danielle
01-16-2005, 01:49 PM
Fixing our prisons
Big improvements made, but problems, worries remain
Amanda J. Crawford
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 16, 2005 12:00 AM
In the year since two inmates at Arizona State Prison Complex-Lewis perpetrated the longest prison hostage standoff in U.S. history, officials have fixed glaring security problems and lax protocols that enabled the incident to happen.
Rules have been rewritten, security procedures beefed up, and officers and supervisors tested and retrained throughout the entire prison system.
But serious problems still remain, particularly with low pay and short staffing that can affect morale and officer performance, and some say make another crisis possible. At Lewis prison, despite the attention, staffing is even slimmer than it was at the time of the standoff.
As he led a tour at the prison recently, new Lewis Warden Ernie Trujillo ticked off the changes made.
"We never, never want a repeat of what happened on January 18, 2004," he said.
In prison kitchens, oversized spoons and other utensils are tethered and can no longer be wielded as weapons.
The door to the office, where an employee was raped and an officer stripped of his uniform, is now locked and access is blocked by a cage.
A second officer now reports here for duty, and dangerous inmates, like cunning armed robber Ricky Wassenaar and rapist Steven Coy, do not.
Gates around the guard tower, where officers were held hostage for 15 days, are padlocked. And the officer on the roof watches inmates with a shotgun.
Dora Schriro, corrections director since six months before the Jan. 18 to Feb. 1, 2004, incident, said that everything that could be done with "will and leadership" has been done to fix the problems. Most of the 69 recommendations made by a panel that studied the standoff, like the changes made in the kitchen and yard, have been completed.
"We are so substantially improved from a year ago," she said. "In this field in particular we learn one never says never. But our ability to find and fix our soft spots is substantially heightened.... I think the public would be pleased."
She is now looking to the Legislature for funding to address officer pay, which contributed to the unprofessionalism and complacency blamed in part for security lapses, and to update prison equipment.
On Friday, the governor proposed a budget package that includes funding for some of the recommendations made last spring by her blue-ribbon panel, such as new radios and security cameras, plus a salary increase for all corrections officers (higher for those at Lewis).
But Republican legislators controlling the purse strings and some other key legislators favor expanding private prison contracts instead. So the stage is set for sharp debates and scrutiny of the agency in the coming months.
"I think we need to ask some tough questions," said Rep. Bill Konopnicki, R-Safford, chairman of the House government reform, government finance and government accountability committee.
What went wrong
The standoff at Lewis prison near Buckeye was not only the longest in U.S. history, but also the only similar prison conflict to end with everyone coming out alive.
Dueling investigative panels were appointed to ask tough questions in its wake and get to the bottom of what went wrong and who was to blame. It became clear almost immediately that lax security procedures, complacency, incompetence and human error had allowed the crisis to occur. But there was also criticism of the corrections chief and the governor for allowing it to go on so long.
The governor appointed a blue-ribbon panel to investigate, co-chaired by her chief of staff and featuring several state employees. It drew immediate fire from Republican legislators who chided it for a lack of independence. They turned to then-Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley for a separate review. He appointed a private attorney and commissioned a criminal grand jury.
Called a political witch hunt by some, the grand jury's findings may never come to light because they were put under a court seal by a judge, who criticized the use of the grand jury system for an investigation that produced no criminal indictments.
Romley, who has since left office, is convinced that the grand jury's secret report is the only reliable analysis of last year's standoff and predicted a similar incident could happen again.
"Unless we make adequate analysis of how it occurred and why it occurred, you are doomed to repeat this in the future," he said.
The governor's blue-ribbon panel produced dozens of specific recommendations for changes in procedures, policy and equipment and placed the most blame for the lapses at Lewis on Schriro's predecessors. They also called for more sweeping changes to prison culture, including improved officer pay and review of criminal sentencing, which have yet to be done. A retired judge asked by the governor to analyze the handling of the crisis responded months later with a report that could have come with a gold star.
Schriro said she decided to conduct audits and internal reviews after the incident and found that many core practices had been cut back or ignored. She began testing staff and retraining, instituting a program she called "back to basics."
At the same time, she set about to put her mark on the agency by beginning to engage most inmates in educational or work activities. Among her accomplishments she said inmate GED degrees doubled last year.
The agency has seen "measured and marked change," she said.
Sgt. Joe Masella, president of the Arizona Correctional Peace Officers Association, agrees that many positive changes have happened since the standoff. But he warns that low pay and high turnover need to be addressed to really make prisons safer and reduce the likelihood of a similar crisis in the future.
At a recent rally at the Capitol, corrections officers complained about low pay and mandatory overtime. And they said poor morale equals dangerous conditions.
Two legislative panels are expected to closely examine the department in the coming months. With key legislators supporting privatization, every public dime for public prisons will have to be justified.
Konopnicki, who supports sentencing reform, as well as continued exploration of private prisons, questions whether the agency has done enough to meet its financial needs from within its current budget.
He said he wonders if reforms have been substantive or fiscally creative.
Schriro said she welcomes the chance to discuss where the agency is and where corrections should go in Arizona in the future.
"This is in the nation's memory," she said of the standoff. "The needs are real, and I believe the Legislature will work with us to make the changes needed."
