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A guard is recovering from injuries after being assaulted by an inmate at Maple Ridge men’s prison in early August.

The guard was attacked from behind on Aug. 10 in a common area of a living unit inside the Fraser Regional Correctional Centre on 256th Street.

He suffered a broken wrist and injured his shoulder.

Dean Purdy, chairperson of the corrections and sheriffs services component of the B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union, blames the assault on overcrowding.

“It could have been prevented by reducing the severe overcrowding inside the correctional centre,” said Purdy.

“It is the number one factor of why we are suffering so many assaults on staff right now.” The union claims there is one guard for every 40 inmates at Fraser Regional, far above the recommended guard-to-prisoner ratio of 1:18.

“We have a crisis of overcrowding,” said Purdy.

“I think it should be a concern for the community.”

B.C. Corrections confirmed that the inmate involved in the assault has been institutionally charged and that RCMP are still investigating the incident for possible criminal charges. But spokesperson Marnie Mayhew said the assault can’t be blamed on overcrowding.

“It is an incident we don’t take lightly,” she added.

“But in this case, it happened in an enhanced supervision unit where two guards were present.”

The Fraser Regional Correctional Centre, built to house just 253 men, is currently holding almost 700 inmates – 492 are serving prison sentences while 200 are Tamil refugees on immigration holds.

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