Prison Workers are 'Disciplined' in Woman's Death

PHOENIX (AP) -- Sixteen Arizona corrections employees have been fired, suspended or otherwise disciplined for their roles in the death of an inmate left in an outdoor holding cell for four hours in triple-digit heat and for a ''wait-them-out'' practice at the prison where she died.

www.nytimes.com...

Three of those disciplined were fired, two stepped down in place of being fired, 10 received suspensions ranging from 40 to 80 hours, and one was demoted. Two others will be disciplined after they return from medical leave.

Arizona Department of Corrections Director Charles Ryan announced the moves Tuesday, calling the death the ''most significant example of abuse'' of an inmate that he's aware of within the department.

This woman, serving a sentence for prostitution was treated worse than a dog. Left to die out in the heat.

Marcia Powell, who was serving a 27-month sentence for prostitution, died from heat-related complications hours after she collapsed May 19 in an uncovered outdoor cell at the Perryville prison in the west Phoenix suburb of Goodyear. She had been in the cell for nearly four hours, despite a policy that set a two-hour limit.

Powell, 48, was being held in the outdoor cell while being transferred from one section of the prison to an observation ward after seeing a psychologist. An autopsy report showed she had first- and second-degree burns on her face and body and a core body temperature of 108 degrees.

They cooked her. She must have opened her mouth.

Marcia Powell, who was serving a 27-month sentence for prostitution, died from heat-related complications hours after she collapsed May 19 in an uncovered outdoor cell at the Perryville prison in the west Phoenix suburb of Goodyear. She had been in the cell for nearly four hours, despite a policy that set a two-hour limit. Powell, 48, was being held in the outdoor cell while being transferred from one section of the prison to an observation ward after seeing a psychologist. An autopsy report showed she had first- and second-degree burns on her face and body and a core body temperature of 108 degrees.

And of course, the obligatory CYA on part of the 'authorities.'

The autopsy also found that Powell's death was an accident and that she had anti-psychotic drugs in her system. Such drugs are known to make people more susceptible to heat-related illnesses.

They killed this woman and they get fired, time off, or demoted? It's pretty obvious how there is a huge discrepancy in the value of a person's life based on whether you are wearing a badge or not.

It's I suppose on par with accidently giving someone the death penalty.

Then when the mistake is caught, everyone get's a slap on the wrist.

But this was intentional.

Negligence, I'd say if she had family, but not likely, they should sue.

For a 27 month sentence, and she died! That's harsh.

It's psychology though, i'd name the experiment but I can't think of it...

reply to post by KSPigpen


They cooked a women to death that was imprisoned for a victimless crime.

She died because she did something that was 'immoral' to some.

Sickening.

It just reinforces these thugs ability to abuse their power. Cook someone to death and the worst that will happen is you lose your crappy job.

It's also a signal to the rest of the inmates 'step out of line and we will cook your #'.

They should all be thrown in the same cell, same weather, same amount of time, let fate decide their punishment.

A fairer punishment would to charge them all with involuntary manslaughter and let a jury decide.

Hopefully they would get sentenced to prison and get a little taste of their own medicine.





[edit on 29-9-2009 by lucentenigma]

Stories like this anger me. I've been a Correctional Officer for 20 years; I've never abused nor have I ever witnessed an offender being abused.

Those responsible should be charged in criminal court. We have a moral and legal obligations to ensure offender safety.

The courts have decided that an individual has to serve a prison sentence for whatever the crime may be; the sentence is the punishment. It is not my job to make their time rough. My job is to manage offender lives. I ensure they don't harm themselves or any one else. If medical treatment is needed; get it for them. In short I am responsible for ensuring their basic human needs are met and they are treated humanely. While we do use holding cells it is only for a very short time and they are inside and monitored constantly.

Treating people with dignity and respect is a major part of my job. My advice to new officers is always the same treat offenders with dignity and respect even if they don't treat you that way. To do anything else is wrong.

Like I said those responsible need to be prosecuted; there is no excuse for allowing another person to die due to extreme negligence.

reply to post by gallopinghordes


It's good to hear that are people like you out there.

CO's that treat inmates fairly and with respect get treated fairly and with respect.

Trust me, the inmates have a list of ones they will try to take out if the chance arrives, they also have a list of ones that will be spared (the ones that treat inmates like human beings and not like dogs).

Same thing with the CO's they know who the trouble makers, snitches, lap dogs are.

Unfortunately it seems for every one CO like you there are five that treat inmates like they are pieces of #. They don't seem to think prison is punishment enough and do everything they can to make an inmates life a living hell. More often then not CO's are power junkies that love to exert their control upon other humans and to bathe in superiority.

I'm sure you know that sometimes CO's that treat inmates with dignity are outcast by their co-workers/peers.

Thanks for going against the grain and doing the right thing,










[edit on 29-9-2009 by lucentenigma]

That it was an accident doesn't wash with me because (from the article in the OP)..

