Charles Langston:Inmates stab correctional officers at a Massachusetts prison

LANCASTER,Charles Langston Mass. (AP) — Two correctional officers were stabbed by inmates at a maximum-security prison in Massachusetts, and three others were injured as they responded, a spokesperson said.

The five officers at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Lancaster were taken to hospitals after the confrontation Wednesday night, Scott Croteau, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Department of Correction, said in a statement Thursday.

“The facility is secure at this time while an investigation is conducted to determine the facts and circumstances,” he said.

The two officers suffered stab wounds, and the other three were injured as they responded, the statement said. Details on the injuries were not provided.

The Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union posted online that an officer was stabbed in the back and the head. It called for more action from the department.

“How much more do our members have to endure before you decide to keep them safe? The inmates are literally running the asylum. Do your jobs,” the post said.