The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Re-entry (ADCRR) is under fire for failing to comply with the majority of court-ordered changes to its prison health care system, with a federal judge slamming the department's efforts as a "complete failure." According to 12News, just five of the 54 assessed requirements were met by the ADCRR, despite clear instructions to overhaul its staff and mental health care services.
Struggling to bring the system up to par, ADCRR's shortcomings were brought starkly into light in a recent court monitor report. "These numbers establish, with rare exceptions, a complete failure to make, or even begin, the systemic changes required by the Permanent Injunction," Judge Roslyn Silver wrote. Her findings were not entirely dismissive, as she acknowledged some improvements including treatment for hepatitis C. Nevertheless, she affirmed, "the health care system remains fundamentally lacking." NaphCare, the company contracted to deliver health care in the prisons, has been caught in the crossfire, being attributed a portion of the blame for continuous staffing issues.
The protracted battle for better health care in Arizona's prisons dates back over a decade, with the ACLU spearheading a lawsuit in 2012 that highlighted delay and negligence in delivering essential health services to inmates. Following a sequence of light penalties, which saw ADCRR fined millions in 2018 and 2021 for failing to meet standards, Judge Silver ordered the two sides to trial in 2021 after scrapping a previous settlement agreement that the state had consistently ignored.
In the thick of compliance and restructuring mandates, an order issued by Judge Silver last Friday, aimed to definitively shore up the prison health care delivery system, prescribing a slew of changes aimed at meeting constitutional standards. The injunction called for ADCRR to swiftly hire additional support for health care staff among other requirements. Meanwhile, Judge Silver spared no words in criticizing the department for failing to maintain basic sanitary conditions. "As a matter of common decency, an order should not be required to prompt defendants to repair leaking pipes, repair inoperative toilets, or collect trash," she remarked. The injunction, if ignored, could lead to even more drastic measures, potentially placing Arizona's prison health care under federal control.
On the heels of the injunction, Gov. Katie Hobbs formed a commission to study and address the systemic failures of health care and staffing within the state's prisons. The newly appointed ADCRR director, Ryan Thornell, has vowed to make health care improvements a priority, committing the state to full compliance. David Fathi, director of the ACLU National Prison Project, labelled the injunction a significant stride toward establishing safer conditions. With all eyes expectantly on the ADCRR to finally redress years of oversight, the full burden of accountability and action remains squarely upon the state's shoulders.
