The handwritten letters describe the fears and frustrations of people incarcerated inside Arizona’s prisons.

They testify to the chaos of the pandemic, one cell block at a time. 

“It is my belief that if you are sentenced to the Arizona Department of Corrections at this time, you are sentenced to COVID-19,” an inmate wrote on Aug. 31 inside the Tucson prison facility. 

The letters ask for clarity on COVID-19 for themselves and for everyone connected with the prison system. 

“The inmates, family, friends and officers want to know the truth,” wrote an inmate inside the Florence facility in April. 

Corrections officers and inmates shared their fears.

“He said it was what it was, that they were exposed daily also!” an inmate inside the Lewis facility wrote on Sept. 5 about his conversation with a DOC employee. 

From late March to September, The Arizona Republic received nearly 90 letters from inmates claiming the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry was failing to protect staff and inmates as the COVID-19 outbreak continued. 

Some inmates asked for help by writing a group message. Others provided graphic details in personal narratives of surviving with the virus. 

Multiple inmates called on Gov. Doug Ducey to act. Department of Corrections Director David Shinn was not doing enough, they said. 

“We feel our Governor Ducey has no idea what’s truly going on,” an inmate serving a six-year sentence in the Eyman facility in Florence wrote in April.

This year, 2,577 inmates have tested positive for the coronavirus in Arizona’s prisons, and 15 of them have died as of Thursday, according to the department. The daily population on Thursday was 38,865.

Thirteen more deaths potentially were caused by the virus, according to county medical examiners. The department only confirms deaths if the initial clinical conclusion was made by a hospital or the state’s medical contractor.

In August, more than 500 inmates staying in the same unit at the Tucson prison facility tested positive for the virus. 

The department on Thursday said it had 700 self-reported positive cases among staff. 

The letters claim inmates are not receiving essential necessities such as soap, cleaning supplies and masks and that common areas are not being cleaned.

Inmates from multiple prison facilities made similar claims, including accusing the department of not acting until employees of the department’s food contractor tested positive.

Inmates contended the department and its health care contractor were not testing sick inmates for COVID-19 and were failing to treat those with serious medical conditions. 

“Heaven help the inmates that develop a more serious medical issue while incarcerated,” an inmate inside the Eyman prison facility wrote on May 4.

“If so, the first step the health unit takes is, ignore, conceal, or deny the issue exists.” 

Arizona’s prisons have a history of providing inadequate health care to inmates. The state remains under scrutiny in federal court for not complying with a 2014 class-action settlement on standards for health and dental care. 

The inmates also claim correctional officers were not receiving face masks, were not being screened for symptoms regularly and were being required to supervise bigger areas because of staff shortages.  

A group in the La Paz unit inside the Yuma prison facility criticized the lack of protection for inmates and staff. 

“Not only is this highly unethical and irresponsible of AZDOC, but it is unconstitutional and dangerous to both the public and inmates alike,” the inmates wrote in April.

Ducey did not respond to a request for comment.

A Department of Corrections spokesperson referenced numerous health and safety protocols announced during the pandemic and denied many allegations by inmates. 

“Each day, all employees entering Arizona prison complexes continue to undergo required temperature and symptom checks at each facility,” Judy Keane said.

“ADCRR continues to communicate with staff and inmates about how they can reduce the risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19.”

Allegations that sick inmates weren’t tested are not true, Keane said. 

“ADCRR has contractual and continuous monitoring to ensure community standards in medical care,” she said. 

The spokesperson did not respond to each specific criticism by inmates. 

At the beginning of the pandemic, the department delayed admissions and suspended visitations and off-site work programs to try to prevent the virus from coming into the prisons. 

Advocates pointed out that the virus could still spread by staff coming into the prisons from their communities. 

Cases were reported in Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties by March 18. The department announced days later six inmates were being tested for the virus. 

In June, Arizona Department of Health Services announced that the state planned to test all inmates for the illness. The Corrections Department ordered staff to wear masks in June and stated it was testing staff for COVID-19 antibodies. By July, the department said all inmates had masks.

Here are more stories from inmates who wrote to The Republic. Their names are not used because of their common concern about retaliation.

COVID-19 from Phoenix to Safford

One newly arrived inmate at the Safford prison facility wrote about his worries during the intake and admissions process.

In his July letter, he pointed out how an inmate who was experiencing symptoms was still transported with a group to the prison. 

As of Thursday, the department reported 11 inmates tested positive out of the Safford prison facility population during the pandemic. According to the department, 1,440 inmates at the Safford prison facility have tested negative. The daily population on Thursday was 1,602. 