Powell, 48, was being held in the outdoor cell while being transferred from one section of the prison to an observation ward after seeing a psychologist
.......
The autopsy also found that Powell's death was an accident and that she had anti-psychotic drugs in her system. Such drugs are known to make people more susceptible to heat-related illnesses.

Ok - she just saw the psychologist and they stuck her in there while she was being transferred to an observation ward.

What is missing is if the psychologist admistered the drugs during the visit.

But, if they were given by the psychologist then there was gross negligence (the doc didn't tell / write down she had been given the drugs or the guards didn't bother to listen / look) or even worse they knew and just didn't care.

reply to post by Frogs


Yeah, I can't buy the 'accident' story either. I know that a lot of people do their jobs like they should and even have compassion for others. What torques me about this is the lack of equitable consequences.

trials. impartial jury. justice. What this article tells me is that it's to kill a prisoner. Hell, she was a whore anyway. why is her life not worth as much as anyone else's? Spay off the pavement and keep going like nothing every happened.

this horror no any better than the arabs stoning women on the street for 'wrongoings',

sick dogs , hope they all die from vaccines even more painful death

They're actually claiming that they 'accidentaly' didn't know how hot it was out? That's just plain ridicilous. That's like saying that I accidentaly didn't know that the sky is blue

reply to post by gallopinghordes


We need more correctional officers like you.

My brother spent 3 years in jail and some of the correctional officers at the jail he was at seemed pretty friendly but certainly not pushovers.

reply to post by gallopinghordes


I am so glad to read People like Yourself are working in the correctional system. It seems like not too many People seem to take the personal accountability seriously anymore; things like what happened to this woman seem to reaffirm this.
*********************************************************************
Thanks for bringing this to the board Ks
S&F

Arizona? How come I'm not surprised. Personally I'd like to see these people tried for murder - as that is the result of their actions or in-actions.

It seems more and more Jail Guards, Correction officers and their usually fat ass bosses think it's their job to discipline the detainees & prisoners by coming up with barbarian methods of punishment such as this.

I spent a day in Jail in 2007 for calling 911 and then refusing to press charges - charged with false reporting that was ultimately dismissed. Yet, in my one day in jail I requested medical attention after my initial booking and was laughed at, ignored and giving lines like "I'm sure everyone in there could use an aspirin". While I was having a heart attack they just laughed at me as if I was looking for an excuse to get out of jail. Hours later when I was beginning to lose enough strength to remain conscious & pick my self up, I enlisted the help of several other detainees which eventually resulted in a call to paramedics. I then was taken to a hospital by ambulance where they found my main artery 90% blocked. In the half a day that I lay their in agony my heart began to die because of lack of blood flow.

Not only did I nearly die, but now I'm left with a heart that does not function as well because of the damage caused by the delay in getting timely medical attention.

Anywhere else I would of had medical attention immediately and I did on another occasion a couple of months ago where I was at a public event where I asked for assistance and ended up getting a ambulance ride & couple of shocks (defibrillator) at the hospital.

So, now I walk around not knowing when my heart will become erratic enough to cause me an early death (I'm 45) and I pretty much despise and am disgusted anyone who works in a jail or the corrupt court system in our country.

I hear stories of inmates throwing urine and feces at guards on shows like lockup and all I can do is smile, laugh and wish it had been me throwing it when I hear some guard complaining about getting piss thrown in his face.

I was recently playing blackjack at a local casino sitting next to a C/O who was telling me that the juveniles are so bad at the facility he works at that he actually got piss thrown at him. He didn't understand why I was laughing at him.

When you break human beings down to the point that their only recourse is to throw their own urine & feces at you - you probably deserve it.

reply to post by gallopinghordes


Well, I must say it's good to hear your words and if you live by them as you say you must be a great human being.

[edit on 29-9-2009 by verylowfrequency]

reply to post by lucentenigma


Well, thanks for your kind words but the officers I work with are all like me. It's like any other profession; you have a small minority who act stupidly but the majority simply want to do their jobs. Demonizing any group because of the criminal actions of a few while human nature isn't fair.

What happened in Arizona is wrong is so many ways; those actions disgust me and any other person with sense.

Just so you all know if I were to witness actions of this sort I would report it and continue until corrective action was taken. Behavior of this sort puts everybody and I do mean everybody at risk. Prisons are inherently dangerous places and this behavior merely makes the situation worse and could serve as the spark that ignites a riot.

reply to post by verylowfrequency


What happened to you is wrong; there can be no excuse. Doing my job doesn't make me special it means I try to do the right thing. I work the special housing unit which means the inmates are either too weak, their crime too horrific or they have mental health issues to live in Main pop, so by definition they have high risk medical needs; it's a rare day that I don't respond to medical issues. We are all trained first responders and the legal ramifications of not taking appropriate actions include everything up to an including criminal charges.

What happened to you is disgusting and if you didn't press civil action you should have.