The state's prison yard was alive with a lot of activities as inmates went about their daily recess. The sun hung high in the sky and cast a harsh glare over the yard. It was the inmate's brief period of temporary rest from the monotony of confinement. Yet, it was also a period that was accompanied by dangers and tensions.

The yard was a little world of the prison itself, and a place where the strong preyed on the weak.

The prisoners were scattered across the yard that afternoon, with each group engaged in their activities. Some of the inmates were assigned to tedious activities, some were seen scrubbing the...