Souza Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley is a maximum security prison in Shirley. For years, it has been the site of violence by and against both inmates and correctional officers.
On January 10, it was reported that six inmates assaulted three correctional officers. The Department of Correction released a disturbing video.
Inmates who were involved in the incident were moved out of the faciiity, but the whole complex of about 650 inmates in two wings was locked down. Inmates were denied phone calls and attorney visits, as well as time out of their cells. All their clothes and all their possessions were taken to be searched. We heard other disturbing reports, both on the news and from constituents.
Legislators can visit prisons at any time. On Sunday, February 2, Sen. Jamie Eldridge and I and Representatives Mike Connolly, Mary Keefe, Lindsay Sabadosa made an unannounced visit to the prison. We were able to speak with about 15 inmates. Superintendent Steve Kenneway, DOC Commissioner Carol Mici, and Public Safety Undersecretary Andrew Peck came to talk as well.
We heard reports of pepper spray, dog bites, and physical violence by the tactical team that took charge after the incident. Inmates, none of whom were involved in the incident or even on the same unit, reported that they had not yet - more than three weeks later - received back their legal papers, glasses, an orthotic device, photos, and other property.
Sen. Eldridge summed up what we heard: “The frustration that I heard from inmates was, ‘why are we being punished for something we were not involved in?...'Why does our property get taken, our bibles, our family pictures, access to legal documents, when we had nothing to do with this incident?'”
On Monday, the National Association of Social Workers, Prisoners Legal Services, the Mass. Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, the ACLU and Families for Justice as Healing held a press conference with stories from inmates, families, and attorneys, calling for an independent investigation. I support that call; lack of transparency is a central problem with DOC. The denial of attorney visits and phone calls, the reported removal of surveillance cameras during tactical team operations, and the lack of name badges on tactical team members reduce accountability and reduce safety for inmates, corrections officers, and the public, in both the short and the long term.
The response to the January 10 assault seems to be in contrast to recent changes at the prison which should promote safety inside prison and after release: more inmates have been moved to lower security and there has more programming, although it was suspended during the lockdown. We need to encourage these positive developments while discouraging counter-productive actions like those reported during the lockdown.
The correctional officers union says the original attack on a guard was due to changes required by the Criminal Justice Reform of 2018. It's not clear what changes they mean. Many changes have not been implemented, and none would have led to this incident. In fact, there have been similar and worse incidents in the past.
I'm grateful to my colleagues who have and will visit Souza Baranowski and other prisons, and to all those who are working toward a prison culture that will treat inmates more humanely and make us all - inmates, corrections officers, and the public - safer.
Violence in Max Security Prison