AUBURN The Auburn Correctional Facility lockdown has ended, replaced by a three-day test of limited circulation for inmates before normal operations resume, most likely Thursday.

At 7 a.m., Monday, inmates were allowed to move to their breakfast meal, said state Department of Correctional Service Services spokeswoman Linda Foglia. Inmates also took part in recreation. Through Wednesday, the prison will run a modified schedule that allows inmates out for meals, recreation and visitation.

I was kind of hoping the lockdown would go a little longer, said Chief Union Steward John Bielowicz. He noted that should assaults on officers continue, another lockdown was possible.

It could be done with a phone call to the state superintendent in Albany, he said.

He said that corrections officers allowed inmates controlled time to leave their cells. Controlled time involves heavy supervision while releasing fewer inmates than usual from cells.

For example, while the cafeteria can serve a few hundred inmates at a time, Bielowicz noted that they were serving 40 to 80 inmates per session.

An essential prerequisite to ending the lockdown was a through search of the prison grounds, including the cell houses, school buildings, industry shops, and mess halls. Last week, corrections officers found numerous weapons, including shanks, a type of crude homemade knife, and what Bielowicz called escape paraphernalia: a stuffed dummy that would possibly be used as a decoy in an escape attempt.

[On Monday,] the frisk was completed at 3 p.m. with the industry shops, Foglia said.

Bielowicz suggested that further investigations may be pending.

On Thursday, the inmates will return to their scheduled work assignments. The frisks were made easier because the school building was empty for the Christmas holiday. Traditionally, inmates are also given a couple of days off from their work assignments this time of year.

Responding to suggestions that the surge in violence was attributed to gang activity, Bielowicz noted that an unspecified number of inmates would be confined to special housing units. Certain troublemakers facing big disciplinary time may be transferred to other state jails. He confirmed that this would help break up any gang hierarchy and organization.

We had a lot of assaults on staff, Bielowicz said. He noted that these unusual incidents were localized in the Auburn prison and didn't reflect discipline problems on a statewide level.

The all-male, 1,870-bed prison was locked down a week ago today. According to officials, a spate of gang-related violence began during a disturbance at a Dec. 14 Islamic service in which one inmate attacked three others with a knife. Inmate assaults also injured 11 corrections officers during the past week.

To reach Staff Writer Rob Varley, call 253-5311, ext. 282.