The day before he’s scheduled to testify before state lawmakers about inmate deaths in prisons, Ryan Thornell, Arizona’s director of corrections, is touting new safety measures.
The hearing stems from an investigation by lawmakers after three prisoners were killed by a fellow inmate within 24 hours in April in Tucson.
The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry says guards were given body cameras in May.
And this month, the department is launching a violence reduction workgroup to find sustainable solutions. Several efforts, such as modernizing mail processing in state prisons, are aimed at reducing contraband.
The department is also touting investments in staff, such as more pay for those with high-risk assignments and new training curriculum for correctional officers.
-
A study is providing new insight on the traumas and experiences of incarcerated women at the Estrella Jail. The report came from a partnership between ASU and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. -
If you go to jail, you probably expect to spend a whole lot of time being told what to do. For a group of inmates at the Pinal County Adult Detention Center in Florence, they got the chance to run their pod themselves. And it was all filmed for Netflix. -
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office says it’s reinstating striped uniforms to help keep track of inmates. -
Inmates wore stripes at Maricopa County jails until shortly after Sheriff Joe Arpaio left office about 10 years ago. Now, Arpaio’s former chief deputy is bringing them back.
-
Arizona lawmakers passed legislation to establish independent oversight of state prisons last session. Now, they want to fund it.
