Investigation Finds Neglect and Inadequate Health Care in Arizona Prisons

Last night Al Jazzera America aired a special report about privatized health care in Arizona prisons.

An investigation by the program America Tonight found dozens of cases of medical neglect.

Arizona’s system is currently run by Corizon Health, Inc., the largest private prison health care provider in the country. Now one of its former employees is blowing the whistle about its failures.

Former Corizon patient care technician Teresa Short’s claims are backed up by other studies. The American Friends Service Committee reported last October that medical spending in Arizona prisons dropped by $30 million after Arizona privatized prison health care. They also found that there was a sharp rise in inmate deaths.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in 2012 claiming that health care in Arizona’s prisons now amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. The suit cites examples of officials telling prisoners to pray to be cured and to drink energy shakes to alleviate cancer symptoms.

You can watch the videos of the Al Jazeera report in the post below.

Budget Plan Would Drop Prison Study

A budget proposal by Republican legislators would do away with the requirement that the Department of Corrections conduct a cost and quality comparison of publicly and privately operated state prisons.

The requirement was a state law but ignored until about a year ago. Corrections Director Charles Ryan ordered a study, and the first and only one was released in December.

But KGUN 9 in Tucson reports that the requirement would be scrapped under the Republican budget proposal.

Democrats say dropping the requirement would be fiscally irresponsible. Senate Majority Leader Andy Biggs says there’s no indication that the requirement has provided any useful and reliable information.

It was only about a week ago that the American Friends Service Committee Arizona Chapter released a detailed report showing a significant difference in the cost and quality of private and state-run prisons.

Judge Upholds Prison Visitor Fee

A Maricopa County Superior Court judge has upheld the $25 background fee the state charges people visiting inmates in Arizona prisons.

The judge ruled that the fee is not a tax, as claimed by the inmate-advocacy group that filed the suit earlier this year.

The Arizona Republic reports that Middle Ground Prison Reform says it plans to appeal the ruling. They say the fee is unconstitutional because it doesn’t pay for background checks but for prison repairs.

Arizona Prison Sentences Among Toughest in the US

The Arizona Republic reports that Arizona prison sentences are among the toughest in the country,. This year the state will spend more than $1 billion to keep prisoners behind bars. That figure will jump if Arizona continues with plans to build or contract for as many as 6,500 new prison beds over the next five years.

During the past 30 years, Arizona’s prison population has grown five times as fast as the general population. Arizona has the highest proportion of people in prison than any state in the West and ranks sixth in the country overall.

Visitors Fee Angers Prison Reform Groups

The Arizona Department of Corrections is now charging a $25 fee for adults who want to visit inmates at its 15 prison complexes.

The New York Times reports that the one-time “background check fee” has angered prisoner advocay groups and family members of inmates. Many families already have the expense of traveling long distances to the remote areas where many of the prisons are located.

Critics say that the fee could have a negative effect on public safety by discouraging family visits. They say continuing family contact is one of the best ways to encourage prisoners to go straight when they get out of prison.

The money raised by the fee is supposed to go to repair and maintain the prisons. But a lawsuit filed against the Corrections Department by a Tempe prison reform group claims that the fee is a pretext for raising money “for general public purposes” in a time of severe budget cuts. They say this is unconstitutional because it amounts to a special tax on a single group.

Globe Rejects Prison Initiatives

Globe City Clerk Gina Paul has rejected the initiative petitions that would have required voter approval for any new prison in Globe. Paul says the proponents of the initiatives failed to properly complete and file an Arizona Political Committee Statement of Organization. One of the petitions was also rejected because zoning by initiative is prohibited in Arizona. The City of Globe Press Release says an independent legal opinion supported these conclusions.

A copy of the City of Globe letter to Citizens to Protect Globe’s Resources was provided to the media. It says that the committee did not provide an official serial number for the petition or indicate whether it supports or opposes the initiative, both required by law. The letter says that signatures collected on petition sheets are invalid if they are collected before filing a properly completed Organization form. It also says that the signatures are invalid because the initiative singles out special treatment for a specific use of property, which is illegal and void in Arizona.

The Clerk’s office also found that 43 of the petition’s signatures are ineligible for verification. And six signature sheets were rejected for other errors.

Meanwhile, the Arizona Department of Corrections says on its website that the bid by Emerald Corrections to build a private prison in Globe is no longer being considered.

Initiative Petitions Filed

Globe City Clerk Gina Paul says that yesterday (Wednesday) the City received 93 sheets containing 1016 signatures for the initiative petition that would require voter approval for any prison within the Globe City Limits.

The City Clerk and the County Recorder will determine if the documents are in compliance with the legal requirements for placing a measure on the ballot.

Globe Prison Initiatives Have Enough Signatures to Go on March 2012 Ballot

Members of the Globe ballot initiatives campaign announce that they have received 586 signatures so far. This is more than the number required to place the initiatives on the ballot in Globe’s next regular election in March of 2012.

The ballot initiatives require voter approval of any new prison project constructed in Globe.

Volunteers will continue to collect signatures for several more days.

You may sign the ballot initiative at United Jewelry or at the Pickle Barrel Trading Post.

You may also register to vote at these two downtown shops at the same time you sign the ballot initiatives.