Summary

All while inmates were reporting physical abuse, the state was establishing its narrative, and funerals were being held, several investigative bodies were commissioned to determine the causes of the rebellion at Attica and its implications nationwide regarding penal reform. Governor Rockefeller hoped to exercise control over the investigation with his commissioning of the Goldman Panel, but their findings were not what he wanted to hear. Shortly after, he created the Jones Committee, which was charged with “looking into prison conditions at the Attica Correctional Facility and in New York more generally” (274). Interestingly – and to Rockefeller’s discontent – the committee offered a list of proposed improvements to prison facilities that essentially mirrored the demands drafted by the Attica rebels, including better training for guards, more educational programs, better medical care, and access to legal assistance. Also alarming to the governor were the inquires...