Four Massachusetts Guards Face Charges for Assault on Prisoners During Brawl
by Jo Ellen Knott
According to The Lowell Sun, four Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC) guards face criminal charges for abusing restrained prisoners following a September 2024 incident at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley.
Prosecutors detailed the guard misconduct during a July 10, 2026, arraignment: guard Shaun Gould struck a shackled prisoner with his knee; Stephen Cobb booted a fully restrained captive lying inside a cell; and Lt. Paul Birri repeatedly slammed a cuffed prisoner’s head into a concrete wall. Cobb and Birri face felony assault with a dangerous weapon and civil rights charges, while Gould faces misdemeanor assault. Despite their brutal violence, all three pleaded not guilty and walked free on personal recognizance, receiving mere administrative suspensions or job reassignments from the DOC.
A fourth guard, Matthew Valade, requested to have his case rescheduled but will be arraigned on two charges of assault and battery and one charge of committing a civil rights violation. DOC reported that Valade resigned in August 2025.
Source: The Lowell Sun
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