The inmate who wrote the letter violated his parole conditions in May. He was placed into custody and entered the Arizona State Prison Complex-Phoenix facility downtown. He stayed in the Alhambra reception unit and claims there were seven people in his cell.

As of Thursday, the Phoenix facility has 299 positive cases out of 2,651 inmates who were tested.

He saw medical staff within 24 hours, was placed in isolation and remained in a cell for five days before he was able to take a shower. He wrote the facility allowed him to clean his cell twice and had to share cleaning supplies with other inmates. 

On May 29, he was moved to the Safford facility. He was seen by medical staff and asked about COVID-19 symptoms. The inmate claimed one of the people who was transported with him complained of symptoms. 

“We were all given masks, right then, taken to the medical unit where the six (6) of us were given the COVID-19 test,” the inmate wrote. 

He and the other inmates were placed in isolation. Only one inmate at the time tested positive. 

A few days later, he started to experience symptoms: fever, coughing, body aches and nausea. He and four inmates were tested for the virus. 

He and another inmate tested positive.

“I contracted the COVID-19 virus while in A.D.C. custody,” he wrote. “For reasons I believe include the incompetence on the part of an inability to execute or establish social distancing and/or proper or regulated quarantine protocol.” 

Keane said the prison population changes frequently because of new admissions and releases.

“It is important to note that all incoming admissions are tested at our intake facilities like ASPC-Phoenix, where we receive new inmate commitments from the county jails and where they are cohorted and monitored for 14 days prior to being moved to their assigned location,” she said in a statement. 

Yuma: ‘They don’t test for the virus’

The outbreak has only increased the issues of accessing health care, according to inmates in the Yuma prison facility. 

Their accounts highlight the continuous issues still being argued in federal court.  

Several inmates told The Republic that Centurion, the prison health care provider, is not treating chronic and life-threatening medical conditions during the pandemic. Inmates claim they are not receiving treatment for heart disease, cancer and seizures. 

The department reported onThursday that 4,448 inmates have been tested during the pandemic at the Yuma prison. The prison has had 128 positive cases and the daily population on Thursday was 4,669. 

One inmate was confirmed to have died of COVID-19, and another death potentially may have been caused by the virus, according to the department. 

Multiple inmates inside the Cibola unit wrote letters. It was called a “petri dish” by one in an April 16 letter. 

An inmate who has been incarcerated for three years said a medical employee refused to test him when he was showing symptoms.  

“She stated they don’t test for the virus,” he wrote his June 7 letter. “I asked if I could get her statement in writing and she refused. She told me to fill out a questionnaire.” 

He wrote that the medical employee told him “being sick for a few days doesn’t mean your sick.” 

In his letter, the inmate claimed a person was sick at the prison facility for a month and was never tested. 

Several inmates inside two units at the prison facility individually mailed The Republic the same letter with their names signed. 

Inmates in the Cibola unit wrote in May that they were sick. They said more than 60 people in their unit had the virus. 

“Thanks to God none of us has been on a ventilator yet,” they wrote.

Four inmates inside the La Paz unit wrote there was no social distancing in dorms and that the department was not checking staff for COVID-19 symptoms.

According to their April 6 letters, when inmates are sick they are placed in quarantine but come back to the general population in five to six days. 

“Officers and inmates alike are not being provided with face masks or gloves,” theywrote.  

Eyman: ‘We are on our own’

One inmate at the Eyman prison facility described the department’s actions to contain the virus as “the bare minimum” in his May 4 letter.

Inmates are doing what they could to prevent the spread, they said. 

“The inmates understand we are on our own and not to expect much assistance from DOC,” wrote an inmate. “We have to be our own doctor, lawyer and any other professional we need, unless we have a family member on the outside.” 

In his letter, he explained correctional officers are having to work more than one yardbecause of a staff shortage.

According to the department, staffing is being monitored and dispatched during the day to make sure operations are safe. Keane said the department may move correctional officers to another location on a particular day if certain units have a higher need for staff.  

An inmate serving 18 years in Eyman wrote his unit is housing people who are in quarantine and those who are not showing symptoms but have medical conditions that make them vulnerable to the virus. 

In his June 20 letter, the inmate said he has diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and fibrosis. He noted several dates during the pandemic, starting in April, that medical staff did not give him his insulin. He said he is afraid of getting the virus and dying. 

“The housing unit that is being used for quarantine does not have its separate ventilation to prevent the respiratory virus from spreading to other inmates housed very near the quarantine pod,” he wrote. 

According to his letter, there are mechanical issues with the exhaust fans in the unit. He claimed the Department of Corrections has not repaired them and very few inmates in his unit have been tested for COVID-19. 

