‘Unconstitutional hole’: How Pima County jail deaths — one recently ruled a homicide — are part of a grim pattern
“Give me answers!” Melissa Welch shouts, arching her back and aiming her voice toward the flat facade of the Pima County Adult Detention Complex. Two months earlier, inside that jail, guards repeatedly shocked her little brother, Wade Welch, with a taser. Minutes later, he died. “Give me answers! Give me…
Medical care in Pima County jail is dangerously delayed as pleas for help are ignored and mismanaged, say inmates and employees
“It’s in my heart to take care of people, to take care of everything,” Leticia Romero says. She’s sitting on a walker on her mother’s front porch on the south…
Recent Pima County jail-related deaths are more than twice as high as reported according to medical examiner
Joseph Zarate was in Block 1S, Cell 20 of the Pima County jail when a medical worker checked on the 29-year-old who had been detained for 46 days. They found…
Pima County has docked NaphCare $3.1 million for jail medical care deficiencies
On Jan. 28, 2022 — one day after 19-year-old Sylvestre Inzunza was locked up in Pima County jail — guards found him unresponsive in his cell. He’d swallowed two blue…
After helping free 219 people, Tucson Bail Fund shuts down — but its work lives on
Tiera Rainey, her mom and sister are waiting for Pima County jail officials to release a woman they’d never met before,…
Tras ayudar a liberar a 219 personas, Tucson Bail Fund cierra, pero su legado continúa
Tiera Rainey, su mamá y su hermana esperan a que funcionarios de la cárcel del condado de Pima liberen a una…
When jail becomes the mental health treatment plan
Stacey Brooks, a former aircraft mechanic, is alone in Cell 46 of the Pima County jail. He is on court-ordered medical…
Cuando la cárcel se convierte en un plan de tratamiento de salud mental
El programa de Restoration to Competency del condado está diseñado para preparar a personas con enfermedades mentales a enfrentar un juicio.…
As Tucson drafts new drug-use law, a rare joint meeting points to multiple approaches
As the Tucson City Council weighs whether to target public drug use through a new pathway to misdemeanor arrests, a rare city-county summit highlighted a central dilemma; how to address…
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Possible immigration detention center at former Marana prison draws community outcry
On a quiet patch of land surrounded by miles of cotton fields, and not far from the blinking lights of Marana’s regional airport, the turn-off to a vacant prison building…
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Pima County extends jail health care contract with NaphCare, adding early exit option
Pima County Supervisors voted unanimously to extend the county’s contract with NaphCare, the private, for-profit provider of medical care in the Pima County jail Tuesday — but the deal includes…
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Condado de Pima amplía contrato de atención médica en la cárcel con NaphCare e incorpora opción de salida anticipada
Los Supervisores del Condado de Pima votaron por unanimidad, el martes, para extender el contrato del condado con NaphCare, la empresa privada con fines de lucro que provee atención médica…
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Should Pima County take jail health care in-house? NaphCare contract is up for renewal
When Mary Faith Casey was wheeled into a Pima County courtroom in August 2022, the judge could see something was terribly wrong. Casey had lost 50 pounds in four months…
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¿Debería el condado de Pima hacerse cargo de la atención médica en la cárcel? Contrato con NaphCare está por renovarse
Cuando Mary Faith Casey fue llevada en camilla a una sala del tribunal del condado de Pima en agosto de 2022, el juez pudo notar que algo estaba terriblemente mal.…
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Durmiendo en cauces, enfrentando cargos por allanamiento: cómo funciona en la práctica la nueva prohibición de acampar en Tucson
Son las 7 a.m. en Arizona, mayo está por finalizar y el verano empieza a calentar cuando Dwayne Moore escucha a personas hablando afuera de su tienda. Moore asoma la…
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Why doesn’t the U.S. government know how many people die in custody?
Was George Floyd killed by a police officer?
The official answer, according to a newly revealed set of federal government records, is no.
