ACLU: American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio
Keeping America Safe and Free
Lucasville Justice project
From April 11 until April 21, 1993, an uprising took place at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville, Ohio.

During the course of the 11-day occupation, prisoners murdered one correctional officer and nine prisoners.
 
Lucasville at FringeNYC

Art is a form of entertainment, but it is often also used as an educational or political tool. A shining example of the intersection of art and activism can be found this August at the 2008 New York International Fringe Festival.  Lucasville: The Untold Story of a Prison Uprising, a play by Staughton Lynd, author of a book by the same name, and Gary Anderson, will be featured during the two-week festival.
 
Lucasville chronicles the events and the relationships built during an 11-day uprising at the Southern Ohio Correction Facility in April 1993. The uprising resulted in the death of one correctional officer and nine inmates, an outcry for accountability, and trials built on shaky evidence. Ultimately, five more men are awaiting death at the hands of the state.
 
“The Supermaximum Players,” the troupe performing the play, are sharing this story in hopes that it will inspire grassroots activism, prompt an investigation into the uprising, and save the lives of five men awaiting execution.
 
Performance times in NYC and Ohio are listed here.

Read the 07.14.08 Press Release with details of the NYC performances.

Visit the New York International Fringe Festival website.
 
Click here for Time Out New York’s article on Lucasville at FringeNYC.

View the "Lucasville The Play" website here.


The Lucasville Prison Uprising

Many in the small town of Lucasville worked at the correctional facility or knew someone who did, and the emotions in southern Ohio surrounding the Lucasville events have run so strongly that the truth has gotten lost in the shuffle.
 
The search for retribution led to an absence of justice for the prisoners involved in the uprising. Prosecutorial misconduct and snitch testimony resulted in five men on death row, and many more serving extended sentences for convictions surrounding the uprising. Some of those convicted had spent the 11th – 21st negotiating with authorities, saving officers’ and inmates’ lives, and attempting to keep the peace.
 
2008 marks the 15th anniversary of the Lucasville prison uprising, and those wrongly convicted are still awaiting their day in court. We ask that the governor appoint a special commission to investigate the uprising, bring justice to those who’ve been wrongly accused, and bring closure to the many families affected by the tragic events of fifteen years ago.

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Download the Toolkit

Download the script for “Lucasville: The Untold Story of a Prison Uprising"