State correction officer punched, choked

It’s the third incident that has seriously injured an officer in the past month

ENFIELD — A correction officer was punched and choked by an inmate at the Carl Robinson Correctional Institution Sunday, becoming the third who was seriously injured in less than a month, state officials said.

The officer was trying to direct an inmate who was refusing to leave the eating area after lunch when he was punched in the face and then choked, said Ashley McCarthy, director of external affairs for the state Department of Correction.

Another correction officer who was monitoring surveillance footage was able to summon help, McCarthy said. The correction officer was taken to the hospital to be treated for shoulder pain, scratches and other injuries, she said. McCarthy said he is a veteran correction officer who was treated and released from the hospital, but was not back on the job Monday.

Carl Robinson CI has no cell blocks and inmates are instead housed in dormitory-style units, she said.

The inmate refused to return to his housing unit, and after words were exchanged, he punched the officer and then put his hands around the officer’s neck, she said. The incident is being investigated by state police.

The assault happened days after a correction officer at the Hartford Correctional Center suffered a serious leg injury while trying to help other officers get an inmate under control, McCarthy said. The inmate involved had thrown a tablet in the direction of another correction officer, she said.

The injury occurred during the scuffle among officers responding to the tablet incident and was likely caused by another staff member, McCarthy said.

The correction officer was taken to the hospital and will not be back at work for weeks, she said.

The two incidents come on the heels of an assault on June 10 at the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution that left a correction officer seriously injured after being punched in the face by an inmate, officials said. Union officials said the correction officer was unconscious in a pool of his own blood after the assault which involved three inmates.

The correction officer was unconscious and suffered head trauma, DOC officials said.

McCarthy believes the correction officer still has not returned to work. That injury prompted the agency to meet with union officials to examine policies and find ways to deal with trauma among correction officers.

The three incidents occurred at three different locations and may be an anomaly or could be a symptom of a larger issue, McCarthy said.

“It’s something we’re tracking and monitoring,” McCarthy said. “We are always looking for ways to make the job safer.”

File photo A correction officer was assaulted by an inmate at the Carl Robinson Correctional Institution Sunday.