by Jonathan Eberle | May 23, 2025 | News
By Jonathan Eberle |
State Representative Quang Nguyen, Chairman of the Arizona House Judiciary Committee, is intensifying his inquiry into the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry (ADCRR) in the wake of a series of violent inmate deaths, including a high-profile triple homicide earlier this spring.
In a letter sent Monday to ADCRR Director Ryan Thornell, Nguyen called for a broad range of records, citing what he described as a “disturbing pattern of violence, security failures, and possible ideological interference” within the state’s prison system.
The move marks a significant escalation in the chairman’s ongoing investigation, which began after an inmate serving 16 life sentences for multiple murders was able to kill three fellow prisoners on April 4 at the Tucson prison complex.
“The situation at ADCRR appears to be far worse than previously understood,” Nguyen said in a statement. “We’re no longer looking at a single failure. We are looking at a system in decline, marked by ineffective leadership, poor oversight, and questionable outside influence.”
The request from Chairman Nguyen includes records on all inmate homicides since January 2024; internal investigation reports on those incidents; department policies and data on contraband weapons and cell phones; all prior versions of inmate classification and movement policies, including those governing maximum custody; and internal communications between ADCRR officials and outside advocacy groups, including the ACLU and Creosote Partners.
Nguyen also raised concerns about whether external advocacy organizations have exerted undue influence on internal corrections policies in ways that may compromise security or conflict with Arizona law. The ADCRR has until June 2 to respond to the records request.
The Arizona Republic recently published video footage allegedly showing inmates using improvised weapons in violent assaults, further fueling public scrutiny of prison conditions and management practices. It remains unclear whether the requested documents will be released in full or whether the agency will challenge any aspect of the request.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Apr 22, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Arizona’s prisons are now under investigation by lawmakers following multiple inmate murders in a Tucson prison.
The chair of the Senate Public Safety Committee, Kevin Payne, announced the investigation Monday into the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry (ADCRR) over the recent murders of three inmates at the Arizona State Prison Complex-Tucson: Saul Alvarez, Thorne Harnage, and Donald Lashley. Alvarez was serving time for first degree murder, Harnage was serving time for sexual conduct with a minor, and Lashley was serving time for sexual conduct with a minor and molestation of a child.
Payne said in a statement the murders were “inexcusable and incredibly troubling,” and expressed concern for the safety of prison staff and officers. Payne also extended prayers to the families of the murdered inmates and said ADCRR had “failed” the three men.
“I fear for the lives of the correctional officers and staff who are reporting to duty every day and risking their safety in a facility that has proven it cannot prevent dangerous criminals from inflicting violence,” said Payne. “Director Thornell has some explaining to do, and the more time that passes by before we can determine the missteps that lead to these murders, the longer our law enforcement will be in danger of losing their own lives at the hands of inmates.”
The sole suspect in the murders, Ricky Wassenaar, was one of two men behind the two-week-long prison hostage crisis in 2004 — the longest in the nation’s history. At the time, Wassenaar was serving time for armed robbery and assault. The prison hostage crisis earned Wassenaar 16 life sentences.
Wassenaar previously claimed to prison officials and advocates that he murdered his cellmate, 81-year-old Joseph Desisto, last November. ADCRR ruled the cause of Desisto’s death as “undetermined” but clarified the medical examiner’s report didn’t find traumatic injuries supportive of Wassenaar’s alleged method of murder (strangulation).
Last week, ADCRR announced two other prisoners died from potential homicides while in facilities in Buckeye and Florence, respectively.
Then, last Friday, ADCRR acknowledged the uptick of inmate on inmate violence. ADCRR attributed the violence to its close custody units, including: Eyman’s Running Unit; Lewis’s Buckley, Morey, and Rast units; Tucson’s Cimarron unit; Winslow’s Kaibab unit; and Yuma’s Dakota unit.
These close custody units house the most high-risk prisoners with “histories of institutional violence, significant behavioral problems, [and] long-standing disciplinary issues.” Those categorized as “high-risk” account for about 5,000 of the over 35,000 inmates statewide.
ADCRR rolled out a series of immediate and forthcoming protective measures for staff and inmates, such as restricted movement with indefinite closed visitation. ADCRR assured the public that affected prisoners will still maintain access to showers, phones, mail, tablets, legal visits, mental and physical health appointments, medication, and in-unit work.
ADCRR Director Ryan Thornell condemned the uptick in violence as unacceptable.
“Violence is not, and should never be an acceptable part of incarceration,” said Thornell. “We will not allow continued negative behavior to disrupt our orderly operations or jeopardize the security of our institutions.”
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