Burnside jail assault triggers lockdown

Three correctional officers at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Dartmouth were assaulted on Monday, CBC News has learned.

Joan Jessome, president of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees' Union, confirmed three guards were assaulted at approximately 11 p.m. when two offenders refused to enter their cells.

One guard was taken to hospital with a dislocated shoulder, another suffered a bite wound and a third had a laceration on one leg, Jessome said Tuesday evening.

"My understanding is that the officer who was bitten, it was quite a serious bite and will require medical procedures," said Jessome. "Both the officer with the laceration and the officer with the dislocated shoulder, it's expected that both of them will miss time from work."

The west wing of the jail, where the assault took place, has been locked down since the incident.

There have been a number of violent incidents at the jail this year. The facility, otherwise known as the Burnside jail, houses some of the province's most dangerous offenders.

On Aug. 27, a guard at the jail was lured into a cell and attacked by an inmate pretending to be injured. When the guard opened the door, the inmate punched him in the face several times.

Another guard was punched on Aug. 6 while escorting a prisoner. The next afternoon, another guard was stabbed in the abdomen with a pen while inspecting a cell.

After the stabbing incident, bulletproof vests became mandatory for guards at the Burnside jail.

Justice Minister Ross Landry questioned Tuesday if the public wants to know about these types of incidents, which he said are "happening all the time."

"You're dealing with people that are incarcerated because they couldn't conform to the rules out in society. On a regular basis, they don't conform to what the guards say," said Landry.

"This is a little bit more severe than the routine, but the guards are well-trained — they're professional at what they do."

Jessome said union members have a meeting scheduled with Landry next week to discuss staffing levels at the facility.

"We're always concerned when our members are injured on the job and it seems to be a common occurrence at the Burnside site in particular," she said.