An inmate at the Massachusetts Treatment Center in Bridgewater died on Sunday due to injuries sustained during a physical altercation, according to officials. State Executive Office of Public Safety and Security Communications Manager Scott Croteau stated in a release obtained by WHDH that staff intervened around 9 a.m. when two incarcerated individuals were involved in a confrontation. They discovered a 34-year-old inmate unresponsive and suffering from injuries consistent with a possible assault.
The injured inmate was provided with immediate medical attention before being transported to a local hospital, where he was ultimately pronounced dead. Details such as the identity of the deceased have been withheld, during revealing that the victim appeared to have been engaged in the fight and suffered injuries from what seemed to be a "closed fist" assault, according to Boston 25 News.
Multiple agencies, including the Massachusetts Department of Correction, the Massachusetts State Police, and the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office, are conducting ongoing investigations into this incident, as per information from Boston 25 News. It was also mentioned that the victim was involved with another inmate when the fatal altercation broke out.
Located as part of a larger complex that includes other correctional facilities, the Massachusetts Treatment Center is tasked with housing male inmates pegged as sex offenders and those civilly committed as sexually dangerous persons. The recent incident adds to a troubling pattern of violence within Massachusetts prison institutions, including a prior episode at Old Colony Correctional Center and an attack on officers at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center, as detailed in statements by the Correction Officers Federated Union condemning the violence and expressing concern for officer safety, in statements obtained by WHDH.
Following the injuries to officers at Souza-Baranowski, Interim Department of Correction Commissioner Shawn Jenkins emphasized the critical yet challenging work performed by correction officers and declared their safety as the highest priority. Temporarily, to address these safety and security reasons, regular visits to Souza-Baranowski remain suspended, still evident on the Department of Correction's website as of the latest reports.
