The 1980 Riot at the Penitentiary of New Mexico

Reading, Presentation and Discussion with Author Dirk Cameron Gibson, Emeritus Professor University of New Mexico.

Way Worse than Attica: The 1980 Riot at the Penitentiary of New Mexico

By  Dirk Cameron Gibson

This book is a comprehensive analysis of the antecedents of the 1980 riot, the riot itself, and the consequences of the riot. Unlike previous books on this topic, the perspectives of the correctional officers taken hostage during the riot and the inmates are emphasized. The two-volume report of the New Mexico Attorney General’s office serves as an important primary source. Nearly thirty potential causes of the riot are documented by my research. The role of each of the major stakeholders and the plight of the correctional officers and inmates is examined and explained.

This book is an important addition to the extant literature about this riot. Initially, no previous publications on this topic have been based on interviews with correctional officers, Two correctional officers sat through approximately thirty hours of interviews. About half of the chapters conclude with a first-person section based these interviews.

DIRK C. GIBSON EARNED A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN SPEECH COMMUNICATION WITH A MINOR IN POLITICAL SCIENCE FROM SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY, AND A MASTER’S DEGREE AND PH.D IN SPEECH COMMUNICATION AND JOURNALISM FROM INDIANA UNIVERSITY. HE WAS  EMPLOYED IN THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION AND JOURNALISM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO FROM 1996 TO 2020, AFTER TEACHING AT AUBURN UNIVERSITY, AUGUSTA COLLEGE, GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY AND GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

Learn more about Dirk C. Gibson at https://www.dirkgibson.org/