Twenty-six inmates brawled Wednesday night inside a Western Maryland prison, the union representing state corrections officers said.
A spokesman for Maryland's Department of Public Safety & Correctional Services confirmed the fight happened shortly after 8 p.m. at Western Correctional Institution in Cumberland.
A 28-year-old man, imprisoned on drug charges, was hospitalized with a broken jaw, said department spokesman, Gerard Shields. Other inmates were treated for cuts and bruises. The fight was controlled, Shields said, within 15 minutes.
No prison guards were hurt.
The union representing corrections officers said the fight was among members of the Bloods and Black Guerrilla Family gangs. Jeff Pittman, the spokesman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said cells were locked down and officers arrived to help from nearby North Branch Correctional Institution.
Pittman said the brawl was further evidence prisons are understaffed, making conditions dangerous for guards.
"We feel like there's obviously some connection to having short staff and an incident like this," he said.
Union leaders have decried what they call a hazardous level of staffing at Maryland prisons.
The Department of Public Safety & Correctional Services said last month there were 599 correctional officer vacancies. Officials have said filling those vacancies remains a priority, but they won't compromise on new, stringent requirements for hires.