Journal Inquirer
Manchester, Conn.
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — State officials say an inmate physically assaulted a guard at Bridgeport Correctional Center last week, the latest in a series of recent violent instances at Connecticut prisons.
The correction officer involved in the incident, which occurred last Wednesday, was hospitalized and is at home recovering from her injuries, said Ashley McCarthy, a spokesperson for the state Department of Correction.
“We are deeply troubled a person in our custody injured one of our officers,” McCarthy said in an emailed statement Monday morning. “Our attention is focused on making any improvements that support the health and wellbeing of our staff.”
“We continue to evaluate ways to improve the operations and safety of our facilities for everyone,” she added.
McCarthy said the correction officer, who was not identified, was “conducting her routine duties,” when an inmate “grabbed” her and a “struggle followed.”
The assailant pushed the guard into a metal storage bin and “struck her repeatedly,” McCarthy said.
She did not say how the fight ended and did not describe the extent of the guard’s injuries.
“We are grateful for the work our correctional professionals do on a daily basis,” McCarthy said in her statement. “We are empathetic to all of the staff who are impacted by the trauma of this incident and encourage anyone who is struggling to call the Employee Assistance Unit for support.”
Bridgeport Correctional Center holds male inmates, most of whom are awaiting trial. The facility has 325 staff and serves the Superior Courts from Ansonia, Derby, Milford, Bridgeport, Danbury, Norwalk and Stamford, the agency’s website said. The facility also houses a minimum security unit for inmates who qualify for jobs outside prison and community support programs.
The Aug. 2 incident is the latest in a surge of assaults on correction officers reported at Connecticut DOC facilities and is at least the fifth reported incident so far this year reported by news media.
McCarthy said 196 incidents involving an assault or attempted assault toward a staff member have occurred so far in fiscal year 2023.
“The severity and intensity of the incident varies,” she said. “Recently, there have been several incidents, which resulted in a staff member requiring additional care at an outside hospital.”
On June 28, an officer at New Haven Correctional Center was injured in an incident that left him with head and facial injuries.
On June 25, another officer was punched and choked at the Carl Robinson Correctional Institution in Enfield. Days earlier, authorities said another officer suffered a serious leg injury after a scuffle that started when an inmate threw a tablet at a correction officer.
On June 10, officials said an inmate at MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield punched a correction officer in the face without warning.
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