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Arizona Prisons
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Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey recently signed legislation that allows 700 more inmates over the next two years to help reduce the risk of wildfires by thinning out an area.
Tiffany Davila, a spokesperson for the Department of Forestry and Fire Management, says the move should help reduce the risk of Arizona wildfires.
Mar. 24, 2021
Arizona inmates in a maximum security unit at the Eyman state prison in Florence say they are holding a hunger strike in protest of unsanitary conditions.
Contacted via email, multiple incarcerated people say they are refusing meals in protest of inedible food, bug infestations and a lack of clean clothing.
Mar. 22, 2021
Maricopa County jails have begun vaccinating inmates. Correctional Health Services, the health care provider for Maricopa County jails, began vaccinating inmates age 55 and older Thursday morning.
Mar. 18, 2021
A recent report by a consultant says Arizona could save more than $1 billion by reforming its criminal justice system.
Current state law mandates Arizona inmates must serve 85% of their prison sentence, no matter what type of crime they committed.
Mar. 14, 2021
Arizona Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ said Friday that the Department of Corrections confirmed it had begun vaccinating inmates in prison infirmaries and it was planning to roll out vaccines to the rest of the population by age.
Mar. 12, 2021
A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit that claimed private prisons used by the state violate constitutional protections including a prohibition against slavery.
Mar. 11, 2021
The Arizona Department of Corrections says it is ready to resume executions for the first time in nearly seven years.
Mar. 5, 2021
According to a report obtained by KJZZ, Arizona is planning to begin administering the first COVID vaccines to inmates in state prisons this week.
Mar. 3, 2021
A federal court judge has once again held the Arizona Department of Corrections in contempt for failure to comply with prison health care benchmarks. A U.S. District Court judge has fined the state $1.1 million.
→ More Arizona Prison News
→ More Arizona Prison News
Feb. 24, 2021
Arizona lawmakers responded to whistleblower reports alleging inmates in state prisons are being held beyond their release dates. The House Appropriations Committee held discussion on a bill that would create an independent ombudsman and oversight committee to monitor the Department of Corrections.
→ Whistleblowers: Bug Keeping Some Inmates In Prisons Beyond Release Dates
→ Whistleblowers: Bug Keeping Some Inmates In Prisons Beyond Release Dates
Feb. 22, 2021
According to Arizona Department of Corrections whistleblowers, hundreds of incarcerated people who should be eligible for release are being held in prison because the inmate management software cannot interpret current sentencing laws.
→ More Arizona Prison News
→ More Arizona Prison News
Feb. 21, 2021
A new bill in the Arizona Senate would facilitate the transfer of inmates from state prisons to community supervision to help stop the spread of COVID-19 behind bars.
Feb. 9, 2021
Several bills made it through the state House Committee on Criminal Justice Reform on Wednesday. One piece of legislation would create an oversight body to investigate conditions in the Arizona Department of Corrections. Chaired by Rep. Walt Blackman, the committee heard a slate of bills that would impact sentencing and conditions in state prisons.
Feb. 3, 2021
Jewish inmates in Arizona state prisons are suing the Department of Corrections over a change in the kosher meal program.
Jan. 19, 2021
The Arizona Department of Corrections announced new COVID-19 mitigation efforts on Friday, but it remains unclear when inmates in state prisons will be vaccinated.
Jan. 15, 2021
Health care workers at the Yuma Regional Medical Center say guards from state prisons accompanying COVID-19 positive inmates are endangering the lives of staff and patients by entering the hospital without proper personal protective equipment.
→ More Arizona Prison Health Care News
→ More Arizona Prison Health Care News
Dec. 31, 2020
Inmates housed in Arizona’s prison system will soon see a second round of COVID-19 testing. Rapid virus tests will be available for prison employees as needed.
Dec. 30, 2020
Amidst a second wave of coronavirus outbreaks in Arizona prisons, families are calling for their loved ones to be released. At the beginning of the pandemic, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and Department of Corrections Director David Shinn said they would not be reducing the prison population to mitigate the spread of the virus.
Dec. 17, 2020
According to the Arizona Department of Corrections, a state prison warden has died. Edwin Jensen was the warden of the Yuma prison, which houses more than 4,400 incarcerated people.
Dec. 16, 2020
As vaccinations begin to roll out across the nation, Arizona is prioritizing people who live and work in state prisons. Several state prisons have recently experienced large COVID-19 outbreaks. Nearly 7,000 inmates and staff have been infected since the beginning of the pandemic.
→ Get The Latest News On COVID-19 In Arizona
→ Get The Latest News On COVID-19 In Arizona
Dec. 16, 2020
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