By Rick Sobey
Boston Herald
After inmates assaulted correction officers in a “deeply troubling” attack at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center , the officers’ union is slamming the Department of Correction for an “inadequate” response.
The interim head of DOC wrote a letter to the fed-up correction officers’ union on Wednesday in the wake of last week’s stabbing attack at the maximum-security prison. The interim leader said DOC has added staff at the prison as they search for contraband and investigate the origins of confiscated weapons.
But DOC has not done enough, according to the officers’ union. A source told the Herald that an inmate assaulted an officer involving bodily fluids at the prison on Wednesday, and DOC confirmed that an officer was spit on.
Last week, one of the correction officers was stabbed 12 times in the shocking inmate assault, and he suffered a punctured lung in the attack. Four other officers were hurt.
The Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union has been continuing to call for extra safety measures at the prison, especially after officers found dozens of “shivs” inside the prison last month.
The attack was captured on surveillance video, which was released by the Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union.
“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,” DOC Interim Commissioner Shawn Jenkins wrote to union leaders on Wednesday.
“As we have discussed, I want to assure you and your members that the Department is committed to taking concrete steps to mitigate security risks and foster a safe working environment for all staff and those entrusted to our care and custody,” Jenkins added.
DOC’s interim commissioner said they’re conducting a full security assessment of Souza-Baranowski, and they’re investigating the origins of confiscated manufactured weapons.
In addition to daily operational searches for contraband, DOC has deployed a special operations team to conduct targeted searches of “problematic units.”
“As of September 23rd, the DOC has increased resources at SBCC, adding specialized staff to the facility for the day and evening shifts,” Jenkins wrote. “These highly trained units will assist facility staff by responding to disruptive incidents and will continue to conduct facility searches to uncover any secreted contraband.”
The department is investigating the origins of confiscated weapons manufactured by inmates this year.
The union’s president last week claimed that inmates are making weapons from the tablets they receive in prison. There’s a metal strip inside the tablets, and the inmates apparently smash the tablets to create weapons out of them.
“As of January 1, 2024, the DOC has discovered that approximately 35 of the 4,650 (less than .8%) of the tablets have been misused,” Jenkins wrote. “DOC leadership will soon meet with representatives from our tablet provider, Orijin, to discuss any emerging issues and explore additional safety measures.”
Jenkins also said DOC is working with its law enforcement partners, including the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office, to pursue criminal charges against the inmates “involved in the deeply upsetting and disturbing attack on our correction officers.”
In response to Jenkins’ letter, the union called it “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 union wrote.
“The decision to modify operations instead of remaining secured to complete a thorough search resulted in another Correction Officer assault by an inmate just today,” the union wrote, later adding, “Why isn’t the Administration at the Department of Correction taking this seriously as an institutional issue?”
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