As of Thursday, there were 410 positive cases out of 5,317 inmates who were tested at the Eyman prison facility. The daily population on Thursday was 5,479. 

According to the department, the cause of death for one inmate at the facility is potentially COVID-19. 

FOR SUBSCRIBERS: Maricopa County is putting sick female inmates in ‘the hole,’ families say

Winslow: Shampoo to clean cells

Inmates in several prisons wrote about the lack of cleaning supplies. 

Inside the Apache unit of the Winslow prison facility, inmates were using shampoo to clean their cells, according to a Mayletter. 

An inmate serving a six-year sentence wrote in May that cleaning supplies were not being provided for housing and inmates were buying shampoo to meet the need. Soap was provided if an inmate requested it but only when it was deemed “necessary,” he wrote. 

Keane said cleaning supplies were available at each prison facility and supplies were verified multiple times each week. She said the department cleaned common areas, bathrooms, living areas, and any area that was frequently touched. 

“An inmate may request a new bar of soap when their current bar is finished,” Keane said. 

The inmate also questioned why the department was not doing more to practice social distancing. He claimed the prison facility had more space available than was being used because of ongoing renovations.

“Why are they not using that space to practice better social distancing,” he wrote. “They are short on space due to painting. Our health should be more important than their needless renovations.” 

Keane said daily operations at Winslow were not being disrupted by any work occurring at the facility. 

The department reported on Thursday the facility has had 9 positive cases out of the 1,274 inmates who were tested. The daily population on Thursday was 1,336. 

A prison job lost, a clash with a guard

Besides health concerns, the pandemic has cost inmates jobs and led to disciplinary action, letters said. 

Before the pandemic, Ducey announced the state would close the Florence facility to certain inmates. Death row inmates and some others are still being held at the prison.

The Florence prison facility has 109 positive cases out of 3,249 inmates who were tested as of Thursday. The daily population was 2,759. There have been six deaths of inmates at Florence that were confirmed to be caused by COVID-19, with four other deaths potentially caused by the virus.

Two inmates who wrote to The Republic were transferred from the Florence prison facility to the Kingman private prison. The Corrections Department contracts with six private facilities. 

As of Thursday, the Kingman facility has 55 positive cases out of 2,700 inmates who were tested, with one potential death. The daily population on Thursday was 2,837. 

An inmate inside the Kingman private prison facility wrote that he lost his job because of COVID-19 and the closing of Florence. 

In his July 26 letter, he wrote inmates spent three weeks in quarantine at Florence and were tested for the virus. When they were moved to Kingman, he spent two more weeks in quarantine. 

He asked if Ducey plans to find a way for inmates to work during the pandemic. Inmates use money to pay for necessities or restitution. 

An inmate serving a two-year sentence sent a disciplinary report that was filed against him April 24 while he was at Florence. 

 The inmate claims a correctional officer wanted him to work in an area that was “hazardous.” 

The officer wrote that after he gave a verbal work assignment, the inmate refused. 

“I’m not going to work that area,” the report quoted the inmate as saying.

The officer filed the report, but it was dismissed by a supervisor on the same day. 

“Dismissed due to COVID-19 area,” the officer’s supervisor wrote. 

CORONAVIRUS SPREADING: 517 inmates test positive for COVID-19 in Tucson, nearly half of prison population there

‘They are feeling defeated’ 

Throughout the pandemic, many organizations have advocated for inmates and correctional officers. They have found ways to show them there are people on the outside who care about their safety. 

Puente Human Rights Movement has worked to support the incarcerated. They have held rallies and vigils, communicated with inmates and connected with loved ones. 

Holly Woods, an organizer, said it is important for the organization to show its support because it encourages those who are incarcerated to keep fighting for themselves. 

“A lot of the things that we are hearing from them is that they are really depressed in there,” she said. “They are feeling alone, they are feeling defeated, they are feeling like the system has failed them.” 

The organization provides advice on mental health resources and other suggestions on how they can help themselves while they are in prison. 

The Department of Corrections temporarily suspended visitations early during the pandemic to prevent the spread of the virus. In its place, the department is providing a limited amount of time for inmates to have phone calls or video visitations.

However, the change is still hard for families. 

Woods said video visits only allow one loved one to be on at a time. This can be hard for an inmate who may have a large family or a loved one who is having trouble with technology. 

She said it is important to remember that those who are incarcerated are human beings.

“Those people are somebody’s family members, regardless of what they’ve done,” Woods said.

Have thoughts about people incarcerated in Arizona’s prisons? Reach criminal justice reporter Lauren Castle at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @Lauren_Castle.

Support local journalism.Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2020/09/28/arizona-inmates-say-not-enough-being-done-protect-them-coronavirus-pandemic/5418490002/