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ACLU sues Pima County sheriff, seeking transparency about calls to Border Patrol
The ACLU of Arizona has filed a lawsuit against Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos and the department he leads, demanding response to a records request surrounding deputies’ calls for assistance…
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Inside an effort to reroute people from jail into housing and treatment in Pima County
How does a small county department tackle the overlapping national crises of substance abuse, untreated or undertreated mental illness and an overreliance on jails and prisons — seemingly intractable problems…
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Un esfuerzo para redirigir a personas fuera de la cárcel hacía viviendas y tratamiento en el condado de Pima
¿Cómo puede un pequeño departamento de un condado abordar las crisis nacionales superpuestas de abuso de sustancias, enfermedades mentales no tratadas o tratadas de forma insuficiente y una dependencia excesiva…
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Boost for affordable housing, new library and ongoing investigation into PCSD: 3 things from Supervisors
From approving a new downtown library site purchase to passing a new $250 million affordable housing proposal and revisiting a high-profile internal investigation, the Pima County Board of Supervisors tackled…
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Impulso para viviendas asequibles, nueva biblioteca e investigación en curso sobre el PCSD: 3 puntos de los supervisores
Desde aprobar la compra de un nuevo sitio para la biblioteca del centro hasta aprobar una nueva propuesta de vivienda asequible de $250 millones y volver a examinar una investigación…
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New Yorker story spotlights Pima County jail death not counted in official data
In about four months in 2022, while Mary Faith Casey was held in the Pima County jail, she lost more than 50 pounds. In August of that year, when a…
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New claim alleges Sheriff Nanos placed opponent on leave to sway election
Former Republican Pima County sheriff candidate Lt. Heather Lappin has filed a $2 million notice of claim, the first step ahead of a possible lawsuit, alleging that Sheriff Chris Nanos…
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Una nueva denuncia alega que el alguacil Nanos suspendió a su oponente para influir en las elecciones
La ex candidata republicana a alguacil del condado de Pima, la teniente Heather Lappin, presentó una notificación de reclamo por 2 millones de dólares, el primer paso antes de una…
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Join us for a free documentary screening and panel
Join Arizona Luminaria and AZPM News to watch a free screening of our collaborative mini documentary on deaths in the Pima County jail followed by a panel discussion. The event…
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Mental illness put Pat Grenier in crisis. The system put him in jail.
Pat Grenier and his next-door neighbor were going at it again. The kind of dispute that flares up and then is forgotten until something nettlesome sets off another round of…
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Sheriff’s department projected to be nearly $5 million over budget
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department — which has been beset with controversies about deaths at the jail, sexual assault allegations within the department, and the political maneuverings of Sheriff Chris…
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Watch Death Behind Bars: A documentary by AZPM and AZ Luminaria
A new investigative documentary delves into deaths in the Pima County jail through interviews with family members who have lost loved ones, public officials and criminal justice experts studying incarceration.…
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Pima County adds $2 million to jail health care contract for more staff
Pima County supervisors voted to spend more money and time on jail health care as it works to turn around a yearslong crisis of deaths. At a Dec. 3 meeting,…
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Connecting people with resources as they exit the Pima County jail is reducing costs and rearrests
People released from the Pima County jail leave the building through an unmarked steel door painted the same mud-orange color as the surrounding concrete block wall. After walking through that…
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Expansion of opioid addiction treatment in the jail is reducing deaths and hospitalizations, county says
From 2020 through 2022, 28 people died in the Pima County jail. That was a per capita death rate higher than some of the most notoriously deadly jails in the…
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Jail reporting by Arizona Luminaria journalist targeted in sheriff election dispute
Arizona Luminaria reporter John Washington’s efforts to interview people incarcerated in Pima County jail as part of a years-long investigation into deaths, excessive force and inhumane conditions are being targeted…
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Supervisors ask Sheriff Nanos to clarify status of investigation into alleged sexual assault by employee
The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to formally request Sheriff Chris Nanos to clarify to the board and to the public the state of the internal investigation into…
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Arizona AG: “No criminal wrongdoing” in Pima County Sheriff Nanos’ investigation of deputy’s alleged sexual assault
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office found no criminal wrongdoing in Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos’ investigation into allegations that a deputy was sexually assaulted by her supervisor. However, criminal attorneys…
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Debate del Sheriff del Condado de Pima: En intercambios tensos, Chris Nanos y Heather Lappin se retan en experiencia
Después de una victoria fácil en las primarias demócratas, el actual sheriff del condado de Pima, Chris Nanos, enfrenta un reto en las elecciones generales contra la republicana Heather Lappin,…
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Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, seeking reelection, has a trail of lawsuits
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos’ political tenure has won him both community support and — amid mounting lawsuits over abuses and deaths in the jail he runs — calls for…
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El Sheriff del Condado de Pima, Chris Nanos, busca la reelección con un historial de demandas
La carrera política del alguacil del Condado de Pima, Chris Nanos, le ha valido tanto el apoyo de la comunidad como llamados a su renuncia, en medio de crecientes demandas…
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Slimmer county budget proposal spends more on sheriff and jail
