Fights prompt lockdown at Oregon State Penitentiary

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Oregon’s only maximum-security prison has been placed on modified lockdown after fights involving about 60 inmates broke out.

KPTV-TV reports (http://bit.ly/2oYAbS3) the fights started outside the Oregon State Penitentiary dining room Monday afternoon.

Department of Corrections spokeswoman Betty Bernt says no one was seriously injured, and all activities and visiting hours were canceled until further notice.

Staff had used chemical spray to control the fighting inmates, including some prisoners who were taken to restrictive housing.

The men’s prison in Salem houses more than 2,000 inmates.