Infrastructure Nightmares
Introduction to this Topic by the Editor
I need to give you a little background on Perryville so this will be more understandable. This prison was built in the early
Explaining the Shower Picture
This is an accurate sketch of a real shower in “B” yard, Santa Cruz unit. Do you see the loose wires hanging in the lower door jamb? I was told they were “live” because this shower light is still on. I won’t test this theory! I’ve tried to portray all the standing water in front of those wires. All the shower units have standing water because the drains are all plugged.
Standing water = black mold we see everywhere
When inmates complained about the condition of this shower, they just took off the door and left it open. In the shower next to this one (not pictured) is the same filth.
The regulators (hot and cold) will not engage so moving the handle from Hot to Cold does nothing. The temperature the DOC sets is what you get. In the winter the water is cold and in the summer, it’s hot. The water pressure would increase dramatically if they would soak the shower heads in Lime-aWay to remove 50 years of accumulated minerals.
Typical morning at the Santa Cruz Infirmary
(Letter from Cruz resident.) “I sat on the cement bench outside Medical, trying to position myself to get the maximum breeze from the portable cooler. I counted 13 women on chairs in front of Visitation, about 100 feet away. Then I started counting wheelchairs…..
I just got to 9 when I noticed a gal in one that was crying so hard she was almost screaming. Apparently, she had just got gallbladder surgery and they released her with NO pain meds. On top of that she was bleeding from the incision. Did anyone from Medical bother to come out and see what was wrong??? Noooooo! Only after another wheelchair-bound inmate kept pounding on the door did that get a reaction from inside. The male nurse said, ” She’ll have to wait like everybody else.”
Did I hear that right? So now there is a chorus of complaints from the rest of us, and threats to go to the Yard Office. Finally, they wheeled her inside. I went back to counting patients.
There was 15 more waiting near the cooler. There were close to 36 women waiting for Psych, Nurses Line, and Doctors Line (which is a misnomer because there’s no MD around for miles). Guess how many health providers???? THREE! One nurse, one psych, and one “doctor” (Nurse Practitioner).
About 10am the guard started handing out ID cards, which means there is no time left and reschedule your appointment. So I wiped the sweat from my brow and staggered back to my yard.”
Mad Dogs, Englishmen, and DW Salas
You’ve heard the old refrain, “Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the hot sun.”. Pity the poor women at Sana Cruz unit under Deputy Warden Salas. She makes the women stand in 115f heat waiting for gates to open at the yard gate AND the Administration gate.
If the inmates fall out from the scorching sun, they can suffer from 3d degree burns when they hit the pavement. This is very problematic for the elderly and infirm.
On 7-10-22, Charlie yard’s swamp cooler stopped working. That was the day severe heat warnings were issued for the Phoenix area. ” Keep your elderly and pets in the a/c” was what the news anchors were saying. 14 women affected by the nonworking swamp coolers were offered an a/c room in Admin area. After an hour and a half, the Sgt. announced, “The DW wants you to go back to your rooms now.”
Maintenance had barely finished fixing it! Which means the women went back to a stiflingly hot room, because there had been no cooling for 3 hours! Boy howdy….DW Salas did not want those women to soak up any more a/c than absolutely necessary.
What motivates some staff to cruelty?
Missing and Erroneous Temp Checks in Medium Custody Units?
Last week the biggest volume of complaints from PeeVille was the lack of temperature checks, as required by policy, for non-air-conditioned rooms on Lumley and Santa Cruz.
As reported by the Arizona Republic, Perryville has been allotted millions of dollars to FINALLY put a/c in the living quarters of inmates. Media outlets have reported before, that staff has been caught fudging the temp numbers on the official tally.
Apparently, that scheme has accelerated this summer in this intense heat.
(From inmate on Cruz dated 7-11-22) “I am in a swamp-cooled room, that is off more than on. Besides, swamp units don’t cool in the humidity or high temperatures anyway. This year there have not been any temp checks on this yard.
Early in the summer, guards put the thermometer in front of the vent, which is NOT an accurate representation of the room. A Sargent, on the sly, taught me the correct way according to policy. The thermometer is placed in the middle of the room, wait 2 full minutes, and record. Also, I’m tall enough to see over their shoulder and monitor what number they put down…..it’s ALWAYS 89 degrees. My neighbors said the same thing.
If it’s over 90 they have to put us in a/c and they don’t want to do that, so even if the real temp is 100 they record 89. The staff doesn’t care how many of us they kill.”
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