A letter from Massachusetts Department of Correction officials to the head of the union that represents correction officers reveals new details about how the agency is responding to an attack that injured five officers at a state prison last Wednesday.
Two correction officers were stabbed and three others hurt in an assault, allegedly at the hands of inmates, at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Lancaster.
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The Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union said one officer was stabbed more than 12 times. Another officer was stabbed and three others were hurt while responding.
The union has expressed their frustration with the Department of Correction over issues of the safety of correction officers in the past. After last week's attack they renewed the call for change.
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A letter signed by Shawn Jenkins, the interim commissioner for the department, shed some light on what steps the state has taken in response to the attack. Read the full letter below.
"The recent assaults on correctional officers are deeply troubling and underscore the urgent need for a proactive, collaborative, and strategic approach to addressing safety concerns," Jenkins wrote.
He went on to say that DOC is doing a full security assessment of Souza-Baranowski, which was one of the union's demands.
The maximum-security facility has been on modified operations since the attack. Those include daily searches for contraband, a Special Operations Team focused specifically on searches in problematic units and the addition of specialized staff to respond to disruptions. That team arrived at the facility on Sept. 23 and is expected to remain until Oct. 1.
More generally, Jenkins said DOC continues to work with law enforcement partners to stem the flow of drugs and other contraband into its facilities and is working on continued workforce training for staff and rehabilitation efforts for inmates.
The DOC has already said it is conducting a criminal investigation in coordination with the Worcester County District Attorney’s office to charge the inmates involved in the attack. The inmates identified as being involved with the stabbings have been transferred to other facilities.
The union responded to the letter Wednesday afternoon, calling the measures taken "inadequate."
"We have received the letter from the Department of Correction, and we feel it is inadequate and typical of the
current DOC Administration’s response to what we see as an urgent and critical need to ensure our prisons are safer for everyone, from inmates to our Correction Officers," the letter read in part.
Surveillance video was released Friday showing the violent attack inside the maximum-security prison. The correction officers union said the video of the assault "shocks the conscience."
Two state legislators -- Sen. Peter Durant and Rep. Michael Soter -- have also called for an investigation into Wednesday's incident, which is said to have occurred around 6:20 a.m. as two officers were performing routine rounds.
This is not the first time a correction officer was seriously injured in an attack at a Massachusetts prison. In 2022, Correction Officer Matthew Tidman was severely injured after he was assaulted by an inmate at MCI-Shirley.
