The Lowell Sun
SHIRLEY, Mass. — An inmate at the Souza Baranowski Correctional Center was stabbed in his cell by another inmate on Aug. 3, according to prison officials.
The inmate was rushed to a local hospital, where he was treated and returned back to prison, according to Diane Wiffin, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Corrections. His alleged assailant was placed in a special management unit as state police and DOC officials continue to investigate the incident.
The attack at the state’s maximum security prison comes on the heels of a challenge by the correction officers’ union of a July 21 decision by U.S. District Court Judge Patti Saris, supporting the facility’s double-bunking policy. Saris dismissed a suit brought by the Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union in February, charging that the double-bunking policy violated its members’ rights.
Union attorney Douglas Louison said the decision “put the officers’ lives in jeopardy and at risk to save money.”
Double-bunking became official prison policy in January in an effort to address overcrowding created by a record number of inmates. The union claims that the number of assaults on inmates and staff has increased since the policy was enacted.
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