Guards quell revolt at Supermax in Warren

WARREN — Guards at the state Supermax prison had to put down a minor disturbance in a wing of the institution holding the prison’s worst inmates Monday night.

Nobody was hurt, although one prisoner suffered a minor cut under his chin, acting Corrections Commissioner Martin Magnusson said Tuesday.

About seven to nine inmates in the prison’s B-side covered up their cell windows with sheets or feces, and some pulled fire sprinklers, Magnusson said.

Guards are required to be able to see inside a prisoner’s cell to make sure he is not hurting himself.

Magnusson said two or three inmates had to be briefly belted into restraining chairs until they calmed down.

Inmates spit on two guards, Magnusson said. Nobody required medical attention.

The disturbance wasn’t an unusual event, Magnusson said.

“It’s been a normal pattern of behavior for them over the last several months,” he said.

One possible reason for the outbreak could be that some inmates found out they were to be charged for previous assaults on staff, Magnusson said.

Criminal charges are possible in connection with Monday night’s disturbance, the acting commissioner said.

“It was never a situation where we weren’t in control,” Magnusson said.