In Cochise County, a rural agricultural region that stretches more than 6,000 miles across the Arizona-Mexico border, a major prison is collapsing. Authorities say the 40-year-old prison is outdated, understaffed and doesn’t have enough resources to keep up with the growing number of inmates with increasing mental health problems. .
That could change in the May 16th election, as residents will vote for a half-cent sales tax to develop prison districts and build new prisons. But county residents want to know where the new prison is.
Across the state, the quality of life for inmates is gaining attention. Just a few weeks ago, a federal judge ordered sweeping changes to remedy the “unconstitutional” status of state prisons.
And in January, Gov. Katie Hobbs announced plans to create a commission to study issues in the state’s prison system. According to an earlier report by The Arizona Republic, one of the reasons the commission was created was because of the “urgent need to provide transparency and accountability for Arizona’s corrections system.”
In Cochise County, residents decide whether a new prison is needed. In just one month, voters will be asked if they will pay a half-cent tax for 25 years to fund the acquisition, construction, operation, and maintenance of county jails and prison systems.
At several public forums in March and April, local officials and law enforcement described Bisbee’s dilapidated prison. Metal pipes running through hallways, major short circuits and electrical failures, inmates sleeping on the floor, cop desks in hallways.
The county reiterated that one of the prison’s top priorities is to provide better medical and mental health services. Currently, the prison does not have a clinic, so it cannot provide inmates with her round-the-clock care if needed, or medically supervise inmates who need medical attention. For care, the inmate is currently being transferred to a hospital.
Bradshaw said this was a problem because officers were taken out of prison to provide 24-hour hospital duty.
The prison has an infirmary, but it’s in a 12′ x 14′ room in what used to be a changing room. Room size affects care, said Megan Kennedy, director of medical health services at the Cochise County jail.
“There is no way to properly monitor individuals who may be in withdrawal, housed near medical facilities and under medical supervision on camera,” she said. “We don’t have a clinic that provides all of this.”
Bisbee Jail is one of three prisons in the county, and there are two transit facilities in the surrounding area.
The new prison is estimated to cost about $100 million, and the county wants to ensure it has a state-of-the-art facility that can accommodate 410 people, as well as adequate staffing and capacity for 24/7 mental health and medical support. I think.
Where will prisons be built?
At nearly every public meeting, people have asked where the new facility will be built. Palominas residents said they would be concerned about property taxes if it was built in their town.
County Answer: I don’t know yet. Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dunnells said the best option is next to Bisbee’s current facility.
“One of the attractions of being in Bisbee, in addition to being the county seat, is the proximity to the courthouse,” said Dannells, noting that the longer it takes to transfer prisoners from prison to the courthouse, the safer it is. He pointed out that the risk of
Prison warden Kenny Bradshaw said that storing it in Bisbee also alleviated the feeling of not being in the backyard, or NIMBY’s problem.
Before deciding where to place a new prison, the county first needs funds to pay for a feasibility study and an engineering and design bid.
they are expensive. The county estimates the study will cost up to $1.5 million.
“First and foremost, I need finance. Once that is secured, I can move forward to complete those studies.”
Karwaczka said he doesn’t want to waste taxpayers’ money on research if the prison district’s taxes don’t pass.
If the prison district ballot is passed, the next step is to conduct a feasibility study to determine the best location for the prison. The information will then be submitted to the Cochise County Board of Supervisors for a final decision.
Bradshaw said the feasibility study considered a variety of issues. Among these are the population sizes of different towns, transportation from prisons to courts and hospitals, and more. As well as where staff and detainees commute from.
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Bisbee Mayor Ken Budge said he supports the prison staying in Bisbee, but would also like to know more details about where the prison will be built before the vote is reached.
“I want a prison. I think we absolutely need it,” he said.
He pointed out that while other communities likely have strong feelings for NIMBY, Bisbee likely won’t.
“We respect that prison…it’s wise to put it where it already is. It’s already here,” Budge said.
Why do we need prisons?
Bradshaw said the 40-year-old prison was built improperly, including quality of construction such as the lack of rebar, among other things, and co-located boiler rooms and electrical panels that caused frequent blackouts. Like the shortage of clinics, just to name a few.
In addition, the facility does not have the latest security system, and the staff lacks consideration for safety.
Inmates also have difficulty speaking to lawyers through video conferencing. The county said the problem became apparent during the pandemic because the spaces used for video conferencing weren’t designed for it. Poor sound quality and lack of privacy.
“Our cop station is a desk thrown into the hallway,” said Bradshaw. “Our infrastructure is terrible.”
Since the prison was built, the number of inmates has more than doubled. The capacity he had was 168, but recently he has held more than 300. By the fall of 2022, the prison was holding up to 336 inmates, according to the county.
“That means there were people on the floor. That’s never a good thing,” said Bradshaw. “At about 260, our classification process starts to break down.”
The classification process is how inmates are separated based on offenses, past histories, and behavioral problems. If the classification process breaks down, a person jailed for 24 hours for DUI may have to share a pod with someone arrested for a violent crime.
Prisons also face high maintenance, repair and operating costs.
Bradshaw said the county had to run the prison on a cable running half a mile (800 m) down Route 80 to a substation when a major electrical outage occurred last summer. I did.
The county worked to secure other sources of funding for prisons
Sales tax of 0.5 cents is estimated at $8.5 million annually over 25 years. It will help pay off bond debt for construction costs, increase staffing and operations, including 24/7 prison medical services, and provide for when revenues are insufficient to cover prison costs.
Other funding sources include $5.4 million annually from the county (mandatory state contributions) and $20 million from the state (to offset costs). The county needs him to fully fund the prison by 2027. The county said it will continue to lobby for funding.
When is the deadline for voting?
Early voting will take place between April 19 and May 15, when ballots are mailed. During that time, completed ballots can be mailed or dropped off at the main ballot box between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
On Election Day, May 16, you can drop off your ballot from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Early voting ballot box locations
Cochise County Recorder Office in Bisbee: 1415 Melody Lane, Building B
Benson County Service Center: 126 W. 5th St.
Douglas County Service Center: 1012 N. G Ave.
Sierra Vista County Service Center: 4001 E. Foothills Drive
Wilcox County Service Center: 450 S. Haskell Ave.
Election Day ballot box locations are from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Cochise County Records Office, Bisbee: 1415 Melody Lane, Building B
Sierra Vista Service Center: 4001 E. Foothills Drive
Cochise County Service Center, Willcox: 450 S. Haskell Ave.
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Please contact the reporter at sarah.lapidus@gannett.com.
