Health Horror Stories
"These stories of health abuse are not independently verified by the editors of this website. However, all of the women have agreed to a HIPPA release to any qualified attorney willing to take their case, or to an investigative reporter from the media."
What is Director Thornell thinking?
We’ve been hearing for almost two years now, how Thornell wants to improve the nutrition of his residents. We were overjoyed when we heard Aramark was taking over but assumed that meant the commissary too…..not so fast. Aramark only produces the food in the KITCHEN, the chow hall.
The inmates still have to eat that Keefe rubbish at the store?! We’ve been writing articles for years about how unhealthy Keefe store “food” is, and they’re still keeping them?? Nothing but high sodium, high sugar, ultra-refined carbs guaranteed to give diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, cancer, and heart attacks.
It all comes down to the Almighty Buck doesn’t it……artificial low bids by Keefe and major kickbacks to the ADCRR.
ACLU coming to Perryville before Judge Silver’s big decision
The ACLU always gets its ducks in a row before going to court. In the long-running Jensen v Thornell lawsuit this is especially important. Judge Silver announced she would render a major decision in the case toward the end of August.
Lawyers for the ACLU will be interviewing patients and reviewing medical records, to prove to the Court how life-threatening it can be to reside in an Arizona prison. Families and inmates have written us with terrifying stories of medical malpractice and deliberate indifference, which we have forwarded to the ACLU.
This time, we hope Judge Silver does the right thing and puts the whole prison system under receivership!
Reuters: Naphcare had the highest DEATH RATE of inmates!
Reutors News published a report that reviewed 500 jails and prisons and found that Naphcare had the highest death rate among healthcare contractors. The runners-up in the death march were Corizon, Wellpath, and PrimeCare.
Despite this dismal performance, AZDOC awarded Naphcare a 1.4 billion dollar contract in 2022, representing a 74% increase in what they were paying Centurion.
The Arizona Republic revealed a cozy relationship with Larry Gann, the then Director of Medical Services for the DOC. Larry testified in Federal court that he worked for Naphcare as Director of Nursing in 2006, and then worked for them for the next nine years, becoming vice-president in 2015. Cozy indeed.
We have often wondered why some inmates are rushed to the hospital via ambulance, while others are transported by DOC van in a much slower process. In a Prison Legal News article, we think we found the answer. In contracts with other prisons, Naphcare received $1,000 in monthly bonuses if they ordered no more than 15 ambulance trips. Another $1,000 bonus was paid if there were under 30 referrals to off-site physicians in a month.
David Fathi of ACLU Washington, DC said, “It’s hard to imagine a more blatant and inappropriate disincentive to provide care than a financial penalty.”
The cAGEing of Perryville
Recently, we heard from an elderly inmate, and this is her letter about fellow aging women in prison. "I hadn't been back to Cruz unit in over 3 years. Cruz is where they store most of the aging population in medium custody. Women in their 60s and 70s all know each...
Your Blood Never Lies
I have always been skeptical of how much "stress" affects one's health. Well, I'm a believer now. I have empirical evidence of my own blood lab work. If you read the articles about how bad Lumley Unit treats its residents, you can understand the major STRESS the women...
Quick summary of Jensen v. Shinn trial
(For gavel to gavel coverage, see Jimmy Jenkins reporting for the Arizona Republic.) Psychologists, wardens, medical workers, and the prisoners themselves, testified for a month in this health care trial. On the last day of the trial, the court heard from Centurion's...
Prison nurse told to falsify report
(Read Jimmy Jenkins complete article in the Arizona Republic) This RN with 30 years experience, worked predominantly in the DOC Alhambra unit which serves as intake for men's prisons. In this instance in 2020, Nurse Bordan was asked to document a return from off-site...
Registered Nurse: “H. Pylori is rampant in Perryville”
An RN source alerted us to this story. According to her, this serious bacterial disease is prevalent in prisons....at least AZ prisons. This virulent strain of bacteria is, according to the Merck manual, is the cause of gastritis and ulcers. Long-term infection...
AZDOC has NOT told their pregnant inmates about the ‘Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act’
Families of pregnant women have told us that there has been no postings or any dissemination of information about the Act. These expectant mothers need to know they will no longer be shackled or restrained in any way. And after birth, they will be allowed to bond with...
Judge Silver to AZDOC: “See you in court!”
Federal Judge Roslyn Silver has finally lost patience with the DOC. She's taking them to trial over their continued non-compliance with Parson v. Ryan, a class action suit started in 2012. If the DOC can't defend their decision to turn over the health care of inmates...
10 Ambulances in 24 Hours at Peaville!
We've had multiple reports from families and staff, about the brutal heat emergencies in the women's prison. A staff member at Lumley Unit said three 911 calls were issued in two hours! A woman allegedly broke her ankle on one of the yards, trying to fix swamp...
More Older Women and Longer Sentences – AZDOC winning the wrong competitions
Women in AZ spend far longer in prison than women nationally. These additional months and years are not making Arizona safer. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that longer sentences do not make people less likely to commit a crime in the future. Recidivism is...
