Report on Ariz. prison’s locks faults official

PHOENIX — Locks failed for years at an Arizona prison and allowed for serious beatings of prisoners and guards, but Corrections Director Charles Ryan failed to appreciate the seriousness of the problem until he saw video of an assault that was broadcast on television, according to a report released Thursday.

Whether Ryan was misled or disregarded information reported to him, he bears responsibility for the problem continuing at the Lewis prison, wrote retired Arizona Supreme Court Justices Rebecca White Berch and Ruth McGregor in a report commissioned by Gov. Doug Ducey.

“We conclude that the Director, for too long, remained surprisingly uninformed about the poor functioning of the locks and scope and seriousness of the danger,” they wrote. “That is not acceptable.”

The justices also placed blame on understaffing, complacency by correctional officers, budget requests that were ignored and poor management at the prison in 2017 and 2018. Ryan replaced the warden and his deputies at the beginning of the year.

Ryan announced his retirement Aug. 9, the day after he sat for his final interview with the justices. He did not respond to an email seeking comment on the report. Department of Corrections spokesman Andrew Wilder said Ryan hasn’t commented on it.

The department issued a statement saying the report provides a fair assessment of the cell door issues at Lewis and the operational challenges faced by the agency.

Problems with locks at Lewis, about 45 miles west of downtown Phoenix, shocked lawmakers and the public when KNXV-TV aired video in April of an assault on a corrections officer from 2018. The station reported that inmates used objects to prevent their cell locks from engaging completely, though they appeared secure on control panels.

The justices found five instances where corrections officers were assaulted and injured that could be attributed to inmates leaving their cells without permission and another assault on an inmate. Four other beatings of inmates might have been related to lock problems, but there wasn’t enough evidence to make a conclusion.

“In recent months, the department has already begun taking steps to address many of the issues identified in the report,” the agency said. “These include implementing enhanced training for officers, improving communication among all personnel and identifying a locking system replacement project for Lewis prison.”

While the report pointed some of the blame at rank-and-file correction officers for complacency about checking cell locks, it also said short staffing at the Lewis prison left less time for officers to inspect doors to make sure they are locked.

Ducey said in a statement that he will work with the Legislature to act on the report’s recommendations.

The Associated Press A cell door at Lewis prison in Buckeye, Ariz., with an added pin and padlock to keep inmates from opening it when locked.