Assaults Against Correctional Officers Up More Than 300%; On Average, Nearly Nine Officers Assaulted Every Day in California Prisons.

News Desks/Government Writers

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 1, 2000

Inmate assaults against California correctional peace officers and staff have tripled over the last decade, according to a new report by the California Department of Corrections.

Entitled "Inmate Incidents in Institutions," the report documents the number of inmate assaults against correctional officers and staff working in the state's prisons and youth facilities from 1990 to 1999. According to the report, there were 3,224 officers assaulted by inmates last year -- nearly half of the incidents (1,216) involved the use of inmate-made weapons. Overall, assaults against correctional officers and staff have climbed over 300% since 1990, when there were 1,002 assaults against officers, with only 201 involving weapons.

"This confirms what we've been warning about," said Don Novey, president of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association. "Today's inmates are more dangerous, more violent and a far greater threat to officers on the line. It's a war zone in there, and our troops need more help.

"Officers need additional training and safety equipment to protect themselves and keep the peace," said Novey, noting that an officer at New Folsom State Prison recently was slashed repeatedly by an inmate wielding a razor blade, which missed the officer's jugular by less than a half-inch. "The violence is random and unpredictable."

According to the new figures, an average of nearly nine correctional peace officers and staff are assaulted every day inside California prisons -- up from an earlier average of five a day.