Union demands changes after officers stabbed at Massachusetts prison
LANCASTER - Tensions are high inside and outside the Souza Baranowski Correctional Center that remains in lockdown with tighter security at the entrance. Wednesday night two correction officers were violently stabbed by inmates in a housing unit, and their union wants answers calling it a "hit".
"They were going to try and kill this officer. Fortunately, he fought past and through it, and now we're lucky we're not having a different conversation right now," said Vincent Ruziak, Vice President of the Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union.
Officer stabbed at least 12 times
One officer was stabbed at least a dozen times in the back and remains hospitalized, another officer stabbed in the head and back has been treated and released along with three other officers who responded to the attack.
The union says it's an ongoing safety problem that needs immediate action to essentially cleanse the prison of weapons. "We've been asking for tactical units; the department has the resources to facilitate this and keep this prison safe for staff and inmates. It's been falling on deaf ears lately," said Dennis Martin, President of the Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union.
70 weapons recovered recently
It's unclear what weapons were used in the attack, but the union says inmates are now given iPad-like tablets when they enter, and released photos which they say show homemade weapons that are made when the tablets are broken for their metal pieces. At least 70 weapons, they say, have been recovered in the last three months.
Ruziak said morale in the facility is, "very low, as always. It's been like that for quite a while now. These assaults ongoing."
The Department of Corrections issued a statement saying, "The Department has launched a comprehensive investigation to determine the facts and circumstances and is also conducting a full security assessment. The incarcerated males identified to be involved in this incident have been transferred to other DOC facilities."
These officers say they're losing members out of concern no one is looking out for their safety. "They want to be backed by management, people who are supposed to care the most and they're not getting that," said Ruziak.
Officer attacked in 2022 still recovering
In 2022, former correction officer Matt Tidman was beaten with exercise equipment at MCI Shirley. The attack left him in a coma and he's still recovering.
He tells WBZ-TV, "I believe officer safety needs to be more of a priority considering I am on day 749 of learning how to live again after being violently assaulted. I am permanently blind and deaf in my right ear and eye."
