With an excessive heat warning in effect and near-record temperatures expected, it’s recommended that just about everyone stay inside if they can.
But, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to the Phoenix New Times, several hundred inmates are still sleeping outdoors in Tent City.
And, for more on this, we’re joined now by Executive Chief of Detention Tracy Haggard.
More than 300 inmates are still living outside in tents at the Maricopa County Jail.
Penzone announced the closure of the Tent City Jail in April. Since then, 400 inmates have been moved to Estrella and Durango jails in Maricopa County. Most of those inmates were misdemeanor offenders and non-violent felons.
But inmates in work furlough programs are still located in what MCSO calls the "Con Tents." The majority of that population works during the day and returns to the jail facility at night.
The Sheriff’s Office says as of Tuesday there were 380 inmates assigned to the Con Tents.
Chief Detention Officer Tracy Haggard says they pose additional challenges because of the nature of their sentence.
"They have varying schedules as far as when they are to report to Con Tents and when they leave," Haggard said. "They pose some type of threat if you will as far as bringing in contraband into a hardened facility.”
At a press conference in May, Sheriff Penzone said the department was still looking for a long term solution to house work furlough detainees.
In a statement on Tuesday, a Maricopa County sheriff's official said the remaining inmates have access to water and iced towels and can buy sunscreen at a vending machine on site.
