Lawsuit: Prison Guards Retaliated Against Inmates Denied Health Care

7-25-17 Arizona:

Arizona inmates claim the Department of Corrections has reneged on promises to fix its health code—and retaliated against those who reported the problem.

Arizona inmates went to court to describe their poor medical treatment: hours spent waiting for nurses outdoors in dangerous heat; cells so hot, inmates could barely breathe. Within days of their testimony, half of those inmates reported retaliation by corrections officers.

On July 14, four inmates went to court with allegations that could cost the Arizona Department of Corrections more than $2 million in penalties. The state prison system was flouting its basic rules for medical care, the inmates testified, putting people with health conditions at serious risk. But when they returned from court, the inmates found themselves in an even more dangerous prison environment, their lawyers claim in a new court filing.

The case has its roots in a 2012 lawsuit by Arizona inmates who also accused the state of lax medical practices, which they claimed resulted in unnecessary death and injury within the prison system. The case, which ballooned into a class action on behalf of 33,000 Arizona inmates, was eventually settled in 2014, with the Department of Corrections agreeing to strict new health standards. ..Continued..