State prison corrections officer hospitalized after inmate attack

FISHKILL – A Downstate
Correctional Facility prisoner serving 20 years to life for manslaughter,
brutally attacked a corrections officer after refusing to leave a restricted
area and return to his cell, the prison guards union said.
The incident occurred last Sunday, March 26 when the inmate punched the officer in the face several times without warning, according to the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association.
An officer response team was able to use mechanical restraints to secure the inmate, the union said.
The officer involved was taken to St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital in Newburgh where he received several stitches to treat his facial injuries.
“As these violent attacks on our members occur, the governor and the department seem to turn a blind eye,” said Mid-Hudson union Vice President Michael Mazzella. “It’s time to arm all of our officers with pepper spray and any other tool necessary for their protection.”
Mazzella also called for prison staffing to be “proper” and to place those officers “in areas that will enhance security for the safety of our members.”