August 19, 2020: VIP and Arizona Interfaith Network clergy have held ongoing meetings, since May, with Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry (ADCRR) and Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) officials regarding COVID-19 in the Arizona prison system. We have requested specific measures to be taken to protect prison communities, and hundreds of VIP and AIN leaders have signed on in support of those requests.
Arizona has 40,000 prisoners and 8,000 employees in the state corrections system. As individuals living and working in congregant settings, both incarcerated people and employees are extremely vulnerable to this fast-spreading disease, as are their families.
We have urged the State to take all necessary measures to protect life in Arizona's correctional facilities. These measures include universal testing of inmates and staff, compassionate and early release of inmates under safe guidelines, appropriate health procedures for people being released from prison, and safety and health procedures for all inmate that include adequate PPE, eliminating medical charges, and complete medical care for those who develop COVID-19. The measures are detailed in the table below.
Take Action:
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Watch this video to hear directly from family members and a recently released person about the conditions in Arizona's prisons.
- Click here to sign the petitionto halt the COVID-19 spread in prisons.
Achievements to date:
Measures to Halt COVID-19 Spread in Prisons
| Universal testing blitz to test all inmates and staff by the end of August. |  |
*After our June and July meetings, Director Shinn indicated on KTAR that resources will be made available for “all state inmates to be tested for the virus by the first week of September.” (KTAR, 8/14/20) |
| Ongoing COVID-19 testing for all inmates and staff for the duration of the pandemic. |  |
*No indication of the duration of the testing. |
| End charges for medical care during the pandemic. | |
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| Provide adequate PPE for everyone in the prison community. |  |
* We are still hearing from families that face masks are substandard and other measures are inadequate. |
| Expedite early release of selected inmates and temporary house arrest for inmates who are elderly and have compromising health conditions. | |
* No statement from Director Shinn regarding early release or compassionate measures including temporary house arrest. |
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Testing prior to release for outgoing inmates. |
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Develop a system for Supported Isolation for outgoing inmates. |
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At least 3 weeks prior to release, inmates should be tested and placed in supported isolation until the date of release. |
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Streamline Medicaid enrollment for those re-entering society. |
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* ADCRR indicated that Medicaid enrollment could be incorporated into the computer program used in the exit process, so that the choice to enroll in Medicaid is a default screen. |
| Retribution hotline |
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A line of communication that bypasses Unit and Complex staff so that inmates can initiate a complaint process without fear of retribution. |
| Provide access to appropriate medical care and equipment, including respirators and ventilators, for inmates who become seriously ill from COVID-19. | |
Read more:
Click here to read the correspondence sent regarding meetings with the ADHS and ADCRR Directors and Governor Ducey.
In the News:
After COVID-19 cases spike in Tucson prison unit, advocates demand action to spare inmates, azcentral
Click here to sign the petition to halt COVID spread in prisons. |