Infrastructure Nightmares
Introduction to this Topic by the Editor
I need to give you a little background on Perryville so this will be more understandable. This prison was built in the early
Explaining the Shower Picture
This is an accurate sketch of a real shower in “B” yard, Santa Cruz unit. Do you see the loose wires hanging in the lower door jamb? I was told they were “live” because this shower light is still on. I won’t test this theory! I’ve tried to portray all the standing water in front of those wires. All the shower units have standing water because the drains are all plugged.
Standing water = black mold we see everywhere
When inmates complained about the condition of this shower, they just took off the door and left it open. In the shower next to this one (not pictured) is the same filth.
The regulators (hot and cold) will not engage so moving the handle from Hot to Cold does nothing. The temperature the DOC sets is what you get. In the winter the water is cold and in the summer, it’s hot. The water pressure would increase dramatically if they would soak the shower heads in Lime-aWay to remove 50 years of accumulated minerals.
Warning San Carlos: You are attracting negative media attention!
Gosh, we just love tablets:-) Since the media has direct access via email to inmates, they are getting the real TRUTH firsthand about the nefarious dealings going on in prison. We know that Channel 12, 15, and the Arizona Republic newspaper, have been reaching out to Perryville residents lately. The unit most under scrutiny is San Carlos, judged by an inmate straw poll, as the “worst unit”.
As far as this blog is concerned, we are checking out stories about food service, verbal abuse, and a possible kidnapping. Rest assured readers, we vet the heck out of sources, and triple-verify everything as much as possible.
Aramark: “Just give the women the leftovers!
(In the years we’ve been reporting on the prison food, this isn’t the first time this quote has been documented. We hoped the new vendor, Aramark, would not be sexist, but we were wrong. One of the reasons we think this doesn’t change is Aramark hired the same Trinity workers and just gave them a blue shirt to wear. Same attitude, a different color shirt. Many reliable sources were interviewed for this story, and we have the real names of Aramark (Trinity retreads) employees, but we’ll just use initials.–Ed.)
COMPLEX KITCHEN- Perryville: There are 3 Trinity retreads, R, C, and S. Ms. R. reportedly has been working there for 26 years. Complex kitchen also feeds a men’s prison and all Perryville units. These supervisors have repeatedly told the female inmate workers to ” keep the men’s menu exactly as written, cuz they’ll get mad if it isn’t.” “Just give the women the leftovers.” When the gals ask why this is, all 3 supervisors say, “Because that’s the way it’s always been.” Recently the kitchen ran out of sweet potatoes, which were on the menu for both genders, and indeed the men all got sweet potatoes. What did Perryville get? Mashed up, dehydrated regular potato slices from breakfast, in a cold lumpy paste! Supervisor C. said, “The women will take whatever and no one cares.”
Inmate workers all agree Aramark has superior fresher ingredients than Trinity. They were also impressed that Aramark prepared food only one day in advance, versus Trinity’s three-day prep which tended to spoil. Workers appreciated the little things, like butter instead of water in baked goods. Apparently, Aramark requires a full “state issue” serving, so that’s good too.
Now brace yourself. Our sources are terrified of what will happen when the REAL Aramark employees go home. What? Since the transfer of Trinity to Aramark, full-time Aramark employees from back east were staying in hotels, and supervising everything from food service to hiring people. (retreads) In a few short weeks, they are all flying home! That leaves Perryville in the clutches of Trinity’s failure team and bad habits. There are guardrails on the retreads now, what will happen to the food when Aramark supervisors leave? We’ll be keeping our eye on it, and reporting back to our readers.
Blanket Punishment, Group Punishment, it’s all the same
Punishing an innocent group of people for someone else’s sins is the favorite cudgel of Perryville staff. A lifelong nonsmoker says, “When the smokers leave their butts all over the yard, the DW closes it down to ‘punish them’. When the smokers get inside they light up anyway in a confined space, so the only folks getting punished are the very people that never put a cigarette butt on the ground in their life.”
Apparently, Complex Kitchen jobs are the most hated in prison, and the worst shift is 2 am. Those people just don’t want to go to work, so several guards turn on the overhead lights, shine flashlights in faces indiscriminately, and yell to wake the dead…..at 2am. It never seems to dawn on them to only wake up the folks who work there…..not the others that need all the rest they can get.
