MCI-Shirley corrections officer hospitalized after inmate attack

SHIRLEY - A corrections officer is in the hospital with serious injuries after an inmate at MCI-Shirley attacked him Wednesday afternoon.

The inmate and the officer were in the gym when the inmate hit the officer with a barbell and knocked him unconscious. The officer, who has been on the job for 10 years, was flown to a hospital, according to WBZ-TV I-Team sources.

The inmate is in isolation and the attack is under investigation.

I-Team sources also said one inmate stabbed another at the same prison Tuesday night.

"This incident comes as no surprise, considering the get soft on crime mentality that has percolated throughout the state on almost every level. This incident warrants a full investigation, and the individual involved in this brutal attack must be prosecuted to the highest extent of the law," The Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union said in a statement.