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December 30, 1995
Web posted at: 12:45 a.m. EST
PHOENIX, Arizona (CNN) -- With no money for heating and food, the Hopi Indian detention center was forced to temporarily free 27 prisoners Friday, thanks to the budget battle. The partial government shutdown has cut off funding for the center.
Most of the freed inmates were apparently in jail on misdemeanor tribal charges such as intoxication and destruction of public property. The center released them after it realized it was running out of money to buy food and propane for heating.
There were no plans to release those being held for assault or other more serious crimes, a center spokesperson said. The jail had 30 inmates remaining Friday.
The freed prisoners were told they must return at the end of the impasse or warrants will be issued for their arrests.
About 75 percent of employees at the Bureau of Indian Affairs were furloughed when the government shutdown began December 16, resulting in a lack of personnel to process paper work.
About 11,000 to 12,000 people live on the Hopi reservation, located on more than 1.6 million acres in northeast Arizona. The state has 285,000 Native Americans, the nation's largest Indian population.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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