Arizona prisons offer diversity, harsh conditions

Entrance to Eyman Prison

A reporter's notebook

Part one of a three-part series

By Janet DelTufo, Assistant Editor

This crime reporter recently had the opportunity to tour Arizona's most dangerous prisons - a unique opportunity of a lifetime.

News stories are supposed to be black and white, devoid of emotion without “fluff” or fancy words. Telling the story of two visitors spending five hours in Florence, visiting three separate prison facilities certainly does not fall under the category of news.

Rather than news, what follows is a “reporter's notebook,” a chance for the reader to learn what it was like to sit on death row, to observe sex offenders living in dorms of 50-plus men (who also bake cookies and cakes five days a week for 35,000 Arizona inmates). This notebook will describe catching a glimpse of a man standing for an hour in a cage waiting for medical care, and the sights and sounds of 180 men in Arizona's oldest prison block welcoming two unexpected female visitors to their home. It will attempt to explain what it was like to sit on the same gas chamber chair that has in the past put 40 Arizona inmates to death.

What is it like to be housed in one of the 10 prison complexes run by the Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC) or the seven contracted complexes run by private corporations that house Arizona inmates?

The tour began at the Eyman prison complex. Eyman is Arizona's largest prison complex, housing more than 4,500 inmates. It is located in the town of Florence and is separated into eight units spread across acres of desert landscape. Also in Florence is the Florence prison complex, run by the ADC, and a separate facility run by a private prison corporation.

The first stop on the Eyman portion of the tour was the Special Management Unit (SMU) II. At Eyman there are a number of SMU units. These units are physically identical and house maximum custody prisoners, such as Michael Gaston who was convicted of murdering a Wickenburg man and who has been charged with the September murder of his short-term cellmate in his SMU unit.

There is just one difference between the SMU I and the SMU II units. SMU II houses Arizona's death row, otherwise known as condemned-to-die inmates. However, all inmates in these units live the same way Š oppressively.

There are no windows in these wings, and the lighting is poor. As well, an inmate in one of these cells (approximately 12 by 18 feet at most) looks out to see only a dark blue wall. The cells contain electrical outlets, a metal bed with a thin mattress, a sink, and a toilet. Inmates are allowed to own televisions, radios, and other listening devices. There are about 10 cells that run along the wall, and the cells are double tiered so inmates can talk among themselves but can only see each other if one happens to be in the process of being moved. Inmates, however, can play chess with each other if each participant owns some type of a board and pieces. The inmates will move the pieces for the other.

It was interesting to sit in a death row cell, looking out at the dark wall in the dimly lit room. Sitting there, the question that begged an answer was this: Is it worth asking for a death sentence appeal when in reality living has all but ended?

Inmates in the SMU units are in their cells 24 hours a day, four days a week. Three days a week, they are provided two hours of recreation time Š if one can really call it recreation. Individually, an inmate is led to the end of the run (of cells) to an outside area which resembles a very small open-air handball court. He stays there alone for two hours. Depending on the time of the year, the inmate might get direct sunlight. The inmate is offered two small blue rubber balls to entertain himself while outside. After the respective inmate's recreation time ends, he is taken for his one-of-three showers per week.

Life is not easy for an inmate at one of Eyman's SMU units, and many readers and taxpayers will be happy with this statement. They will say it shouldn't be easy, because these men have been convicted of the worst possible crimes and pose the highest threat to society. For anyone hoping that these men are being punished to the fullest extent, it can be said as an eye witness that the punishment they are receiving cannot be much worse.

During the tour, at each of the three facilities, we were accompanied by a high-ranking staff member and at least one corrections officer. Also, visitors are not allowed to bring anything inside any of the facilities except an identification card and a car key. Visitors, like staff, at the SMU II unit are required to wear very heavy protective vests and protective glasses in case an inmate throws something like a homemade concoction consisting of bodily waste.

After touring death row, the next stop at SMU II was the brightly lit kitchen. Here, inmates from a medium custody unit within the Eyman complex are bused in daily to cook for the SMU II inmates. Inmates from yet another medium custody Eyman unit are bused in to cook for the SMU I inmates.

The food appeared to be of high quality and specific dietary requirements are met, including vegetarian, kosher, etc. All utensils in the kitchen are bolted to a fixture and the food is placed on carts after it is prepared. Inmates in SMU I or II do not leave their cells to eat. Their food is brought to them. The inmates working in the kitchen were proud of their work and offered taste tests. Also bused into the SMU units are inmates to work in the laundry room.

To leave the SMU II unit, we again were required to show identification (a process that had to be fulfilled when entering or leaving any of the facilities) before proceeding through eight locked gates where freedom would once again be discovered. Next week readers will learn about the housing conditions of an Arizona sex offender, and a bakery.

Print this story

Email this story

Click ads for more information