Southport became the scene of a riot on June 26, 1990, when fighting broke out among a group of approximately 250 inmates, eight of whom were injured in the melee, along with 19 members of the prison's staff.

Prisoners and correctional officers injured that day received care at nearby Arnot-Ogden Memorial Hospital and St. Joseph's Hospital in Elmira, NY.

Club promoter and convicted killer Michael Alig was transferred to Southport in 2000 and in an interview with New York magazine said: What Southport is famous for is the shit and the piss throwing.

Because the inmates have no access to each other, what they do is fill cups up with shit and piss and throw it at each other.

You get caught doing it once, they keep your hands handcuffed behind your back so you can't throw anything.