ATTICA, N.Y. (AP) — Hundreds of personal items collected after the 1971 Attica prison riot have been returned to their owners and families.
New York corrections officials, members of the guards’ union, and family members of those killed marked the 43rd anniversary of the nation’s deadliest prison uprising with a series of events Saturday in front of the western New York prison.
In all, 11 staff members and 32 inmates died — all but four shot by state police and corrections officers retaking the facility during the five-day riot.
Members of a group called the Forgotten Victims of Attica had sought the return of personal items for years.
Acting Corrections Commissioner Anthony Annucci, who delivered them during a private meeting, became the first chief of New York’s prison system to attend the annual gathering.
