Retiring Arizona Prison Watch...


This site was originally started in July 2009 as an independent endeavor to monitor conditions in Arizona's criminal justice system, as well as offer some critical analysis of the prison industrial complex from a prison abolitionist/anarchist's perspective. It was begun in the aftermath of the death of Marcia Powell, a 48 year old AZ state prisoner who was left in an outdoor cage in the desert sun for over four hours while on a 10-minute suicide watch. That was at ASPC-Perryville, in Goodyear, AZ, in May 2009.

Marcia, a seriously mentally ill woman with a meth habit sentenced to the minimum mandatory 27 months in prison for prostitution was already deemed by society as disposable. She was therefore easily ignored by numerous prison officers as she pleaded for water and relief from the sun for four hours. She was ultimately found collapsed in her own feces, with second degree burns on her body, her organs failing, and her body exceeding the 108 degrees the thermometer would record. 16 officers and staff were disciplined for her death, but no one was ever prosecuted for her homicide. Her story is here.

Marcia's death and this blog compelled me to work for the next 5 1/2 years to document and challenge the prison industrial complex in AZ, most specifically as manifested in the Arizona Department of Corrections. I corresponded with over 1,000 prisoners in that time, as well as many of their loved ones, offering all what resources I could find for fighting the AZ DOC themselves - most regarding their health or matters of personal safety.

I also began to work with the survivors of prison violence, as I often heard from the loved ones of the dead, and learned their stories. During that time I memorialized the Ghosts of Jan Brewer - state prisoners under her regime who were lost to neglect, suicide or violence - across the city's sidewalks in large chalk murals. Some of that art is here.

In November 2014 I left Phoenix abruptly to care for my family. By early 2015 I was no longer keeping up this blog site, save occasional posts about a young prisoner in solitary confinement in Arpaio's jail, Jessie B.

I'm deeply grateful to the prisoners who educated, confided in, and encouraged me throughout the years I did this work. My life has been made all the more rich and meaningful by their engagement.

I've linked to some posts about advocating for state prisoner health and safety to the right, as well as other resources for families and friends. If you are in need of additional assistance fighting the prison industrial complex in Arizona - or if you care to offer some aid to the cause - please contact the Phoenix Anarchist Black Cross at PO Box 7241 / Tempe, AZ 85281. collective@phoenixabc.org

until all are free -

MARGARET J PLEWS (June 1, 2015)
arizonaprisonwatch@gmail.com



INDIGENOUS ACTION MEDIA

INDIGENOUS ACTION MEDIA
ANTICOLONIAL zines, stickers, actions, power

Taala Hooghan Infoshop

Kinlani/Flagstaff Mutual AID

MASS LIBERATION AZ

MASS LIBERATION AZ
The group for direct action against the prison state!

Black Lives Matter PHOENIX METRO

Black Lives Matter PHOENIX METRO
(accept no substitutions)

BLACK PHX ORGANIZING COLLECTIVE

BLACK PEOPLE's JUSTICE FUND

PHOENIX: Trans Queer Pueblo

COVID Mutual AID PHOENIX

AZ Prison Watch BLOG POSTS:


Monday, January 11, 2010

Arizona's Criminalized Children and Victimization.

I've made my comment about this for now. Here's AZ's contribution to the report referred to below. The Phoenix New Times has been doing some excellent work on the issue of juvenile justice and corrections in Arizona of late. This is their whole post on this issue, but link back there for their other stories.
----------------------

Arizona Juvenile Facilities Report High Sex Activity With Staff; State Above Average for Incidents in National Survey








Arizona's incarcerated juveniles are having sex with staff members at one of the highest rates in the country, according to a survey published by the U.S. Department of Justice.




In a survey of thousands of kids held in juvie halls across the United States, 10.3 percent reported some kind of sexual victimization by staff members. Another 2.6 percent reported being victimized by another youth. While no Arizona facility made the DOJ's list of the 13 worst offenders, the state's three juvenile prisons came shamefully close. In just about every category of offenses, the percentages of victimization in the state's three facilities were above average.

Nationally, the most frequent kind of sexual victimization involved a female staff member and male youth.

Here are a couple of the Arizona highlights:

* Inmates at Adobe Mountain reported a high rate of staff members forcing them to have sex. The weighted percentage of 11.2 of inmates reporting use of force by staff is the 11th highest of all facilities in that category.

* Survey participants at Catalina Mountain and the now-closed Eagle Point reported a very high overall number of sexual victimization: 23.8 percent and 23.5 percent respectively. (Adobe Mountain inmates reported 16.9 percent in this category). The average for this category is 12.1 percent, and only 14 of the 195 facilities reported a percentage of 24 or higher.

As New Times recently reported, sexual misconduct isn't the only problem at Arizona's juvenile facilities. And the problems have been going on for years, as New Times readers should know.

Maybe, someday, someone will start caring about these kids.

Click here for the government's survey in PDF format.

No comments: