Sunrise Unit Moves to Eagle Point Unit

February 25, 2010

Remember a month or so ago when Gov. Brewer and AZ lawmakers released hundreds of youthful offenders from the Arizona Dept. of Juvenile Corrections, shuttering multiple state juvenile facilities, including Eagle Point Unit in Buckeye Arizona? Local media captured footage of juvenile correctional officers exiting Eagle Point, boxes in hand. It was supposed to be a multi-million dollar savings for the state of Arizona. A drastic measure? Sure. A potentially helpful move for Arizona's budget crisis? Certainly. A trick by Arizona's lawmakers and the governor? Absolutely.

Today the Eagle Point Unit, which was supposed to be shuttered, received approximately 150 minimum security prisoners from the Arizona Dept. of Corrections. All prisoners from Sunrise Unit and dozens of others from the other units arrived today. Including me.

Now, when you shutter a state "juvenile" prison and then re-open it weeks later as a state "adult" prison, the savings to the state of AZ isn't really all that much. No state adult prison was shut. In fact, leasing this prison has made ADOC's budget INCREASE, right? Doesn't the leasing of this prison seem to make the recent sale (with lease back) of another prison moot?

To add insult to injury, the ADOC will need to spend thousands of tax dollars (if not more) to repair this unit. Apparently, disgruntled juvenile corrections workers, and juveniles, sabotaged, parted-out and left the unit in disarray. The cell block's control room panels that operate the cell door locks no longer work, toilets are stopped up or broken, cameras missing and not working, and numerous other problems. The unit is not ready for prisoners to be housed here from a security, safety or humanitarian standpoint, yet, ADOC has already moved in approximately 150 prisoners and plan on adding 150 more.

What are lawmakers' and Governor Brewer's next politically and financially motivated budget fixing gimmicks?