An inmate has died after a reported fight at a treatment center for sex offenders, according to state agencies who are investigating another Department of Correction incident.
This incarcerated individual’s death comes in the wake of inmates attacking correction officers earlier in September, sparking more calls for safety measures in Bay State prisons.
The inmate death incident happened at the Massachusetts Treatment Center in Bridgewater — where staff Sunday morning responded to a report of a fight involving two inmates.
A 34-year-old inmate was found unresponsive and suffering from wounds caused by a possible assault, a spokesperson for the Department of Correction said in a statement. Staff immediately administered medical aid.
The inmate was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“The Massachusetts Department of Correction, Massachusetts State Police and the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office are investigating the death of an incarcerated individual at the Massachusetts Treatment Center in Bridgewater,” the DOC spokesperson said.
“The preliminary investigation indicates another incarcerated individual was allegedly involved in the assault involving a closed fist,” the spokesperson added.
The name of the dead inmate was not immediately released.
The Massachusetts Treatment Center is a medium security facility separately housing criminally sentenced male inmates identified as sex offenders, and those who have been civilly committed as sexually dangerous persons.
This latest incident comes less than two weeks after the inmate attack of correction officers at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center. The video from the maximum-security prison shows a correction officer getting attacked from behind by an inmate who was seen waiting by a cell.
One of the officers was stabbed 12 times in the stunning assault. Five officers were injured in the attack, including one who suffered a punctured lung.
The Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union has been sounding the alarm about violence in prisons, warning about unsafe conditions for officers and inmates.
DOC has said it’s been conducting a full security assessment of Souza-Baranowski, including analyzing operational search procedures, the effective use of specialized units, and the origins of manufactured weapons.
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