Appeals court says prison guards can’t read death row inmate’s mail
An Arizona death-row prisoner who was convicted in the 1996 murders of six people convinced the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals he has a valid claim the Arizona Department of Corrections illegally read mail intended for his lawyer.
Death row inmates seek information on lethal injections
Attorneys for two Arizona death row inmates are asking the Department of Corrections for information on who manufactured the drugs that will be used for their lethal injections.
Appeals court will consider whether inmates’ case is a class action
A federal appellate court has agreed to decide whether Arizona’s 33,000 prisoners can be in a lawsuit alleging that prison healthcare and confinement conditions amount to cruel and unusual punishment.
Inmate advocates question claim that Arizona prisons have no solitary confinement
Raising doubts from skeptics, Department of Corrections Director Charles Ryan told a legislative committee Wednesday the department has no solitary confinement, despite keeping the maximum-security inmates in their cells alone for 22 hours a day.
State to buy Arizona’s first private prison
Arizona’s first private prison is going to become the property of the state. A provision in contracts for the state’s five privately-run prisons allows the state to buy the prison for a nominal price as the contract expires.
Lawyer says suit alleging sexual harassment at private prison reflects badly on Corrections Dept.
A trial is set for next month in a sexual harassment lawsuit pitting the state against one of its private prison contractors in a battle that promises to shine a harsh light on private prisons and the Arizona Department of Corrections.
DUI, domestic violence most common crimes among Arizona corrections workers
Arizona Department of Corrections employees are getting arrested or cited at an average of 11 per month, mostly for drunken driving and domestic violence.
Corrections chief to allow witnesses to view execution procedure
Witnesses to the June 27 execution of Samuel Lopez will be allowed to watch as the executioner inserts intravenous lines that will carry the lethal drug to Lopez's body.
Court warns Arizona about execution protocol
A federal appeals court panel on Tuesday issued a strong warning to Arizona officials who have continuously violated and changed their own written protocol for executing state death-row inmates.
Study: Private and state-run prisons comparable in cost and quality
Most of Arizona’s private prisons are comparable in cost and quality of service to state-run prisons, a biennial study issued Wednesday by the Arizona Department of Corrections found.
Court records say executioner, Corrections director disregarded lethal injections procedures
Doses of three chemicals injected into Jeffrey Landrigan on Oct. 26, 2010, had done the job in executing him, but there was a set of unused, filled syringes left over.
Judge refuses to halt private prison bidding process
A Maricopa County Superior Court judge refused on Thursday to halt the bidding process for planned private prisons.