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| 89 Pima, Ariz. prisoners missing |
| By The Arizona Daily Star |
| Published: 09/30/2003 |
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Inmates, including violent felons, walk away from release details. Nearly 100 inmates who are supposed to be sitting in the Pima County, Ariz., Jail are missing. But they didn't scale walls or dig tunnels. The inmates, some of them violent felons and three of them on the county's latest most-wanted list, simply walked away when officials let them out for jobs, school, medical checkups and other appointments. Investigators from the Pima County Sheriff's Department, which runs the jail, have taken steps to find the inmates, obtaining arrest warrants and talking to their relatives, former employers and friends. And earlier this summer, officers from a special task force began looking for the most dangerous of them. Yet another technique might be coming soon, too, as the Sheriff's Department and the court system continue meeting to discuss the problem. While both agree on the value of the work release, they disagree on who should be allowed out under what circumstances. They're trying to reach a compromise. Officials say they are missing 16 convicted felons, 36 inmates convicted of misdemeanors and 37 inmates who were in jail for civil trouble. Of the 36 misdemeanor inmates, nine were ordered out by courts while 15 were approved by the jail and 12 were weekend inmates. All inmates in jail for civil infractions are put on work release. Two of the missing felons were evaluated by the jail and put on work release. Another was let out by a judge for one day. The others were let out by court order - and most didn't meet the jail's criteria for release, said Capt. Greg Gearhart, special operations division commander. Jail officials have a 13-part list of standards that preclude the release of certain inmates - including people convicted of sex crimes, felonies involving weapons or gang violence, felony or aggravated DUI, those with escape attempts and those who victimized a minor. Sheriff's officials want the jail to assume control of which inmates belong on work release. But Michael Cruikshank, presiding criminal judge at Superior Court, said full jail control is too rigid. Judges are able to consider a wide range of factors, he said, and cases should be decided individually. Another solution could be changing the way the jail handles court-ordered work releases, Cruikshank said. Now, with inmates released for work by jail personnel, a month long screening process determines who is a good risk, and they are allowed out for up to six days a week, 12 hours a day. But court-ordered work release inmates are out almost immediately, with no jail screening. Cruikshank would like to change that to require screening for all. |
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