Lawyers Say Arizona’s Fine Over Prison Care Could Reach $23M

Lawyers representing Arizona prisoners say a third round of contempt of court fines against the state for failing to improve health care for incarcerated people could reach as high as $23 million.

The estimate on the maximum possible fine is $7 million higher than previously estimated because of what the attorneys said were their discoveries of additional instances of corrections officials not complying with a six-year-old settlement over the issue. Corrections officials have been dogged by complaints that they have dragged their feet in fulfilling the state’s promises made in the settlement. Corrections officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.