http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/knau/local-knau-918223.mp3
Phoenix, AZ – The Department of Corrections said it appears an accomplice threw
wire cutters into the prison yard, enabling the trio to cut their
way through two fences. Two have been captured, but not before
being linked to the murder of a couple in New Mexico. The third
and the accomplice are still at large. Democratic Rep. Daniel
Patterson said Gov. Jan Brewer hasn't done anything about the
situation.
(It's been 12 days since this prison break. People have been
kidnapped. People have been killed as the result of this. As far
as I can tell, the governor has done nothing to address it. We
are in a crisis of failed leadership.)
One question is why convicted murderers are in medium security
prisons. Republican Sen. Ron Gould said if Democrats are unhappy
they should consider who instituted the classification system
which allows that.
(The blame lies with the former Department of Corrections chief
Dora Schriro and her parallel universe model where we rate
prisoners on their attitudes, not on their violence. This is the
fault of the government, not so much the fault of the private
prison, because we need to remember that the private prison does
not rate the prisoners. We the government, the Department of
Corrections, rates those prisoners.)
A spokesman for Brewer said there are no announced plans to
review that classification system. For Arizona Public Radio this
is Howard Fischer.