|
|
| Arizona prisons have dire lapses |
| By azstarnet.com - Howard Fischer |
| Published: 09/26/2011 |
|
PHOENIX - Corrections officers at state-run prisons are not always following procedures, leading to potentially dangerous situations, according to a new report. The study by the Auditor General's Office found various lapses in security, some of which Auditor General Debbie Davenport said were serious enough to possibly put both staffers and inmates at risk. But the report, released Friday, did credit the Arizona Department of Corrections with making major improvements in its oversight of private prisons since three dangerous inmates escaped last year from a Kingman facility. Davenport said that incident pointed up sharp lapses, including the state monitor being unaware the prison's perimeter alarm system was not working properly. While all three were recaptured, one of the escapees and an accomplice were charged with the murder of an Oklahoma couple while they were on the run. But Davenport said her staffers, in a wide-ranging review of systemwide security, found a variety of problems in state-run facilities. For example, she pointed out that Department of Corrections policy requires the personal property of all employees, contractors and visitors be cleared through a metal detector and inspected. The idea is to stop inmates from getting access to contraband items such as cellphones and drugs. What was happening, Davenport said, is that there were "poorly conducted searches" of corrections officers arriving at one prison for their shift. While employees' jackets were patted down, their utility belts were not inspected, and food items were not run through the metal detector. Similar problems were found at other prisons, "indicating this is a pervasive issue in the prison system and that the risk for undetected contraband may be significant." Read More. |
MARKETPLACE search vendors | advanced search
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
|
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think