kent County Jail
On September 13, 2012, Antonio Duane Brown was sentenced to 18 months to five years for evading law enforcement. He was incarcerated at Kent County Jail in Grand Rapids, Michigan, alongside Willie Williams, a 20-year-old serving time for multiple gas station robberies. Early on September 14, Williams requested a new roll of toilet paper, which was delivered and placed outside his cell. He was expected to retrieve it and return to his cell, where the door would automatically lock.
An unnamed female correctional officer, with about a year of experience, checked the video monitor and saw Williams' cell door closed, assuming he was inside. Unbeknownst to her, Williams had concealed himself behind a pillar. He ambushed her during her rounds, knocking her radio away as he began assaulting her. During the struggle, Williams inadvertently activated buttons that opened several cells. Six or seven inmates rushed to assist, with Brown being the first to pull Williams off the officer. Another inmate used the radio to call for backup.
The officer managed to escape into another pod, but Williams broke free from the inmates and locked himself inside with her. Backup arrived shortly after, subduing Williams. The injured officer was hospitalized but released the same day.
Brown was honored for his bravery, and his sentence was commuted just one week following the incident. He became eligible for release pending the resolution of a parole violation case in Indiana.
