doug ducey

Are Arizona’s private prisons in need of serious reform? This question was sparked after Arizona Governor Doug Ducey recently cut ties with a prison operator after riots broke out resulting in injuries, the evacuation of thousands of inmates, building damage and an investigation into the prison’s management.

The Arizona Department of Corrections (DOC) conducted an investigative report on the prison, and noted the private operator of the Golden Valley facility, Management & Training Corporation (MTC), had “a culture of disorganization, disengagement and disregard” of the DOC’s security, inmate safety and management policies.

More significant findings from the report stated MTC failed to conduct important staff training required by the state and hid this information from DOC; that the riots were not effectively handled and went on for longer than they should have, resulting in increased damage to the prison; and that the inmates  were likely dissatisfied with the operation of the prison because frustration and violence during the riot were directed at the prison staff and to damaging the facility – not to one another.

MTC took full responsibility for the uncontrolled riots that occurred in July, but insisted that the DOC investigation was flawed.

With Arizona having the sixth highest incarceration rate in the country, some believe although Ducey has terminated the Kingman prison operator’s contract, cutting ties might not be enough to improve the Kingman prison or any other management issues that may exist at other facilities.

More than two months after the riot, few improvements regarding how the facility will be managed have been announced, other than the fact that it will be contracted to another private, for-profit operator.

As Arizona looks forward from this event, many questions regarding whether the state’s prisons are capable of maintaining proper security and what will happen moving forward are left unanswered.

Arizona residents will not be able to fly domestically or enter certain federal buildings with their driver’s licenses if the state doesn’t make changes to comply with federal “REAL ID” requirements by the end of 2015.

Since 9/11, the federal government added 31 extra measures for states to use to produce more secure forms of identification. However, state legislatures are responsible for regulating licenses, and five states including Arizona, Maine, Louisiana, Idaho and New Hampshire chose not to comply with the REAL ID Act standards.

Air travel within the country is the biggest problem thousands of Arizona residents could face in the next year. Without a REAL ID, The Department of Homeland Security would not allow flyers through airport security unless they provided another form of identification such as a valid passport.

Access will also be denied to federal buildings and nuclear power plants without a REAL ID by early 2016.

Opponents in Arizona decided against making state licenses compliant with the new standards because of fears that that the REAL ID would work as a tracking device or as a tactic to make the government extra money.

Although Arizona revamped state licenses in 2013, the new IDs do not comply with certain REAL ID requirements, such as requiring new ID photos every eight years and proof that ID holders are in the country legally.

“Arizona you know how we act, sometimes when we’re told by the federal government we need to do something, we’re kind of like that rebellious teenager. We said no we’re not, so we’ve passed a ban, and we said we’re not going to do it,” said Arizona Senator Bob Worsley.

Worsley’s Arizona Senate Bill 1273 proposes bringing the state’s licenses up to federal standards by giving residents the option to pay $15 for a new, REAL ID.

The bill passed through the Senate and has moved to the House. Worsley said he hopes the bill will make it’s way to Governor Doug Ducey’s by the end of March.