Two correction officers were stabbed by inmates at Souza Baranowski Correctional Center Wednesday evening, according to the state’s Department of Correction.
Three other correction officers were reportedly injured in the incident, and all five officers were transported to nearby hospitals for medical treatment.
This reported assault at the Massachusetts maximum security prison comes after the correction officers’ union said dozens of “homemade sharpened weapons” were found inside the prison last month. The union has continued to push for more safety measures.
“Someone is going to get hurt,” Dennis Martin, the president of the union, recently told the Herald about the weapons. “It’s a scary time we’re in now.”
On Wednesday evening, the Massachusetts Department of Correction received a report of multiple injured correction officers inside Souza Baranowski.
“Two correction officers were assaulted by incarcerated individuals and sustained multiple stab wounds,” a DOC spokesperson said in a statement. “Three additional correction officers were injured when responding to the incident.
“A total of 5 correction officers were transported to nearby hospitals where they are receiving medical treatment,” the spokesperson added. “The facility is secure at this time while an investigation is conducted to determine the facts and circumstances. The Department of Correction has notified the Massachusetts State Police of the incident.”
Last month, the 38 manufactured weapons seized in Souza Baranowski came after a prison guard was exposed to a synthetic cannabinoid and knocked unconscious, ending up in the hospital.
The Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union has been sounding the alarm following the officer’s hospitalization and a string of similar incidents — urging the Department of Correction to implement an “exposure policy” for when officers are exposed to synthetic drugs.
The Department of Correction recently said the state agency was close to a new policy for when exposure incidents happen.
