“Assault with a clenched fist”

An inmate has died after a fight at a sex offender treatment center, according to state authorities investigating another Department of Corrections incident.

The death of this incarcerated individual comes after inmates attacked correctional officers in early September, prompting further calls for security measures in the Bay State's prisons.

The incident involving the death of an inmate occurred at the Massachusetts Treatment Center in Bridgewater, where staff responded to a report of a fight between two inmates Sunday morning.

A 34-year-old inmate was unresponsive and suffered injuries consistent with a possible attack, a Department of Corrections spokesman said in a statement. The staff immediately provided medical assistance.

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.

“Preliminary investigations indicate that another detained person may have been involved in the clenched fist attack,” the spokesman added.

The name of the dead inmate was not immediately released.

The Massachusetts Treatment Center is a medium-security facility that segregates criminally convicted male inmates who have been identified as sex offenders and those who have been civilly convicted as sexually dangerous persons.

This latest incident comes less than two weeks after correctional officers attacked inmates at the Souza Baranowski Correctional Center. Video from the maximum security prison shows a correctional officer being attacked from behind by an inmate who was waiting in a cell.

One of the officers was stabbed twelve times in the stunning attack. Five officers were injured in the attack, including one with a lung injury.

The Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union is sounding the alarm about violence in prisons and warning of unsafe conditions for officers and inmates.

The DOC said it conducted a comprehensive security assessment of Souza-Baranowski, including analysis of operational search procedures, the effective use of specialized units and the provenance of manufactured weapons.

Originally published: September 30, 2024 at 5:56 p.m