Diabetics in Danger for Their Health on Lumley
Due to DW Bendel's rules about 'escorting' women everywhere, we have letters from diabetics warning of serious consequences to their health. Even in the midst of a critical staff shortage, Bendel insists on a guard to go with the women everywhere. Diabetics must be...
Nightmare on Shingles Street
(This is a true story by one of our favorite reporters on Lumley---Ed.) "At age 71, I take chest pain seriously. On Monday morning I told the guards I was experiencing severe chest pain. I was transferred to medical via wheelchair immediately. The nurse hooked me up...
DOC fined another $1 million dollars for lack of compliance in prison medical care
(From a story in AZ Republic newspaper 2-26-21) Judge Roslyn Silver found the DOC in contempt for failing to comply with the Order issued May 2019. This time the state will pay 1.1 million in 14 days. Parsons v Ryan is the lawsuit that claimed inadequate medical,...
I was in prison for 17years and have seen so many people die in front of me It’s traumatic and I have PTSD from it. Medical never helped me for my heart problems, never took tests, just told me I have congested heart failure and didn’t do anything for me. I saw it every day. They never helped us, made us always feel like we were lying and would send us away. Making people work in the kitchen who have scoliosis, heart problems, people who have AIDS and Hep C as well as other STDs. There’s rat poop on our kitchen food, birds all over our trays that we eat off of making us all even sicker, black mold everywhere. We can’t breathe in our cells due to all the mold and crud in our walls, vents, and coolers. They are trying to kill us – they don’t care and the money they get for us does not go to us. There is so much more.
I’ve been sexually attacked by the CO police officers twice. I have my whole life to account for in there and I’m surprised I made it out after 17years. They have medium inmates on max yards getting assaulted and they don’t care. They say it is due to no room. They also send you to max yard as punishment without ever getting tickets. It’s all retaliation. They will ruin your life if you don’t do what they want. They make up lies, yep the sergeants, if you refuse to work because you don’t feel good. I heard a Sergeant say “Oh you’re going to hurt yourself” then cuff her up and put her in isolation when the girl never said it. I’ve seen it all, believe that.
Hi Cynthia! I’m not sure if you’ll see this but I am so sorry for what you went through. Thank you for sharing a glimpse of your story. I would love to ask you questions as I am exploring ideas for my doctoral capstone and am interested in issues in the AZ Women’s Prison. Is there any way we could talk further?
That was my friend 😭 she was cool ag and funny. I feel bad I had to leave San Carlos for Cruz. But fck their medical center, the whole prison is fucked up and corrupted. I’ve been out for 8 months now and I still remember everything like yesterday especially with health care. Like can the prison do an upgrade and fix their shit or will more ppl have to die like my friend here? It’s fucked up because I knew she was having a hard time in the beginning getting her shots. We both came from the same county. She wasn’t even a criminal like person. She was fun, bright and very smart, like she could’ve went to college. She had alot planned for herself…damn I love Jowell thank for the laughs and being a loyal friend. Rest in Paradise
Yeah, she was a very cool person to know. She would hug you when she saw you with a big smile. She was always cool to everyone, no hate or anger in her heart but she probably did towards ADOC health employees
I was incarcerated for 9 years and just released March 2024. In 2019, my stomach swelled up and I looked 9 months pregnant. They told me I had impacted stool and had me drink a laxative. The pain got worse, I couldn’t breath or walk and this went on for 2 months. My family contacted the ACLU and prison and finally in February 2020 I was sent to the hospital and diagnosed with Stage 3 Ovarian cancer. I was in the hospital for 10 days and started chemo. I went back to the prison and was expecting chemo every 3 weeks. It took over a 3 weeks for me to get scheduled for my next chemo. In May, I had just came back from chemo and was told I was packing up and being sent to San Carlos. I had to load and unload all of my belongings after a day of chemo and was being transferred to a yard with 1300 women. I then had surgery to remove the cancer in July and once released from the hospital was sent to Maria and put in a cell, by myself with no A/C. I had to move everything by myself and carry a chair out to take a shower. I had an incision from belly button to my pubic bone. Finally after 2 weeks, I was sent back to Carlos. I was told later that I had peritoneal cancer and not ovarian, after I had had a complete hysterectomy. I never had a follow up PET scan to make sure the cancer was gone. In March of 2023, I started seeing a new oncologist, Dr. Benjamin and he finally ordered a PET scan and saw that I had cancer again in the same area of my stomach. I had surgery again in May and started six rounds of chemo. Between the medical Dr’s John and Johnson my medical treatment at the prison was horrible. They didn’t give me anything but Tylenol and Excedrin for the pain and I had to fight to get an extra mattress and extra milk for protein shakes. If I didn’t have my family to support me and stand up for me I would have died. I applied for clemency 2 times and because I wasn’t dying in 3 months, I was refused. Something needs to change with the health system and prison.