Dozens of “homemade sharpened weapons” had been reportedly discovered inside a Bay State most safety jail final month, because the correction officers’ union continues to push for security measures.
The 38 manufactured weapons seized in Souza-Baranowski Correctional Middle come after a jail guard was uncovered to an artificial cannabinoid and knocked unconscious, ending up within the hospital.
The Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union has been sounding the alarm following the officer’s hospitalization and a string of comparable incidents — urging the Division of Correction to implement an “exposure policy” for when officers are uncovered to artificial medicine.
State legislators additionally wrote to the Division of Correction after the officer was sickened, calling for “policy and procedural changes needed to properly protect our officers and the prisoner population.”
Now, the Division of Correction says the state company is near a brand new coverage for when these publicity incidents occur.
“The Department of Correction’s top priority is to protect the health and safety of our staff and those entrusted to our care,” a DOC spokesperson stated in an announcement. “The DOC implements many proactive steps to thwart the presence of illicit medicine, weapons, and different contraband, a persistent problem in correctional settings nationwide.
“In partnership with a national expert in chemical substances, the DOC is finalizing an enhanced policy with more robust safety guidelines for correctional staff and investigators involving the detection and response to unknown or suspected hazardous substances,” the DOC spokesperson added.
MCI-Shirley officer John Connelly in July had been attending to an unresponsive inmate of their cell when he apparently discovered the artificial drug K2.
Then a short while later, Connelly instructed a fellow officer that he was feeling weak and handed out. The following factor he remembers is waking up within the hospital, and the physician saying he would want time to get better from the episode. Connelly was instructed that he was given Narcan 4 occasions, and he had a number of seizures.
Not too long ago, his toxicology outcomes got here again from the UMass Chan Medical Faculty Medication of Abuse Laboratory, and the outcomes present that he was uncovered to an artificial cannabinoid.
Greater than a dozen state legislators lately wrote to DOC Commissioner Shawn Jenkins following this incident.
“We are writing to express our sincere concern regarding the exposure of toxic substances in correctional facilities,” the lawmakers wrote. “The presence of these substances within our prison walls comes with significant health and safety risks for our correctional officers and prisoners alike. Accordingly, we urge the department to evaluate the situation and implement the necessary policy and procedural changes needed to properly protect our officers and the prisoner population.”
Such procedural responses might embrace common facility shake downs, elevated searches and extra common use of canines that may detect medicine, they added.
“Furthermore, such response may include policy implementation for handling toxic exposure and specialized training/equipment to ensure these facilities are well-equipped to immediately respond to such incidents with care,” the legislators wrote.
In the meantime, 38 “homemade sharpened weapons” had been discovered contained in the Souza-Baranowski most safety jail final month, based on the correction officers’ union chief Dennis Martin.
“Someone is going to get hurt,” Martin, the president of MCOFU, instructed the Herald. “It’s a scary time we’re in now.”
When an extreme quantity of weapons are discovered, there must be a “restart” with an intensive search throughout the jail, Martin stated.
“It’s about making our prisons safe for all people,” he added.
DOC services comply with “DOC Search Policies” and native facility Normal Working Procedures for each day routine and random searches of incarcerated people, their cells, and customary areas of the power.
Along with the each day routine and random searches, total housing unit searches are carried out after altercations involving incarcerated people, the place it was found {that a} weapon was used.
The DOC spokesperson stated, “We appreciate the ongoing collaboration with our partners, including MCOFU and the Legislature, and are committed to continuing our work together to address emerging challenges in our facilities.”
