Several officers were injured after an inmate attack at Cheshire Correctional Institution Monday, Civil Service Employees Association union.

They say the inmate threw scalding hot coffee at an officer's face, and then tried to stab them with a shank.

Officials say three correctional officers were hurt while trying to restrain the inmate.

In a statement released Friday the CSEA SEIU Local 2001 Corrections Supervisors Council said the number of staff assaults in the state has doubled in the past six years, despite a decrease in the population of inmates.

"The number of staff assaults in our prisons has doubled in the past six years, even though the inmate

population has dropped by 3,000 and the state has closed two prisons," the council said. "That should never happen. Fewer inmates should not mean more violence."