Big improvements made, but problems, worries remain
Amanda J. Crawford
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 16, 2005 12:00 AM
In the year since two inmates at Arizona State Prison Complex-Lewis perpetrated the longest prison hostage standoff in U.S. history, officials have fixed glaring security problems and lax protocols that enabled the incident to happen.
Rules have been rewritten, security procedures beefed up, and officers and supervisors tested and retrained throughout the entire prison system.
But serious problems still remain, particularly with low pay and short staffing that can affect morale and officer performance, and some say make another crisis possible. At Lewis prison, despite the attention, staffing is even slimmer than it was at the time of the standoff.
As he led a tour at the prison recently, new Lewis Warden Ernie Trujillo ticked off the changes made.
"We never, never want a repeat of what happened on January 18, 2004," he said.
In prison kitchens, oversized spoons and other utensils are tethered and can no longer be wielded as weapons.
The door to the office, where an employee was raped and an officer stripped of his uniform, is now locked and access is blocked by a cage.
A second officer now reports here for duty, and dangerous inmates, like cunning armed robber Ricky Wassenaar and rapist Steven Coy, do not.
Gates around the guard tower, where officers were held hostage for 15 days, are padlocked. And the officer on the roof watches inmates with a shotgun.
Dora Schriro, corrections director since six months before the Jan. 18 to Feb. 1, 2004, incident, said that everything that could be done with "will and leadership" has been done to fix the problems. Most of the 69 recommendations made by a panel that studied the standoff, like the changes made in the kitchen and yard, have been completed.
"We are so substantially improved from a year ago," she said. "In this field in particular we learn one never says never. But our ability to find and fix our soft spots is substantially heightened.... I think the public would be pleased."
She is now looking to the Legislature for funding to address officer pay, which contributed to the unprofessionalism and complacency blamed in part for security lapses, and to update prison equipment.
On Friday, the governor proposed a budget package that includes funding for some of the recommendations made last spring by her blue-ribbon panel, such as new radios and security cameras, plus a salary increase for all corrections officers (higher for those at Lewis).
But Republican legislators controlling the purse strings and some other key legislators favor expanding private prison contracts instead. So the stage is set for sharp debates and scrutiny of the agency in the coming months.
"I think we need to ask some tough questions," said Rep. Bill Konopnicki, R-Safford, chairman of the House government reform, government finance and government accountability committee.
What went wrong
The standoff at Lewis prison near Buckeye was not only the longest in U.S. history, but also the only similar prison conflict to end with everyone coming out alive.
Dueling investigative panels were appointed to ask tough questions in its wake and get to the bottom of what went wrong and who was to blame. It became clear almost immediately that lax security procedures, complacency, incompetence and human error had allowed the crisis to occur. But there was also criticism of the corrections chief and the governor for allowing it to go on so long.
The governor appointed a blue-ribbon panel to investigate, co-chaired by her chief of staff and featuring several state employees. It drew immediate fire from Republican legislators who chided it for a lack of independence. They turned to then-Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley for a separate review. He appointed a private attorney and commissioned a criminal grand jury.
Called a political witch hunt by some, the grand jury's findings may never come to light because they were put under a court seal by a judge, who criticized the use of the grand jury system for an investigation that produced no criminal indictments.
Romley, who has since left office, is convinced that the grand jury's secret report is the only reliable analysis of last year's standoff and predicted a similar incident could happen again.
"Unless we make adequate analysis of how it occurred and why it occurred, you are doomed to repeat this in the future," he said.
The governor's blue-ribbon panel produced dozens of specific recommendations for changes in procedures, policy and equipment and placed the most blame for the lapses at Lewis on Schriro's predecessors. They also called for more sweeping changes to prison culture, including improved officer pay and review of criminal sentencing, which have yet to be done. A retired judge asked by the governor to analyze the handling of the crisis responded months later with a report that could have come with a gold star.
Schriro said she decided to conduct audits and internal reviews after the incident and found that many core practices had been cut back or ignored. She began testing staff and retraining, instituting a program she called "back to basics."
At the same time, she set about to put her mark on the agency by beginning to engage most inmates in educational or work activities. Among her accomplishments she said inmate GED degrees doubled last year.
The agency has seen "measured and marked change," she said.
Sgt. Joe Masella, president of the Arizona Correctional Peace Officers Association, agrees that many positive changes have happened since the standoff. But he warns that low pay and high turnover need to be addressed to really make prisons safer and reduce the likelihood of a similar crisis in the future.
At a recent rally at the Capitol, corrections officers complained about low pay and mandatory overtime. And they said poor morale equals dangerous conditions.
Two legislative panels are expected to closely examine the department in the coming months. With key legislators supporting privatization, every public dime for public prisons will have to be justified.
Konopnicki, who supports sentencing reform, as well as continued exploration of private prisons, questions whether the agency has done enough to meet its financial needs from within its current budget.
He said he wonders if reforms have been substantive or fiscally creative.
Schriro said she welcomes the chance to discuss where the agency is and where corrections should go in Arizona in the future.
"This is in the nation's memory," she said of the standoff. "The needs are real, and I believe the Legislature will work with us to make the changes needed."