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| Prison hostage standoff raises accountability questions |
| By .kpho.com - Nicole Crites |
| Published: 06/15/2012 |
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PHOENIX (CBS5) - A recent standoff at the Lewis Prison in Buckeye in which a female civilian was taken hostage is raising serious questions about history repeating itself. The Arizona Department of Corrections has confirmed that inmate Jesus Jimenez pulled a razor on a female co-worker and locked the door of the inmate store where they were assigned on March 22. Jimenez held her hostage for about 30 minutes before releasing her unharmed. Meanwhile, she remains on leave after the ordeal. On Jan. 18, 2004, at the same prison, an infamous 15-day standoff supposedly forced changes that would improve safety for civilians working with dangerous inmates. A former deputy warden argues the state has ignored safety standards that used to be mandates. Jimenez, 42, is doing life for murder. As a 17-year-old, he used candy to lure a 5-year-old girl to his house where he strangled her, then mutilated her body. Despite his violent past, the prison gave the diagnosed schizophrenic killer a job working alone with a female civilian. "Somebody needs to hold them accountable," said Carl Toersbijns, who was a former state deputy warden in the Arizona prison system and has more than two decades of experience in the industry. He said the safety of the woman was compromised because the state ignored safety standards endorsed by former Gov. Janet Napolitano. The 2004 standoff was one of the longest in the history of U.S. prisons. Inmates Ricky Wassenaar and Steven Coy held two women hostage, repeatedly raping and assaulting them for 15 days. One of the victims, a contractor, sued the state for letting violent offenders work with civilians, and won a nearly $1 million negligence settlement. Read More. |
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