HWS News
15 October 2021 Examining the Most Brutal Prison Uprising in U.S. History
Correctional Officer William “Billy” Quinn was the first casualty of the Attica Prison Riot; his daughter visits HWS to discuss justice for Attica’s victims and their survivors.
As part of an ongoing series of discussions that examine crime, victimization, and justice, Associate Professor of Sociology James Sutton invites author Deanne Quinn Miller and investigative reporter Gary Craig to speak about their recently published book The Prison Guard’s Daughter: My Journey through the Ashes of Attica. The talk is sponsored by the Department of Sociology and will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the Vandervort Room of the Scandling Campus Center. It is free and open to the public.
The Attica Prison Riot is America’s deadliest prison uprising. On Sept. 13, 1971, New York State troopers killed 29 rioting prisoners and 10 hostages. One corrections officer and two inmates were killed prior to the retaking by inmates. Now, on the 50th anniversary of the riot, Miller tells how she lost her father, corrections officer William “Billy” Quinn, in the uprising—an event that has defined her life. Only five years old when it happened, she has written a stirring memoir about her painful, lifelong journey to come to grips with her father’s murder, and to gain some kind of justice for the survivors and the families of the men who lost their lives.
Deanne Miller graduated cum laude with a B.S. in consumer and family studies from the University of New York at Buffalo. She serves as a spokesperson for the Forgotten Victims of Attica, a group of prison workers and family members of those who were killed or survived the Attica Uprising. She is also the program coordinator for the New York State Defenders Association’s Veterans Defense Program, a program that provides support and legal aid to struggling veterans who become involved in the criminal justice system. In 2016, Miller received the State Women Veterans in the Justice System Award and in 2017 received the Women of Distinction Award for her work with veterans.
Co-author Gary Craig is an investigative reporter at the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester, N.Y. In addition to reporting, Craig has written about the aftermath of the Attica Uprising for the past 30 years. At the Democrat and Chronicle, Craig is a member of the Watchdog team and focuses on public safety and criminal justice. He has worked at Rochester newspapers since 1990, covering City Hall, politics, and federal courts before joining the newspaper’s investigative team. He has won state and national investigative writing awards.
For more information, please contact Professor Sutton at jsutton@hws.edu.
