This week on Everyday Injustice, host David Greenwald sits down with author Andrew Brininstool, whose forthcoming book High Desert Blood revisits the 1980 New Mexico Prison Riot—one of the deadliest and least-known prison uprisings in U.S. history. Scheduled for release in July, Brininstool’s book weaves together investigative reporting, archival research, and human stories to reconstruct a tragedy that left 33 people dead in just 36 hours and exposed the systemic neglect that plagued the New Mexico correctional system.
Brininstool explains that, unlike the better-known Attica uprising, the New Mexico riot has largely faded from public memory, despite its scale and brutality. Built in the 1950s with reformist ideals, the penitentiary quickly devolved into chaos by the 1970s due to overcrowding, underfunding, and the abandonment of rehabilitative programming. By 1980, the prison was a powder keg—housing inmates convicted of petty crimes alongside violent offenders, while correctional officers were poorly trained and dangerously underpaid. When violence erupted, it took authorities far too long to respond.
Throughout the podcast, Brininstool describes his decade-long journey to tell this story—pouring over declassified documents, interviewing survivors and correctional staff, and navigating resistance from officials. He shares haunting stories, including the murder of a young man jailed for stealing fishing supplies, and recounts how little has changed in the prison system since the riot. Despite the grim history, Brininstool remains hopeful, drawing inspiration from prison education programs and reform efforts, particularly those emerging in places like California.
The conversation highlights how forgotten histories like the New Mexico riot continue to echo through modern incarceration. As Brininstool notes, “Reparative justice requires remembering the past.” With High Desert Blood, he aims to ensure this dark chapter is neither overlooked nor repeated. Tune in to this powerful episode of Everyday Injustice for a sobering yet necessary look at the consequences of institutional neglect—and the urgency of reform.