Full time, M-Fri workers like Televerde, Garment, and Hometown Heros, really look forward to their one chance at recreation on the weekends. They have had that time ripped away by ‘blanket punishment’ because the whole yard is shut down until all the Complex workers go to work. The only thing this accomplishes is to give Complex folks more time to sleep in, and aggravates the M-F folks to the point of fighting and unrest.
Several months ago someone in Garment lost a pair of tweezers. Instead of mobilizing with metal detectors and a search team, the staff decided to “scare” ALL the inmates by threatening to take away their visits, fundraisers, baseball games, and rec time, until the tweezers were found. We wish we could step into the deranged mind of a DOC person just for a minute….to see how they work. Why would taking away visits from a 70-year-old granny, who doesn’t even know where Garment is, help find one tiny tweezer????
Patient Finds Erroneous Information In Her Medical File
We get many reports of people in Perryville that find wrong records in their files. This particular patient was undergoing an endoscopy when the doctor asked about her liver transplant. "Liver transplant?!" she exclaimed. She had never even come close to having one....
Is Lumley Out Of Control? An Eyewitness Story
(Editors note: Lumley unit has always been veiled in secrecy. Both inmates and staff go there for a reason. It's rare we get an individual that is willing to tell her story. Remember, we don't vet these stories, we only provide a platform for 1st Amendment rights.) "I...
Elderly Woman Endures 3 Days With Broken Femur, With Only Muscle Rub For Pain!
This one takes the cake. We'll let her tell it in her own words. We will call her "Sue". "I collapsed again on San Carlos, but this time I woke up to terrible pain. My leg was at an awkward angle, but when I tried to straighten it the pain made me pass out again. The...
Diabetic Faces Amputation Due To No Care Naphcare
This is a very sad story, but unfortunately emblematic of a growing healthcare crisis at Perryville. As you may know, diabetics have trouble with their feet from this disease. We will call her Pat. For two months Pat had been in and out of medical trying to resolve a...
Do DOC Staff Have the Right To Deny An ICS?
The short answer is no. So why do they try? We've been sent names of a lieutenant, a sergeant, and even an RN, that are allegedly (according to family) trying to REFUSE an inmate asking for immediate medical attention. Nowhere in policy does it say they can do that....
Medical Grievances Skyrocket Under Naphcare
Medical staff source: "We have received an unprecedented amount of grievances from patients in Perryville, regarding deliberate indifference and gross incompetence. We've had to divert a needed staff member to field these grievances full-time."
Another Cancer Casualty On Carlos
GG was another 41-year-old looking forward to returning to her tribe and family when she received a grim diagnosis... multiple myecloma. In the weeks leading up to this, she was treated by the No Care Naphcare staff for "gas". It was twisted irony that 16 hours before...
BREAKING: COIII Amador escorted off San Carlos
An officer confided Amador will be "under investigation for an indeterminate amount of time."
Medical Off-Site Appointments Being Turned Away
As we have reported in earlier stories, Banner has stopped taking Naphcare insurance. This is another installment in I-dont-believe-they-did-this saga. From inmate's email. "I had been waiting four months for an endoscopy. Finally, I knew my appointment was imminent...
Only ONE Wheelchair Van for All of Perryville?
Reportedly, there is one, made-for-wheelchair/lift-type van in this whole place. Wheelchair-bound inmates say virtually nothing is handicapped accessible in Perryville. We've written before on Medium custody buildings built (1970s) before disability laws were...
Medical Officer: “Naphcare Is In So Much Trouble Now, Receivership Will Be Soon.
What that officer was referring to was the Feds taking over the health care of Arizona prisoners. We feel Judge Silver will have no choice but to do this, as reluctant as she is to do so. You have read the many stories on this site about the horrendous neglect of our...
75% Staffing By Oct 7th “Not Possible” According To Senior Staff
The Order and Injunction signed by Judge Silver mandates that essential staffing levels be at 75% by Oct 7, 2023. When interviewing employees on San Carlos, the largest unit in the state, about this mandate, first they laugh. They think the whole notion of that...
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