LABOR DAY ‘HOLIDAY’ CHAOS AND VIOLENCE IN CONNECTICUT’S CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES

New Britain, CT – On Labor Day, when most residents of Connecticut were enjoying a holiday celebrating the working-class citizens, past and present, who have made our nation great, and enjoying a moment of respite from their own hard work, AFSCME Council 4’s correctional officers were on the job, putting their lives on the line to keep our communities safe. For our officers, there are no holidays from danger. 

This Labor Day made that reality brutally clear. Instead of enjoying a well-earned day of recognition, our officers faced chaos and violence behind prison walls. By night’s end, at least seven AFSCME Council 4 correctional officers were forced to seek outside medical care after a series of serious incidents transpired across multiple correctional institutions. 

At 4:02 PM, in MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution, a maximum-security prison in Suffield, CT, an inmate charged at an officer, and the officer sustained a head injury while attempting to secure the inmate. A chemical agent had to be deployed to subdue the resisting inmate and prevent further injuries to staff and other inmates. As a result of this incident, two officers had to be transported to an outside medical facility for evaluation and treatment of physical injuries. A third officer sought outside medical assistance for a mental health evaluation due to the stress and trauma caused by responding to this violent incident. Additionally, the Department of Corrections Critical Incident Stress Response Team (CISRT), a specialized team trained to provide emotional and mental health support to staff affected by traumatic events on the job, was mobilized to MacDougall-Walker after this incident. 

At 2:02 PM, in York Correctional Institution, an officer intervened in an ongoing melee between four inmates. After the inmates refused to comply with repeated verbal instructions—orders to stop fighting—from staff, the inmates had to be physically separated and restrained. While restraining these inmates, one officer sustained a severe injury to his left leg and ankle. Hospital evaluation confirmed multiple fractures to the tibia, fibula, and ankle. This officer now faces an arduous recovery marked by pain, surgeries, and extensive rehabilitation. 

At 8:29 PM, at Cheshire Correctional Institution, an officer intervened after one inmate began to choke another inmate. The two inmates were physically separated, and while officers attempted to restrain and secure the inmates, one inmate turned violently on an officer. Four officers sustained injuries, including one officer who suffered a head injury that caused a concussion, and other officers 

sustained injuries to the neck, back, and knees. Three of the four injured officers had to seek care at an outside medical facility. 

The assaults that took place on Labor Day are a stark reminder of the dangers that Correctional Officers face every day on the job, inside Connecticut’s prisons. They are contending with rising violence, an influx of contraband—including weapons and dangerous drugs—and a severe staffing shortage that forces them to face these dangers without the backup needed to ensure their safety. 

The presidents of AFSCME Council 4’s Correctional Officers and Employees locals—Bobby Fox (Local #387), Robert Beamon (Local #391), and Michael Vargo (Local #1565) highlighted how changes to state policies have contributed to making the day-to-day work of Connecticut’s correctional officers more dangerous. “For more than a decade, Connecticut’s prisons have been stretched to the breaking point. Then, the State Legislature passed the Protect Act, making a bad situation much, much worse. With increased out-of-cell time and reduced accountability for inmates who violate facility codes of conduct, rules that serve one purpose: to keep staff and inmates safe, the Protect Act forces correctional officers to shoulder impossible burdens. Yet, the state refuses to hire the staff we need to safely implement these policy changes. Officers are being left alone in dangerous situations, and lives are on the line.” 

Every day, our correctional officers step into facilities where conditions are deteriorating. Yet, since July 1st, the job has become even more difficult because correctional officers have had to face these challenges without the reassurance of a fair contract, which has only deepened frustration and eroded morale. 

Until the state acknowledges these realities and takes meaningful steps to address them, the Department of Corrections will continue to put the safety of staff and inmates in jeopardy. 

In solidarity with AFSCME Council 4’s Correctional Officers, the Correctional Supervisors Union, CSEA SEIU Local 2001, added the following to AFSCME Council 4’s statement. 

The number of staff assaults in our prisons has doubled in the past six years, even though the inmate population has dropped by 3,000 and the state has closed two prisons. That should never happen. Fewer inmates should not mean more violence. Every assault takes a toll — not just on the physical safety of correctional staff, but on their mental health as well. We’re seeing more of our members forced out on workers’ compensation because of these attacks, and the strain on morale is overwhelming,” said CSEA SEIU Local 2001 Corrections Supervisors Council President and Department of Corrections Lieutenant Thomas Titus, “Without real investment in safety and staffing, correctional employees are being left to pay the price with their health, their livelihoods, and their peace of mind.”