by Jonathan Eberle | Jun 29, 2025 | News
By Jonathan Eberle |
Arizona Senate Republicans are sounding the alarm after the reported murder of another inmate last week at the Lewis Prison Complex, pushing the number of inmate homicides in the state’s prison system to 11 in the current fiscal year — a dramatic rise compared to an average of two per year over the previous four years.
The lawmakers are calling on Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry (ADCRR) Director Ryan Thornell and Governor Katie Hobbs to address what they describe as a growing public safety crisis behind prison walls.
“This troubling news comes on the very day Director Thornell was expected to respond to my request for records concerning the department’s internal operations,” said Senate Public Safety Committee Chairman Kevin Payne. “We’re running out of time to identify and fix the security failures within our correctional system. We’re not just talking about inmates — our officers are increasingly at risk, too.”
According to Payne, in addition to the suspected homicide at Lewis Prison, there was also a recent incident at a Florence facility in which several correctional officers were assaulted.
Senate Majority Leader Janae Shamp placed blame on a mix of staffing shortages and what she characterized as overly lenient inmate policies. “Our corrections officers face the very real threat of violence every day. ADCRR’s current policies have given inmates more freedom than is appropriate for safety and order. Governor Hobbs must step up and reassert control over our correctional institutions,” she said.
Majority Whip Frank Carroll added, “A core responsibility of the government is to protect its citizens — that includes ensuring state prisons are secure and functional. Eleven inmate homicides in one year is unacceptable. Arizona is clearly failing on this front.”
Senate Military Affairs and Border Security Committee Chairman David Gowan echoed similar concerns and criticized what he called a lack of support from the executive branch. “Our prisons are underfunded, understaffed, and overrun by criminal activity,” he said. “We’ve put forward common-sense solutions, but the Governor continues to resist Republican efforts to fix these systemic problems.”
Republican lawmakers have previously introduced proposals to boost staffing, increase officer pay, and improve security infrastructure, but say those initiatives have been stymied by the administration.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Jonathan Eberle | Jun 7, 2025 | News
By Jonathan Eberle |
Arizona Senate Public Safety Committee Chairman Kevin Payne (R-LD27) is intensifying his investigation into the state’s Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry (ADCRR), citing a string of violent incidents—including inmate murders, suicides, drug overdoses, and assaults on staff—as signs of a deepening crisis within the prison system.
Chairman Payne, who first launched a probe in April after the murder of three inmates at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Tucson, has now sent a second letter to ADCRR Director Ryan Thornell, requesting a broader set of records and data to evaluate the agency’s operational failures and safety protocols.
The investigation was originally prompted by a high-profile case involving Ricky Wassenaar, a convicted murderer serving 16 life sentences. Wassenaar, who previously orchestrated a two-week-long hostage crisis at the Lewis Prison Complex in 2004, is accused of killing three fellow inmates during what prison officials described as an “altercation.”
In response, Payne initially requested timelines, staffing rosters, incident reports, and documentation on policy changes related to the case. After reviewing the initial information provided by the department, Payne—joined by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Quang Nguyen—is now demanding additional public records be delivered by June 25.
“These details will be used in determining the next course of action to ensure the safety and security of both correctional employees and inmates,” Payne said. The senator did not mince words in describing the situation.
“I have grave concerns that a disaster is unfolding right before our eyes at Arizona’s correctional facilities,” Payne said in a statement. “I fear the lives of correctional officers and staff are in jeopardy each day they report for duty, and I’m concerned dangerous inmates within their custody are not secure. It appears we have a ticking time bomb on our hands.”
Payne added that the requested records will help determine why “current policies and procedures are failing both employees and inmates.” He pledged to keep the public informed as more information is gathered and reviewed.
The ADCRR has faced scrutiny in recent years over staffing shortages, aging infrastructure, and ongoing security issues. The outcome of this investigation could carry significant implications for prison policy and oversight in Arizona.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
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.
