By Sarah Roebuck
Corrections1
SEATTLE — The King County Corrections Guild is advocating for the discontinuation of double-bunked units at the Maleng Regional Justice Center following the assault of a corrections officer, KOMO reports.
According to the union, four inmates attacked a corrections officer with almost 28 years of experience on Saturday. The attack sent the officer to the hospital. The officer is now at home recovering.
The officer was ambushed from behind by the inmates who orchestrated the assault, the union reports. The group of four inmates concealed his face with a towel, restrained him in a chokehold, forced him to the ground and then proceeded to attack him.
The union said the attack is “directly related” to decisions made by department leadership to double bunk housing units in RJC.
“The union had raised safety concerns and warned the department that such an incident could occur as a result of these decisions,” the guild said in a news release. “In response to this incident, the King County Corrections Guild has sent a letter to department leaders, calling for the immediate end of double bunked units at the RJC or for those units to be staffed with a second officer. The guild also demands the cessation of the security overrides to inmates for housing purposes.”
A representative from the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention confirmed that the assault took place during the dayshift in a housing unit under the officer’s supervision. Other inmates, who were not part of the attack, stepped in to help the officer until additional staff arrived.
“The Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention is deeply concerned about the impact of this incident on the injured officer, his colleagues, and the families of our workforce. Our community rarely gets a direct look at the work being performed by our officers, who show courage, fortitude, and a commitment to keeping everybody at the facility safe – people in custody, coworkers and visitors alike,” the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention said in a statement.
The inmates involved in the assault could potentially face felony charges. While the investigation into the incident is still underway, the case will be submitted to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s office for consideration of charge filing.