Two Officers Stabbed by Inmates, 3 Injured at Massachusetts Prison

Two officers were stabbed by inmates at a maximum-security prison in Massachusetts, and three more were injured Wednesday night, according to a spokesperson for the prison.

Scott Croteau, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Department of Correction, said in a statement Thursday that five officers at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Lancaster, about an hour’s drive northwest of Boston, were hospitalized following the stabbings which were reported to the department around 6:20 p.m. local time.

Two officers had multiple stab wounds, and the other three were injured when they responded to the confrontation, Croteau said.

Four of the officers were treated and released from the hospital, according to an updated statement sent to Newsweek Thursday afternoon. The other officer is currently being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

“The Department has launched a comprehensive investigation to determine the facts and circumstances and is also conducting a full security assessment,” the updated statement from Croteau read.

The inmates involved in the incident were transferred to other facilities in the state and the Employee Assistance Unit will provide support and resources to department staff, according to the updated statement.

Massachusetts State Police investigators and its Crime Scene Response Unit responded to the incident Wednesday night and the “DOC is conducting a full criminal investigation in coordination with the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office,” the updated statement read.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday night, the Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union said that an officer was stabbed in the back and head, and multiple officers were taken out of the prison in ambulances.

Tagging the Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC), the union wrote in its recent Facebook post, “ENOUGH! It’s been 4 years since you authorized the use of the tactical units and done a thorough institution wide search!”

“How much more do our members have to endure before you decide to keep them safe? The inmates are literally running the asylum. Do your jobs,” the post continued.

Newsweek reached out to the Massachusetts Department of Correction for comment late Thursday morning about the union’s Facebook post but only received the department’s initial release about the stabbings.

The union told the Boston Herald in an article released in early September that dozens of “homemade sharpened weapons” were found inside the prison in August.

“Someone is going to get hurt,” Dennis Martin, the president of the union, recently told the Herald about the weapons. “It’s a scary time we’re in now.”

The updated statement from Croteau said that the Massachusetts Department of Correction “has modified operations at Souza Baranowski Correctional Center to ensure the safety and security of all who work and reside there.”

“Our correction officers perform an essential and difficult job. Their safety is our top priority. I am deeply concerned about the incident at Souza Baranowski Correctional Center, which resulted in injuries to five correction officers,” the department’s Interim Commissioner Shawn Jenkins said in the updated statement. “My thoughts are with the officers and their families at this time and the Department offers our full support to the officers as they recover from their injuries.”

Jenkins continued: “Violence against DOC staff is unacceptable, and we will take the steps necessary to ensure those responsible are held accountable under the law. Our 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.”

The department manages 13 institutions across the state with the help of over 4,000 professionals, who care for about 6,000 incarcerated individuals.

According to its website, the department provides “custody, care, and programming for those under our supervision to prepare them for safe and successful reentry into the community.”

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.

Update 9/19/24, 12:55 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.