Pa. Corrections Officers Attacked by Inmate

At least two guards from State Correctional Institution at Dallas were sent to the hospital Monday morning after an inmate stabbed one of them in the neck with a pen, according to state police and prison officials.

Superintendent Jerry Walsh reported the inmate, who was not named, assaulted the guard from behind at about 8:50 a.m., according to prison spokeswoman Robin Luca. Five additional officers responded to assist, and it was not immediately clear how many of those were injured while restraining the inmate, Luca said.

The injured guards were taken to Wilkes-Barre General Hospital. The guard who had been stabbed was released from the hospital by the afternoon, according to a prison union official.

"I know we had an officer stabbed in the neck by a lifer inmate and a couple of other guys were banged up as well," said Roy Pinto, president of the Pennsylvania State Correction Officers Association, who had been informed about the incident.

State police at Wyoming were notified and are investigating and SCI-Dallas security staff are also investigating the assault, Luca said. State police said it was not clear what charges would be brought against the inmate until the investigation concluded.

The assault highlights a concern that financial cutbacks and reduced staffing levels at prisons across the commonwealth are making assaults more frequent, Pinto said.

"The officers that are there have to do double duty and they are spread a little more thinly and that leads to an inmate feeling like they can have the upper hand, and leads to them feeling like they can do an assault without as many repercussions," he said.

In December, round-the-clock staffing at seven security posts along the perimeter of the prison was cut to one tower 24 hours a day. Other towers are manned at limited periods, such as when inmates have yard time.

Department of Corrections officials said the move will save $1 million per year and won't compromise safety due to increased fencing, razor wire, motion detectors and video surveillance.

Luca reported this is the first major assault by an inmate on an officer in 2011. There were six in 2010, seven in 2009 and none in 2008. A major assault is "when any type of treatment from an outside hospital is needed," she said.

The criteria for assault should be the same inside and outside prison walls, Pinto said, and the union is pushing for a more uniform reporting system. By his estimates, the 40 to 50 prison assaults reported to the Department of Corrections would double if all incidences were reported.

"There are definitely different degrees of assault, but assault is defined in the statute, in the law, and that, to me, is how it should be," he said.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service