This letter is most vital to all; the state and individuals
employed by the state as correctional officers. Yes, although intense, it is a
matter of life or death; a road to safety or a journey of harm. Either way, it
is a subject of most urgent attention and cannot be neglected any longer.
We expect the Arizona Department of Corrections to be governed
by rule of law and moral standards. We seek safety for all that work there and
hold those in command responsible for such conditions. Today, the rule of law
and those applicable moral standards are not in accord with public safety
expectations or employee protection.
They are neglected by superiors and governed inadequately
to control the milieu regardless of the threat to safety or lives. The administration
lacks the wisdom, the sincerity and the courage to make changes to protect
staff. They are in damage control that consists of distorted press releases
while imposing extreme strictness and discipline of staff rather than those
that commit the violence and crime within the prison setting.
The administration has to commit to a specific
operational plan to reign in gang behaviors and assertively step up efforts to interdict
the efforts of introducing dangerous contraband (specifically cell phones and
weapons and drugs).
These have been successful because of administrative slackness
in staffing such security operations. In
deliberating these conditions, you will find a better prison environment and safer
working condition in comparison to the present time.
