Two correction counselors were injured during an altercation between two inmates in Cheshire on Monday night, according to the Department of Correction.
It happened during a basketball game at the Manson Youth Institution.
A spokesperson for the union representing the counselors said two inmates got into a fight and when one counselor tried to break it up, he was punched several times.
That counselor had hand and arm injuries while another counselor had knee injuries.
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According to the Department of Correction, the first counselor stepped in to deescalate the altercation and was in the process of putting wrist restraints on one of the inmates when that inmate broke loose to go after the other inmate.
The counselor sustained scratches to his hand and forearm, the agency said.
A second staff member sustained a knee injury when he responded to help restrain the inmate.
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According to the union, this is the fourth assault on corrections staff in three weeks.
"This is an extremely serious safety crisis that we are facing today that needs to get handled immediately. Someone in the legislation needs to take the initiative to do the right thing for the union workers and mandate safety laws that can be put into place for the protection of the union members," said Local 387 Union President Sean Howard.
The Department of Correction is conducting an investigation into the incident.
"The incident does underscore the dangerous nature of work inside a correctional institution; however, it appears to be a case of a friendly competition in which tempers between two players boiled over, and not an unprovoked attack on correctional staff," the agency said in a statement.
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