2 corrections officers stabbed, 3 others injured in assault at Massachusetts prison

The Massachusetts Department of Correction was notified of the assaults at 6:20 p.m.

Inmates at Massachusetts’s only maximum-security prison attacked and stabbed two corrections officers multiple times Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.

Another three corrections officers were also injured when responding to the inmate assault, which occurred at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Lancaster about 50 miles northwest of Boston, the Massachusetts Department of Correction confirmed.

The correction department said it was notified of the assault at 6:20 p.m.

“The facility is secure at this time while an investigation is conducted to determine the facts and circumstances,” said Scott Croteau, a spokesman for the state’s Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, in a statement USA TODAY.

Five corrections officers transported to hospitals

The Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union first shared news Wednesday evening on Facebook, claiming that an officer was stabbed in the back and head. 

While Croteau confirmed that all five officers who were injured were taken to hospitals for treatment, the extent of their injuries was not immediately clear.

The Massachusetts State Police have been notified of the attack, he added.

Corrections union: ‘Do your jobs’

The union, which represents about 4,000 corrections officers and other corrections employees, has been regularly sounding the alarm on dangerous working conditions at prisons across the state.

Earlier this month, the union shared a Boston Herald editorial warning of the dangers of “makeshift knives” in Massachusetts prisons. In another post, the organization argued: “The dangers that currently exist cannot be overstated … We just want to ensure we are given the tools to do our jobs and go home safely to our families.”

Last month, the union told the Boston Herald that dozens of “homemade sharpened weapons” were found inside Souza-Baranowski.

Following Wednesday’s attack, the union took to Facebook to criticize the Department of Correction, claiming it’s been four years since the agency had “authorized the use of tactical units and done a thorough institution wide search.”

“ENOUGH!” the union wrote. “How much more do our members have to endure before you decide to keep them safe? The inmates are literally running the asylum. Do your jobs.”

USA TODAY left a message Thursday morning with the union that was not immediately returned.

The Department of Corrections did not did not immediately respond to USA TODAY regarding the union’s claims.

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com