The following is a partial transcript of Governor Napolitano’s remarks March 8 on investigations into the Arizona state prison system after the 15-day hostage taking at Arizona State Prison Complex – Lewis that began in January. Her comments came after she read her blue-ribbon panel’s report on the hostage crisis and problems throughout the prison system. Ms. Napolitano also announced that former Arizona Supreme Court Justice Thomas Zlaket will head the second phase of her investigation — an inquiry into how negotiations with inmates Steven Coy and Ricky Wassenaar were handled.

At the end of her prepared remarks, the governor answered questions from reporters.

Governor Napolitano: Overall, the panel’s findings confirm what many of us have known for some time — the Department of Corrections is suffering from long-term neglect and wholesale breakdowns in management responsibilities. The hostage situation at Lewis Complex was one manifestation of that long-term neglect.

The facts the panel uncovered are outrageous, and I am determined to fix the problems in the Department of Corrections as soon as possible.

The panel forwarded 69 recommendations for change, and I intend to accept virtually all of them. Some, including sweeping improvements in security protocol, are directed specifically at the Lewis Complex, which appears to be the most comprehensive changes. Others, including a system-wide reclassification of inmate status, will benefit all 10 of Arizona’s prison complexes.

In housing units, all level 4 prisoners in protective segregation will soon be housed separately from the lower-risk prisoners given level 2 and 3 status.

And new leadership has been put in place at the Lewis Complex. The warden, [William Gaspar], who had been promoted shortly before the hostage taking, has been temporarily assigned. With the administrative review completed, his promotion has been rescinded, and he has been permanently removed as warden of the Lewis Complex. He has been demoted to correctional administrator in the agency’s program services unit.

Major John French has been dismissed for flagrant violation of department procedures. Deputy Warden for Operations Wade Woolsey, who supervised Major French at the Lewis Complex, is on two week’s suspension.

Six other personnel remain in temporary transfer, pending completion of administrative reviews, and that is just the beginning of our cleanup at the Lewis Complex.

All of this activity is a good start, but it is just a start of sweeping reforms that must be undertaken as soon as possible. Therefore, I have directed Director Schriro to do the following:

• In the next 14 days, to establish an implementation plan for each recommendation, using the working groups she has already established within the Department of Corrections.

• In the next 30 days, to provide the blue-ribbon panel with a progress report on implementation of the panel’s recommendations, identifying any necessary modifications to the recommendations and whether any of them require reconsideration.

• In the next 60 days, work with the Institute of Corrections and correctional experts from other states to establish a plan for completely revamping the inmate classification system. The classification system has not been changed since 1991. It is outdated, it is unsafe and it must be scrapped.

Prior departmental leadership scuttled [job performance] audits in the year 2000, leaving no mechanism to verify whether our prisons were being properly operated. The reason prior leadership gave for eliminating these audits was complaints from managerial employees who didn’t like being checked up on. They will be checked up on now.

Beyond training, other long-term fixes to the department will require additional funding. I’ve instructed Director Schriro to work with the Office of Strategic Management and Budget, as well as the Department of Administration, to develop a pay package for DOC employees, including merit-based increases, inverse pay for supervisors, longevity pay and new promotion incentives.

Before determining whether it will be necessary to approach the Legislature for supplemental funding, Director Schriro will search her budget for funds that can be redeployed from within the department. Indeed, if you look at my proposed 2005 budget, the director had already, prior to the hostage taking, identified $21 million in funds to shift to pay packages for correctional personnel.

One problem that has contributed to safety hazards in the Lewis Complex is overcrowding and, without taking a position on particular matters, I commend the work of Representative Bill Konopnicki and others looking at the sentencing structure in Arizona.

Like the work of the blue-ribbon panel, I’ve asked that Justice Zlaket’s inquiry be conducted in the open so the public and see and hear first-hand all the workings of his inquiry. He will be getting materials this week. We’re making everything available to him, including tapes of the actual negotiations, as we will make available to the legislative group that is looking into this matter.

Question from reporters: Are you willing to submit to questions [from investigators]≠

Napolitano: There’s nothing about this that should be hidden from the public, and I’m perfectly willing to answer questions.

This seems to be a new strategy of yours…

No, it’s not. I said we were going to do a preliminary report in 30 days. Recognize that this is has gone extraordinarily rapidly for the number of hearings and witnesses and things that have already been investigated by the panel. What the panel did was really focus on the systemic things that have been going on in the Department of Corrections system prior to Jan. 18. Now I want a separate review, simply of post-tower taking events because, again, even though we successfully managed the extraction of the officers, if we could do it better, we want to know that.

Are you now saying we should look at the whole mandatory sentencing scheme≠

I appreciate that the Legislature is beginning to look again. We have some proposals floated out there, for example, the shock incarceration for those who are on a parole revocation.

Is Zlaket being paid≠

Ah, no. At least not that we talked about, I believe the justice is taking this on as a public service, and I’m grateful to him for doing so.

[Was interstate transfer of the inmates after their surrender the only item that was negotiated, since they made other demands≠]

Aside from the relatively minor things, the only major thing was the interstate transfer. Aside from the food and some of the other things, for example, I believe it was the negotiators’ ideas to bring the family members in. It was not a bargaining element; it was to put psychological pressure on the inmates to bring them to surrender. From the first day, we were prepared to move these inmates out of state. They will have to be moved out of state. We do not want them in the prison system in Arizona ultimately, once they’re convicted of their crimes they committed.

What did you actually learn from this [the blue-ribbon panel] report≠

I knew we had [job] vacancy issues. I knew we had staffing issues. I knew we had salary issues. I didn’t know we only had one correctional officer in the kitchen at a time. I didn’t know we didn’t have video surveillance cameras. I didn’t know we had officers who didn’t know how to properly conduct a pat-down search. I didn’t know that there was a laxity of discipline and control of the Morey Unit at the Lewis Complex. All of those things are going to be fixed.

Doesn’t some of this have to fall on Director Schriro≠

None of us is trying to shirk responsibility
here, but I think there needs to be an understanding that she came to this state in July or August and immediately went to work in the special session where, ironically, we were trying to get more resources for the Department of Corrections, and then this happened.

The panel report disclosed that a lot of these problems have been evolving over years.

Do you think this incident will have any effect on the [Senate] confirmation of the director≠

I don’t think it should. She is more than capable of handling this job and is the kind of person we need to help come in and clean out this mess. This Legislature can’t go home without getting these confirmations done. Not just Director Schriro, there are other confirmations pending as well. —

Reporter Phil Riske compiled this report.