An Arizona inmate attempted to escape, reported ABC 15. The inmate disappeared and jumped two fences to try and get away, according to the news outlet. This comes less than a year after two men escaped a Florence prison.
So what's allowing the inmates to make such easy escapes? ABC 15 investigator Melissa Blasius exposed the "failures and staffing shortages" that are at fault.
Carlos Garcia, executive director of the Arizona Correctional Peace Officers Association, compared the facility to the Titanic. He said, "There’s not one hole; there’s like 20 to 30 holes. The owners of the ship do not want to fix the holes, so what they have is two staff going around with Dixie cups trying to get the water out." He says the prison problems put the staff, inmates, and the community at risk.
David Shinn, corrections director, testified that there is chronic understaffing. Shinn said, "We are down 1,800 correctional officers, which essentially is two-and-a-half complexes throughout the state."
Shinn is asking legislature to approve a 20% permanent pay increase for employees.
Garcia said, "I don't care where you get that your money, pay the staff."
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