Massachusetts' corrections chief said this week that the safety of correctional officers is "a priority we cannot compromise" and detailed the steps taken in the wake of last week's assaults at the state's maximum-security prison, but the union representing officer said the state's response has been "inadequate."
Two correction officers were "assaulted by incarcerated individuals" and stabbed at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley on the evening of Sept. 18, and three other officers were also injured while responding to the incident, the Department of Correction said last week. All five officers were transported to the hospital, with one of them staying several days to be treated for non-life threatening injuries.
In the wake of the attacks, the Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union called for "a full security assessment and review of all security related policies, procedures and protocols inside all Massachusetts prisons in order to ensure the safety of every staff member and inmate." And Interim DOC Commissioner Shawn Jenkins said last week that DOC would "conduct a thorough security assessment and review of protocols to ensure the safety and security of all who work and live at our facilities."
On Wednesday, the commissioner sent a letter to the union to reiterate the state's commitment to officer safety and to outline steps taken in the days since the assaults.
"SBCC has remained in modified operations since the September 18th incident. In addition to daily operational searches for secreted contraband, a Special Operations Team has been deployed to conduct multiple targeted searches of problematic units," the commissioner wrote. He added, "As of September 23rd, the DOC has increased resources at SBCC, adding specialized staff to the facility for the day and evening shifts. 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. Specialized staff will remain in place until October 1, at which time we will reevaluate the need."
Jenkins added that DOC "is proactively working with our law enforcement partners, including the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office, to pursue criminal charges against the incarcerated individuals involved in the deeply upsetting and disturbing attack on our correction officers."
MCOFU said Wednesday that DOC's letter and its response are "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."
"We know that at the urging of the Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union Executive Board, a tactical search of SBCC was initiated. That search was halted before its completion for reasons we do not know, but what we do know is during the search, more weapons were seized," the union said in a statement. "It is infuriating to this union why that search, which was yielding the intended results, would be stopped prematurely."
Jenkins also addressed weapons in his letter, telling the union that DOC "is examining the origin of confiscated weapons manufactured by incarcerated individuals this year" as part of a review that is expected to "aid the Department’s ability to address and mitigate future weapon production to enhance safety for those who work and live at our facilities."
The commissioner did not directly address the provenance of the weapons used in last week's assaults. The union and public officials including Republican Sen. Peter Durant have previously claimed that inmates have broken tablets the state provides for educational or work training programing and fashioned shivs out of metal strips inside.
The state began providing tablets (disconnected from the internet) to inmates as part of a pilot program in 2022 and announced in June that the tablet program had been implemented at all DOC facilities. Jenkins told the union this week that it's "imperative that DOC comply with legislative mandates under criminal justice reform" and that the tablet program "continues to strengthen the Department’s delivery of meaningful programs to advance rehabilitation and support successful reentry."
The commissioner suggested destruction of the tablets is not a widespread problem.
"Since January 1, 2024, DOC data indicates the incarcerated population has accessed nearly 200,000 hours of programming department-wide, including over 32,000 hours at SBCC," he wrote. Jenkins added, "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. DOC leadership will soon meet with representatives from our tablet provider, Orijin, to discuss any emerging issues and explore additional safety measures."
