The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Arizona, Prison Law Office, and Disability Rights Arizona have petitioned a federal judge to appoint a receiver to manage healthcare in Arizona prisons. This request is part of an ongoing class action lawsuit initiated in 2012 on behalf of nearly 30,000 incarcerated individuals under the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry (ADCRR). The proposed receiver would be an independent authority responsible for ensuring that medical and mental health care systems meet constitutional standards.
This move follows years of documented systemic healthcare failures within Arizona's prisons despite numerous court orders and extensive litigation. In April 2023, U.S. District Judge Roslyn O. Silver issued an order highlighting the inadequacy of medical care provided by ADCRR and mandated significant changes. Independent experts appointed by Judge Silver have since reported multiple instances where ADCRR failed to comply with these orders or address systemic issues effectively, leading to preventable deaths and injuries.
Corene Kendrick from the ACLU’s National Prison Project stated: “Nearly two years after Judge Silver ordered Arizona officials to make comprehensive improvements to prison medical and mental health care...the state and its for-profit health care vendors have failed to address the avoidable suffering and deaths in their prisons.”
Rita Lomio from the Prison Law Office emphasized: “Judge Silver has described the financial cost of this litigation as ‘astronomical.’ The cost in terms of human suffering and preventable death is incalculable...Nothing has worked. The only remaining option with any realistic chance of success is receivership.”
Maya Abela from Disability Rights Arizona added: “For too long people in ADCRR have been placed at risk of serious harm and death because of the lack of appropriate mental health and medical care...These conditions must come to an end.”
