Columbia Correctional Institution,Lake City, Florida
April 4, 2016
According to the Miami Herald, while escorting a group of prisoners, a correctional officer was ambushed and stabbed in the head and neck several times by a prisoner. As other C.O.s tried to subdue the prisoner, several others joined in the melee, resulting in minor injuries to two other correctional officers.
The stabbed officer was airlifted to a hospital. A spokesperson for the Florida Dept. of Corrections said the officer suffered “superficial” wounds and was expected to be released from the hospital by the end of the day.
Florida state prisons have experienced recent staff shortages,with many officers working overtime to cover shifts. Secretary of the FDOC, Julie Jones, acknowledged that the shortage of C.O.s is a critical safety issue and that the the FDOC has narrowly avoided prison riots in recent years. A push has been made to recruit 4,000 new officers to cover the shortage.Florida prisons have also experienced a record number of prisoner deaths in the last two years.
Citations:
“Florida prison officer stabbed in ambush”, Miami Herald, April 4, 2016.
Article published: 9/10/19
