By AFSC-AZ Staff |
Since March, we have all witnessed myriad issues and countless tragedies within the Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC) in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, including the reported death of Yuma state prison complex Warden Ed Jensen.
ADC’s failures include a lack of data transparency; inefficient distribution of prevention supplies; and a lack of active interventions to decrease the likelihood of transmission among people who are incarcerated, ADC staff, and the surrounding communities where prisons are located. Additionally, information about the impacts on staff has been sparse and only available through the diligent work of journalists. Collectively, these failures have resulted in a reported infection rate of nearly 15% and more than two-dozen known deaths among people who are incarcerated, including:
Joseph Assyd | Sittingdown | Alfonso Salazar |
Kevin Blaise | Bruce McCullough
Richard Resa | Tony Wilson | John Allen
Williams Qualls | James McInroe
Lawrence Apodaca | David Castillo | Ta Ni | Rodney Schaffer
William Beltran | Manuel Sanchez-Garcia
Kevin Izad | Augustine Reyes | Paul Garza, Sr
Lawrence Hull | Jeronimo Villalobos
It is unfortunate that this situation and its devastating impact could have been mitigated through intentional actions by Director Shinn and state leaders but, instead, has resulted in yet another life lost. The reported death of Warden Jensen further illustrates the need for an overhaul of our priorities as a state, including elected officials’ preference for punishment and prisons over public health and true safety.
Categories: Blog
Another case of negligent homicide! When will those people who fail to protect others be appropriately charged???
It saddens me to know that m as my of us waiting for our loved ones to come hom but yet due to the neglect that the system have twords our loved ones they are seen as a number and we wait anxiously for the day they return unharmed but many of us have to bare the news that we would never get the chance to hug them one last time and though they stopped visit in the name of safety we still loose our loved ones without being able to see them one last time it’s time they release no violent offenders who have unjustified time lost in the system and let them come home
My brother is at Fort Grant, he only has less than 2yrs to go. The facility has workers in their kitchen who are bring in the virus, he refuses to eat in the kitchen because of this now they are trying to make him work in the kitchen and he is refusing so I guess they will threaten to punish him for wanting to protect himself The prisoners should be getting the vaccine.