More than four years have passed since fear gripped Adams County as a deadly prison riot captured national attention.

Memories of not knowing what was going on inside the prison for hours remain vivid.

Images of smoke rising from behind the razor-wire fence are still with us. On that fateful day, we recall how dozens of law enforcement officers with loaded guns stood ready to shoot to kill had an inmate penetrated the prison’s outer fence.

Sadly, one young man, prison guard Catlin Carithers, was killed in the riot. He was beaten to death at the hands of out-of-control inmates.

For residents who lived near the Adams County Correctional Center in rural, eastern Adams County, the riot was a scary, tense moment in time.

For those whose loved ones worked at the facility, the multi-hour standoff was utterly terrifying.

For Carithers’ family and friends, the day was life-changing.

This week, more inmates were sentenced for their parts in the riot and in Carithers’ death.

Hopefully, the sentences provide the family some closure.

We hope, however, the Federal Bureau of Prisons has investigated the matter fully and when all of the criminal investigations are complete, will provide the community assurances that prison operator Corrections Corporation of America has corrected any procedural problems that may have led to the 2012 riot.

Perhaps only then can the bad memories of those near the prison or whose relatives work there, begin to heal.