![]() The following year, the federal government severed ties with Hodgson, who has steadfastly defended his handling of the confrontation. During that confrontation, Hodgson’s office unleashed dogs on detainees and used excessive force, according to a report by then-attorney general Maura Healey. In May 2020, a melee erupted in a dormitory-style facility on the grounds of the jail where Hodgson housed immigration detainees for the federal government. In a statement provided to WBUR, the Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union, said the standoff demonstrates that correctional officers “have the most dangerous, threatening and stressful jobs in state service.” The housing unit where officers used tear gas was being aired out on Saturday, and members of a special investigation unit plan to process it Monday as a crime scene, Heroux said. Some of the men being detained there, he said, are awaiting trial for murder. Heroux said officers used tear gas and flash bangs to take control of the housing unit that had more damage. He said he responded with an offer that addressed some of their concerns, but when it was presented, they destroyed the document without reading it.Īt about 3 p.m., correction officers in Bristol, aided by officers from the Department of Correction and other county sheriff departments, went into the housing units and escorted the inmates outside. ![]() ![]() Messages left for spokespeople at the Bristol district attorney’s office weren’t returned Saturday.ĭuring the standoff, the detainees compiled a list of demands including televisions in cells, lower canteen prices, and more recreation time, Heroux said. All 20 were identified as leaders of the standoff and have been relocated to correctional facilities in other parts of the state, Heroux said.Īnother 17 men also have been relocated to the Ash Street Jail in New Bedford, which is also run by Heroux, to keep rivals separated. He declined to identify the men and said he didn’t have details about the charges. The 20 men who are expected to face criminal charges include 17 from the unit with the most damage and three men from the neighboring unit, Heroux said. “It’s an astronomical undertaking as far as money goes,” Hodgson said. Reached Saturday by phone, Hodgson said his office stopped locking inmates in cells without toilets to abide by the court order, but didn’t have enough money to install toilets in individual cells. “It’s just absolutely mind boggling that somebody would design this place like that,” Heroux said. The facility was built in the 1980s, the sheriff said. Doors on the housing units have locks, he said, but half of the cells in use don’t have locks or toilets. The sheriff’s office has set aside $1.5 million from canteen operations to install toilets in the two housing units, Heroux said, and once that work is done, locks can be placed on cell doors. The neighboring unit, which housed 63 men, suffered less damage, he said, but can’t be used because the inmates destroyed a console that controls door locks. One unit housing 75 men sustained significant damage - up to $200,000 - as the detainees dismantled furniture and sharpened the pieces into improvised weapons, Heroux said. Heroux said the detainees wouldn’t have been free to damage property if they could have been locked in individual cells. Once staff left, the sheriff said, the detainees began damaging the housing units. The renovations included work intended to reduce suicide risks and the installation of plumbing for toilets, he said.īut the men refused to leave, Heroux said, and at about 9 a.m., correctional officers exited the area, locking the exterior doors behind them. The standoff began Friday at about 7 a.m., Heroux said, as staff at the correctional facility attempted to relocate men in two neighboring units in order to carry out renovations there. “If there were locks on cells, this wouldn’t have happened,” said Heroux, a Democrat who was sworn into office in January after defeating longtime Republican incumbent Thomas M.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |