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.