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Five corrections officers have been injured after a group of inmates at the Souza Baranowski Correctional Center in Lancaster, Massachusetts attacked them on Wednesday night.
The attack began around 6:20pm when prisoners stabbed two corrections officers multiple times inside the maximum-security facility. Another three guards rushed over to help and were also injured during the attack, according to the Massachusetts Department of Correction. Two of the five officers suffered stab wounds.
All five officers required treatment in hospital. Their conditions are unclear but one officer was stabbed in the back of the head, according to Boston 25 News.
The Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union, which represents the labor interests of corrections officers in the state, blasted the facility for failing to provide a reasonably safe working environment.
“Massachusetts Department of Correction, ENOUGH! It’s been four years since you authorized the use of tactical units and did a thorough institution-wide search! How much more do our members have to endure before you decide to keep them safe?” the union said in a statement. “The inmates are literally running the asylum. Do your jobs.”
On Thursday, Dennis Martin, president of the union, held a press conference outside the jail and revealed that one victim had been stabbed 12 times, according to CBS News. It’s unclear if it was the same officer who was stabbed in the back of the head.
“I could see maybe an assault, somebody getting punched. But somebody getting stabbed 12 times? That’s not just sending a warning. That’s to kill somebody,” Martin said. “Twelve times stabbed in the back. He was lucky. He was fortunate. He was fortunate that he survived this attack.”
Corrections staff eventually regained control of the facility. An investigation into the attack is being carried out by the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office.
The state’s Department of Corrections said that the inmates involved in the attack have been transferred to other state facilities.
Shawn Jenkins, the interim Department of Corrections commissioner, said he was “deeply concerned” about the attack, and added that the department will “take the steps necessary to ensure those responsible are held accountable under the law.”
“Out department will also conduct a thorough security assessment and review of protocols to ensure the safety and security of all who work and live at our facilities,” he said.
This isn’t the first indication that conditions inside the facility are unsafe for staff. Earlier this month, the Boston Herald reported that nearly 40 “homemade sharpened” weapons were recovered from the prison. The weapons were located after a corrections officer was knocked unconscious through the use of a synthetic cannabinoid, according to the paper.
