By C1 Staff
ATTICA, NY — Following the stabbing of a corrections officer by an inmate with a pen, assaults on corrections officers are at a five year high.
The assault on the officer was the second; before he was stabbed, another inmate allegedly acted out at 5 p.m., throwing an unknown liquid at officers with a bucket, according to 13 Wham. The officers were struck in the face, eyes, mouth ahd body.
Police say these incidents are part of an “alarming trend” of correctional officers being assaulted by inmates. According to statistics, assaults on staff have increased by 13 percent from 2009 to 2013, and are up 23 percent in 2013 alone.
“Our prisons are overcrowded and more dangerous than ever. Since 2004, the number of violent felons incarcerated has increased by 6 percent in maximum facilities and 7 percent in medium facilities.
“Eleven facility closures have occurred during the Cuomo administration with an additional four scheduled to be closed in 2014. Over 10,000 inmates are currently double bunked.
“All of this, combined with proposed reduction in funding and staff in the 2014 budget, has created a dangerous environment for our members, which is unacceptable and needs to be addressed,” stated Donn Rowe, NYSOPBA President, in a news release Thursday.