Nine officers injured in span of two weeks at Five Points Correctional Facility

ROMULUS, N.Y. — A string of violence at Five Points Correctional Facility in Romulus, Seneca County has left nine officers injured, one with a broken nose.

Prison officials say the incidents happened over two weeks, between Sept. 27 and Oct. 15, including multiple assaults on prison staff by inmates. It represents a growing problem in New York State prisons.

According to data from the NYS Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, both inmate-on-staff and inmate-on-inmate assaults have surpassed last year’s total.

Assaults on staff are projected to increase by 24% by the end of this year. Inmate assaults are expected to go up by 37%. Staff levels are dropping and the number of inmates is growing. There are almost 2,000 fewer corrections officers and an inmate population upwards of 22,000.