By Richard Chumney
The Middletown Press, Conn.
SUFFIELD, Conn. — Seven correctional officers stationed at prisons across Connecticut were injured on Labor Day during three separate incidents involving inmates, union officials said.
AFSCME Council 4, the union that represents prison officials, said the employees were injured amid rising prison violence, an influx of weapons and drugs and a staffing shortage that has deprived officers of backup.
Bobby Fox, Robert Beamon, and Michael Vargo, the presidents of the union’s local chapters, said in a joint statement that state prisons have been “stretched to the breaking point.” They also blamed the PROTECT Act, which limits isolated confinement, for making their jobs harder.
The 2022 state law "...forces correctional officers to shoulder impossible burdens,” the officials said. “Yet, the state refuses to hire the staff we need to safely implement these policy changes. Officers are being left alone in dangerous situations, and lives are on the line.”
Union officials said the first incident unfolded around 2 p.m. at the York Correctional Institution in East Lyme when an officer intervened in a melee between four inmates at the high-security women’s prison. Officials said the inmates ignored instructions to stop fighting, prompting officers to physically restrain the individuals.
“While restraining these inmates, one officer sustained a severe injury to his left leg and ankle, officials said. “Hospital evaluation confirmed multiple fractures to the tibia, fibula, and ankle. This officer now faces an arduous recovery marked by pain, surgeries, and extensive rehabilitation.”
The second took place just after 4 p.m. at the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution, a maximum-security prison in Suffield, when an inmate charged at an officer, leaving them with a head injury, officials said.
“A chemical agent had to be deployed to subdue the resisting inmate and prevent further injuries to staff and other inmates,” officials said. “As a result of this incident, two officers had to be transported to an outside medical facility for evaluation and treatment of physical injuries.”
Officials said a third officer also sought outside medical assistance for a mental health evaluation due to the stress and trauma caused by responding to the attack. The union said a Department of Correction team trained to provide emotional and mental health support to staff responded to the prison.
Finally, four officers at the Cheshire Correctional Institution were injured around 8:30 p.m. when one tried to stop an inmate from choking another inmate, officials said. The union said one of the inmates violently attacked officers as they were being separated, leaving them with injuries to their neck, back and knees.
One of the officers suffered a concussion and three of the four received care at an outside medical facility, officials said.
Andrius Banevicius, a spokesperson for the state Department of Correction, said the safety and security of the staff and the incarcerated population is the agency’s top priority. He said the DOC will pursue charges against anyone guilty of assaulting a correctional professional.
“The administration continually reviews and revises its policies and procedures in order to improve the safety level and working conditions for its dedicated staff,” Banevicius said. “It has also worked to procure equipment that will help to significantly reduce the amount of contraband entering the facilities.”
Lt. Thomas Titus, the president of the Correctional Supervisors Union, said the number of staff assaults has doubled in the past six years even though the inmate population has dropped by 3,000 and the state has closed two prisons.
“Every assault takes a toll — not just on the physical safety of correctional staff, but on their mental health as well,” Titus said. “We’re seeing more of our members forced out on workers’ compensation because of these attacks, and the strain on morale is overwhelming.”
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