Correctional officer charged in alleged assault at Suffield prison

SUFFIELD, Conn. (WWLP) – A Connecticut correctional officer has been charged with third-degree assault after allegedly punching a defenseless inmate while officers were detaining him.

According to the arrest warrant, on August 12, 2023, at approximately 8:46 p.m., a code blue was activated inside Sector H of the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution. A code blue is activated when there is a fight between inmates and multiple correctional officers are needed to intervene. The detainees also had to return to their cells.

Surveillance cameras were examined to determine which inmates were involved in the fight. After identifying one, several staff members approached his cell but the window was covered with an object. Several instructions were given to remove the object but the inmate refused, at which point a chemical agent was introduced into the cell. The inmate then removed the object and staff were able to enter and remove the inmate.

The inmate fell to the ground, causing several staff members to fall on top of him. After the fight, the inmate was subjected to wrist restraints. When he was relieved, it was discovered that his left eye had been injured in the struggle and had to be hospitalized.

After the incident, the correctional officer Christopher Carlson, 33, reported to his supervisors that he elbowed the inmate in the face during the fight, which likely caused the injury. It also sparked an investigation in which several officers, nurses and inmate witnesses were interviewed about the injury. Multiple witnesses said Carlson repeatedly punched the inmate in the face while he was helpless on the ground. Carlson has been placed on administrative leave.

Out of 33 interviews with staff and inmates, five witnesses said they observed Carlson's beating of the inmate. The inmate claims he was completely subdued when he was struck three or four times on the left side of his face and also said he briefly lost consciousness. A nurse said she saw Carlson hit the inmate six times and even ran into the pile for someone to stop him.

During the interview with Carlson, he said the inmate's arm came free during the pileup to restrain him and that he then elbowed him in the left temple, then attempted to restrain the inmate's arm.

Following the investigation, an arrest warrant was issued against him. Carlson turned himself in to Connecticut State Police and was arrested Wednesday.