Correction officer stabbed at Souza Baranowski prison

A correction officer at Massachusetts' maximum security prison has been released from the hospital after a prisoner reportedly stabbed him multiple times.

The Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union, the state's correction officers union, the state's correction officers union, said the officer was stabbed Monday night at the Souza Baranowski Correctional Center while trying to break up a fight among some of the men in custody.

The union said the officer was stabbed with a makeshift knife in the head and upper back. A second officer was hurt and evaluated at a local hospital and released.

"Force needed to be used to gain control of the inmates and luckily nobody was severely injured," said union Legislative Representative Kevin Flanagan.

The union blamed the attack on criminal justice reforms which it said fails to take into account correction officer safety.

"What do we do with these inmates that are highly assaultive and violent, not just toward officers, but other inmates?" Flanagan said. "We've seen inmate reforms over and over and over again, and now we need correctional officer reform. There's been zero emphasis over the last several years on protecting correctional officers."

In a statement, the Department of Correction said the prisoners involved have been removed from their housing unit and face disciplinary charges as well as possible criminal charges. The department also said it will notify the Worcester County District Attorney about the assaults.

No additional security restrictions are in place at Souza, according to the DOC.