Families hold candlelight vigil for inmates who died in Maricopa County jails
Phoenix – Valley families gather for strict reasons. They all lost their loved ones who died while in prison. One of those families is to plan a candlelight vigil at Phoenix’s Estrella prison on Saturday nights. Outside the Estrella prison there is the Kituza Sassar monument. “It’s very difficult to be here right now,” her […]
Maricopa County tax which funds jails, public safety at risk of expiring
Phoenix (Az Family) – Maricopa County relies on taxes to fund jail and public safety. It has been paid for decades and brings hundreds of millions of dollars a year. The “Prison Facilities Excise Tax” is one-fifth of the sales tax of Cent, which raised more than $270 million last year. Voters first approved the […]
Maricopa county jails prepare for potential role in ‘mass deportations’
Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan said he expects some deportees will stop at the jail on their way out of the country. PHOENIX — The Trump administration has begun the process of illegally deporting people in the country, with the promise that the number of deportees could reach into the millions. Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry […]
Maricopa County jails face shortage of 800+ detention officers
Phoenix (AZ Family) — Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Prisons are facing severe staffing shortages. The ministry has cut 853 detention officer positions. Union leaders said this is creating a dangerous situation for officers and inmates. “One police officer can sometimes do the work of eight people. There are seven police officers in one prison. That’s […]
Grant to combat contraband cell phones in prisons, jails
Governor Kay Ivey announced that the Alabama Department of Corrections has been awarded a $149,658 grant for a program to combat the proliferation of contraband cell phones in jails and prisons. “Cellphones pose many safety concerns in correctional facilities and are often used to incite violence and enable criminal activity,” Ivey said. “Reducing that use […]
Nearly 40% of detention officer positions vacant in Maricopa County jails
Last summer, detainees and medical workers at six prisons in Maricopa County sounded the alarm. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, prisons have faced severe staffing shortages, and more and more people are being incarcerated. But despite signing bonuses and recruiting efforts last year, county jail staff shortages are even more acute, with the vacancy rate for […]
Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone explains why keeping drugs out of jails isn’t possible
Matthew Casey/KJZZ Paul Penzone After the long and controversial reign of Joe Arpaio, self-proclaimed “America’s Toughest Sheriff” and SB 1070 Enforcer, Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone assumed the post in 2017. I took over. But Penzone has remained relatively quiet since taking command of one of the nation’s largest sheriff’s offices. He said that it […]
Watchdog report finds persistent issues inside federally run jails in Arizona Indian County
A government watchdog advisory released at the end of April found ongoing security problems at federally run detention centers on tribal lands. of Recommendation I’m from the Inspector General’s Office at the Home Office. It is the parent agency of the Indian Service, which operates and maintains federal adult and juvenile detention centers on tribal […]
Maricopa County jails grappling with surge in drug deaths
MARICOPA COUNTY, Arizona — The presence of illegal drugs in prisons is an ongoing problem exacerbated by the fentanyl crisis, according to county and federal officials. At a news conference on Wednesday about the arrest of a detainee accused of trying to smuggle fentanyl into prison, Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone said 17 inmates will […]
Maricopa County battles surge of drug-related deaths in jails
Phoenix (3TV/CBS 5) – After a Maricopa County jail officer was arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle drugs into a Phoenix prison, a bigger problem came to light: an increase in drug-related deaths at local prisons. Lisa Espinoza, a mother of five, was furious when her son Larry Ogle Jr., 31, died on January […]
