Officer stabbed twice in back by inmate at Brandon Correctional Centre, police say

A corrections officer was rushed to hospital in Brandon after being stabbed twice in the back by an inmate at the provincial jail, police say.

The 47-year-old man suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the stabbing on Monday, said police, who were called to the Brandon Correctional Centre around 8:45 p.m.

A 41-year-old man is charged with assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, aggravated assault of a peace officer and assaulting a peace officer causing bodily harm.

The Brandon Police Service is "deeply concerned for the well-being of the staff member injured," and its major crimes unit is investigating, a news release said Wednesday.

It did not identify the staff member's position at the medium-security facility, but Kyle Ross, president of the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union, said it was a corrections officer.

"It's a real unfortunate event, where one of our officers was attacked and stabbed while on the job," he said.

"[It] must be very difficult for that worker right now. We haven't had an opportunity to connect [with] them [but] we're hoping we can soon."

Ross doesn't know how long the officer has been working there.

There are many staff in jails aside from corrections officers, including those in administration, health care, social work and counselling, rehabilitation, education, food services and maintenance. 

An internal review has been launched at the correctional centre to examine the circumstances and reinforce safety measures for both staff and inmates, the Brandon Police Service news release said.

CBC News reached out to the province about the scope of the internal review, whether any immediate changes have been made and how long the review is expected to take.

A spokesperson provided the following response: "Standard operational review, as would occur after every serious incident. No timeline."

'Challenging job'

A 27-year-old inmate at the facility was charged just a few months ago with first-degree murder in the death of his 23-year-old cellmate.

The cellmate was repeatedly punched and kicked, police said. He was rushed to hospital but died from his injuries.

"Working in correctional facilities is a challenging job, and right now, with the [inmate] counts being as high as they are, it's getting more challenging for our workers, and we're hopeful we can find ways to make it safer for them and the inmates they're in charge of," Ross said.

The Brandon Correctional Centre has a capacity of 244 inmates. Ross was not sure how many are currently there.

In comparison, "there is barely enough staff" to deal with the challenges, he said.

"Workers are being stretched thinner than they'd like."

Recruitment efforts by the province are underway, "but it's a difficult job to recruit for," Ross said.

"When I speak to the officers, I hear it often: it's a very different job compared to 10 years ago. The inmates that are in these facilities are far more dangerous and more volatile than they were in the past."

There are more gangs and illicit drug use among inmates, he said.

"I feel for those workers, because they believe in what they do, and unfortunately, it's just really challenging."