Judge approves $6.75 million settlement over violence against prisoners at Mass. prison

A federal judge has approved a final $6.75 million settlement in a class action lawsuit involving violence against prisoners at Massachusetts maximum security prison.

The approval means that more than 150 prisoners and those who have been released will receive between $10,000 and $40,000 after a crackdown at the Souza Baranowski Correctional Center in 2020. Dozens of prisoners alleged they were beaten, attacked with dogs, racially targeted and retaliated against after an attack on correction officers.

The lawsuit said correction officers and correctional tactical teams engaged in a "brutal and calculated collective revenge” against individuals who were not involved in the initial attack. The suit said officers used Taser guns, pepper ball guns, chemical agents and dogs against prisoners. According to the suit, dozens of prisoners were also forced to kneel against a wall with their hands and ankles shackled for hours.

No officers were criminally charged.

David Milton, an attorney with Prisoners Legal Services of Massachusetts, which filed the suit with the firm Hogan Lovells, said settlements aren't common in class-action lawsuits involving prisoners. He said he hopes it will serve as a deterrent against future violence and help promote change at Souza, which he called the state's most violent prison.

"Ultimately there needs to be a culture shift there," Milton said. "It's really a culture of violence and a punitive, restrictive atmosphere. There needs to be more of a focus on rehabilitation and programming and education. That's ultimately what's gonna bring about reduced violence and significant change."

The defendants in the suit included officers who participated in the reported violence, as well as high-ranking Department of Correction officials and former DOC Commissioner Carol Mici.

The settlement also establishes reforms including implementing use-of-force restrictions on officers, requiring the removal of officers who have been found to have used excessive force and implementing diversity and implicit bias training.

Before the settlement was finalized Tuesday, state officials said they've taken steps toward reforms such as changes to use-of-force policies and implementing a body-worn camera program.

“This settlement represents a final step in a series of actions the Department of Correction has taken in response to the incident, including a thorough review of existing policies and the implementation of key reforms,” said DOC Commissioner Shawn Jenkins in a press release.