The work of AIN and VIP clergy is raising awareness of the appalling health conditions people incarcerated in Arizona’s prisons are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent Arizona Republic article tells the story from the perspective of incarcerated individuals and their families.

In the article AIN leader Episcopal Deacon Rev. Kim Crecca discussed a few of the requests that AIN clergy have made during multiple meetings with the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry (ADCRR).  One of the outcomes of those meetings was a long sought-after anti-retaliation hotline, but many measures are still lacking. Ongoing COVID-19 testing of inmate populations is one of many critical procedures that are not being implemented.

Excerpt from azcentral, Nov. 1, 2020:

Kim Crecca is a member of the Valley Interfaith Project and Arizona Interfaith Network and is the coordinator of the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona's prison ministry program. She said she commends the department for testing all inmates in the state in a short period of time, but has had some concerns in their approach to mitigating the spread of COVID-19.

Crecca said the department does not plan to test wastewater for traces of the virus, an approach that can identify cases early and prevent outbreaks.

"There's no plan in place for continued testing of the inmate population. And as we all know, this is a fluid virus. So, somebody who tested negative, you know, a week ago, could be positive today based on something somebody brought in from the outside. So we're disappointed in that," Crecca said.

Some good news, Crecca said, is that anti-retaliation hotlines were implemented in the prisons.

"Several weeks" ago, anti-retaliation hotlines were activated and have been made available through the inmate phone system at all complex locations, [ADCRR spokesperson Bill] Lamoreaux said.

"The anti-retaliation hotline is a big deal," Crecca said. "We see that as a big plus, because that gives inmates the opportunity now to have more of a voice without fear of losing privileges, losing your job ... so this is really good."

Read the entire article, "Inside an outbreak: How Tucson prison's Whetsone unit became a COVID-19 hotspot.", The Arizona Republic, 11/1/2020, [pdf]

Photo Credit, ADCRR via azcentral