Union head rips Mass. Dept. of Correction after officer stabbed 12 times in ‘vicious’ prison attack

LANCASTER, Mass. — The president of the Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union ripped the state’s Department of Correction on Thursday for its lack of action in bolstering safety after five officers were “viciously assaulted” by a trio of inmates inside a maximum-security prison.

Union president Dennis Martin said during a late-morning news conference that two officers at the Souza Baranowski Correctional Center in Lancaster were stabbed just before 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday while conducting hourly rounds, including one who was “repeatedly stabbed about 12 times.” The other officer suffered less serious stab wounds to the back and head.

“Twelve times stabbed in the back. He was lucky. He is fortunate that he survived this attack,” Martin said. “These were hourly rounds. They did it as a group and they were attacked from behind.”

The stabbing victims, along with three other officers who were hurt in an attempt to quell the violence, were all hospitalized after the attack. Martin said four of the officers have since been released, while one officer remains hospitalized in serious condition with a punctured lung.

Martin added that the seriously injured officer is fortunate because the makeshift weapon he was stabbed with was “bent” during the attack. The Department of Correction described the injuries as non-life-threatening in nature.

“This has been a systemic problem with this institution right here and the prisons across the Commonwealth. They are unsafe,” Martin told reporters who gathered outside the gates of the prison. “This union has brought to the attention of the Department of Correction the uptick in weapons, the assault on correction officers, and we’ve been pleading with this department to take action.”

The facility was ultimately secured after the officers were rushed away for treatment and an investigation into the attack was launched, according to the Department of Correction.

Union president blasts Mass. Department of Correction after officers attacked by inmates

Martin blamed the Department of Correction for failing to take the necessary steps to keep its officers safe, calling for the use of tactical units in Massachusetts prisons.

“The Department has many resources to facilitate this and keep this prison for staff and inmates, and it seems to falling on deaf ears lately,” Martin said. “We don’t know what else to turn to. We’ve been warning them that this will continue to happen until they do something drastic. It’s a sad time right now.”

Martin demanded that Souza Baranowski remain in lockdown until a team searches the facility to clear it of weapons and an “immense amount of drugs.” He also noted that about 70 weapons have recently been confiscated.

“Again, we’ve been warning this Department for over two years,” Martin said. “This was an attempted murder of a correction officer. This union is beyond displeased with the outcome of this. This is uncalled for.”

Martin said the union hopes to tour Souza Baranowski on Thursday, but he said the Department of Correction is “refusing” to talk to him.

Inmates inside the prison have been smashing smart tablets and using metal strips inside to fashion homemade weapons, according to Martin.

“We asked to either get rid of them or change the vendor that they utilize for this,” Martin said of the tablets. “They can just smash the tablets that they use to communicate with their loved ones.”

Martin said Souza Baranowski is undoubtedly a “dangerous place,” noting that some officers “just don’t want this job anymore.”

Recruiting correction officers has been an ongoing problem, in part due to more than 30 assaults on officers in recent months, according to Martin.

“That’s either by punching, kicking, or feces, or types of bodily fluids thrown at them,” Martin said of the assaults.

In a statement released after Martin’s news conference, the Department of Correction said it has launched a “comprehensive investigation” to determine the facts and circumstances and that a “full security assessment” of the facility is also underway.

The Department of Correction also confirmed that the incident is being investigated as a criminal act in conjunction with the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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