Latest news with #RyanThornell
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
Safety concerns after Tucson prison violence: Inmate's wife speaks out about issues
The Brief The wife of an inmate at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Tucson is worried about her husband's safety after videos of a fight were uncovered by FOX 10. While she acknowledges that prison staff have shown care in their work, there are not enough resources for prisoners to get the help they need. In addition to fears of increased violence, she also criticized the health and nutrition plans at the prison. TUCSON, Ariz. - We're hearing from the wife of an inmate serving time at the state prison in Tucson, where inmates were recently caught on camera beating another inmate with padlocks. This woman wanted her identity to be hidden, but was open about what she sees when she visits her husband in prison. While he was not involved in the recent inmate-on-inmate attack, she is concerned for his safety and the safety of others on prison grounds. What they're saying "I wanted to throw up. I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry," said the wife of an inmate in the Arizona State Prison Complex in Tucson. She says seeing an inmate-on-inmate attack caught on camera keeps her up at night. "I'm deathly afraid that I'm going to get a call one day and they say that my husband's been beaten to death. The inmates are literally running the show." Arizona Department of Corrections Director Ryan Thornell told Fox 10 in an exclusive sit-down that clips like the one circulating last week detract from department efforts. "It's really trying to paint a picture that our staff don't care or that our staff are non-responsive, which is not the case," Thornell said. The inmate's wife says from what she's seen during visits, prison staff does care. "The guards that I've met and that I've had to deal with face-to-face, they're amazing people. They've helped me and they've been compassionate and kind and personable. I don't think that it's a lack of care, I honestly think that it's a lack of staffing and it's a lack of means," she said. Thornell and the DOC acknowledge staffing issues and proposed a 15% increase in correctional officer pay to the state legislature, among other incentives, to try to retain and recruit staff. This wife says more needs to be done before more inmates or staff are hurt. "You're creating a hot soup in that prison. A hot, nasty soup, right? You have people that have malnutrition, mal-medical assistance, mal-mental assistance, and then you also create an environment where you don't have enough security or guards to control these people, and they know it and they take advantage of it," she said. Big picture view Thornell says improvements are happening, but the process takes time. We asked Thornell what his message is to people who have a loved on in prison who might be nervous after seeing the padlock fight. "My message really is that we're doing everything we can, and they have my assurance that we are doing everything that we can," Thornell responded. We've covered lawsuits against the department regarding health care, and the department has said they've made strides in many areas of health care for inmates, but this woman says she feels the nutrition plan and other health care protocols are still inadequate and believes they only aggravate issues at these complexes.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
Arizona prisons director talks inmate violence, staffing and transparency
The Brief Ryan Thornell, ADCRR Director, spoke with FOX 10 on May 20 about Arizona state prisons and the changes that are being made, and the ones that still need to be made. This interview comes after violent incidents at a facility in Tucson, and although he can't speak on specifics, he says the incidents don't provide the entire picture of ADCRR. PHOENIX - A nearly three-minute-long fight at an Arizona state prison was caught on camera, and we're hearing from the man who oversees all state prisons, director Ryan Thornell, about recent prison violence. What they're saying He was unable to comment on the specifics of the case involving padlocks, or any other recent incidence of violence, but rather, he talked about potential solutions to staffing challenges and inmate violence. "I'm never going to pretend that we're perfect," Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry (ADCRR) Director Thornell said on May 21. Video of a recent inmate-on-inmate fight involving what appears to be padlocks on straps sparked a renewed conversation about Arizona's state prison system. It's a conversation Thornell says cannot be had by just looking at videos like this one. "They do not give the whole picture of a prison environment. They don't give the whole picture of the complexities at hand, and they really don't serve the purpose of helping what we're doing," Thornell said. What ADCRR is doing, Thornell says, is "reimagining corrections." It's an approach born from public and internal input. Staffing & Pay One area Thornell acknowledges that needs improvement is staffing. The department reports a correctional officer vacancy rate of nearly 18% last year, with a regrettable attrition rate of 72%. "Staffing is our number one challenge. Some of it is the dynamics of corrections, right, obviously an uptick in violence drives some staff out. An uptick in drugs being trafficked in through the mail or other things or being exposed to those substances drives staff out, but pay is also a big factor," Thornell said. The department has implemented high-risk pay and increased overtime, but Thornell says additional funding would likely take away from other areas. That's where the state budget comes into play with ADCRR proposing a 15% salary increase for correctional officers. "What it really boils down to is, where does it get prioritized in the overall budget negotiations? That's what we all sit on the edge of our seat waiting to find out," Thornell said. The other side Arizona Rep. Quang Nguyen says he's ramping up investigations into prison violence and is requesting more documentation from Thornell. "We want to make sure that whatever he's doing is based on policy and not on ideology, but I'm a little concerned about his way of handling things," Rep. Nguyen said. The lawmaker says the recent padlock fight video showcases a lack of intervention and a risk of further safety issues. "His job … he's got one job," he said. "Providing safety to staff and inmates." Thornell argues the necessary support for real change goes beyond just his position. "If anything can come from some of this attention right now, it's to give people a better awareness. It's going to take more powers beyond me, it's going to take more resources beyond what I have to really solve this problem long-term," Tornell said. He says the department is rolling out body-worn cameras in state prisons as a way to maintain transparency. He says current staffing is stable, meaning there are enough new recruits to replace the staff leaving the department.