County leaders are planning to increase spending for the Sheriff’s Department and road repairs — all without raising taxes. Pima County supervisors are looking to pass a final budget on…
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Pima County supervisors call for “checks and balances” for the jail
Pima County officials recognize their solution to the problems at the county jail could be summarized as “a committee to follow a committee to do another committee,” as County Administrator…
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Pima County supervisors suggest jailing fewer people, adding community stakeholders to solve crisis
Ten community members stood before the Pima County Board of Supervisors at their meeting Tuesday to thank county officials for not supporting proposals to build a new jail. Tiera Rainey,…
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No new jail yet – says Pima County administrator
After a year of study, Pima County officials are not ready to pay for a new jail. Pima County Administrator Jan Lesher issued a memorandum Feb. 13 in response to…
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Pima County commission: New jail could cost more than $800 million
The Pima County commission formed to study the need and feasibility of building a new jail has released its final report — recommending hiring a consultant for evaluating how best…
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Survey respondents conflicted on building a new Pima County jail and how to pay for it
About 2,000 community members responded with impassioned and mixed responses to a public survey run by the Pima County Adult Detention Center Blue Ribbon Commission, which for the past year…
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Pima County memo assesses jail medical care provider NaphCare
After months of queries and concerns about health care at the Pima County jail — from Arizona Luminaria, other media outlets and the public — the county has addressed some…
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Public survey on building a new Pima County jail opens Dec. 26 (updated)
A public survey measuring the public’s opinion about the possibility of building a new Pima County jail is set to go live Dec. 26, the day after Christmas. The survey…
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No charges for jail guards in death of Wade Welch who they repeatedly shocked with a Taser
Pima County Attorney Laura Conover announced Thursday that her office is not seeking any charges against guards in the homicide of 37-year-old Wade Welch. Welch died in the Pima County…
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Ruling in federal lawsuit over teen’s death at Pima County jail could show how drugs got inside
A court ruling last week in a federal lawsuit over a teenager’s death in the Pima County jail may open the door to an illuminating probe about how deadly drugs…
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Treating deaths in custody as public health issue could lead to solutions, according to new book
Though hundreds of people die in jails and prisons across the United States every year, nobody knows the exact number. That ignorance is despite the strict monitoring of incarcerated people’s…
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Board of Supervisors votes to investigate Sheriff Nanos. He threatens to pull security from meetings.
Allegations that a Pima County Sheriff’s Department deputy sexually assaulted a fellow officer have evolved from a $900,000 claim against law enforcement officials to a battle over safety at public…
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Behind-the-scenes of ongoing Pima County jail deaths coverage
As soon as I saw the autopsy report I knew something was missing. If Joseph Zarate was an inmate of Pima County jail, then why had the 29-year-old’s March 25…
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7 things to know about Pima County jail deaths
Arizona Luminaria has been publishing investigative stories about deaths in the Pima County jail since November of 2022. At first, the reports of deaths were a trickle, inconsistently reported by…
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Las 7 cosas que debes saber sobre las muertes en la cárcel del condado de Pima
Arizona Luminaria ha estado publicando historias de investigación sobre las muertes en la cárcel del condado de Pima desde noviembre de 2022. Al principio, las notificaciones de los decesos se…
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Pima County jail public meeting lasts only 4 minutes amid shouting and live music
A Pima County committee closed a public meeting about the jail after four minutes on Thursday, Aug. 10, saying they couldn’t hold a productive meeting because members of the public…
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Extreme heat will take an unequal toll on tribal jails
This story was written by Joseph Lee, Jessie Blaeser, & Chad Small produced in partnership with the nonprofit newsroom Type Investigations and is co-published with Grist and ICT. In any…
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Tucson City Council calling for answers on Pima County jail deaths from county leaders
Tucson City Council members have joined a growing community movement that wants answers from county officials about why people are dying while detained at the Pima County jail. The council…
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5 takeaways from AZ Luminaria’s Pima County jail crisis community event
Before the community panel started, mothers and loved ones set up posters with photos and news stories about people who have died at the Pima County jail. They wanted everyone…
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Sheriff Nanos cancels attendance at Pima County jail panel following advice from county attorney’s office
Citing advice from the Pima County Attorney’s Office, Sheriff Chris Nanos has reversed his decision to attend Arizona Luminaria’s April 19 community panel on the deaths, dangers, staffing shortages and…
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Pima County considers building a new jail as the 1980s-era facility crumbles and bookings increase
Pima County is preparing for an increase in the population of the jail of about 10% to 20%. The estimated spike in jail population is expected over the next several…
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Jail reporting event will feature family members, Sheriff Nanos, ACLU expert
Please join us for an in-person community conversation to hear from some of the sources and experts featured in our investigative coverage of the deaths and dangers at the Pima…
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Judge says Arizona’s prisons need better medical and mental health care. Now.
A federal judge is requiring Arizona’s prison system to find and hire hundreds of new mental health care workers to protect the lives of people who are incarcerated. Now, the…
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People continue to die in Pima County’s jail. Could bail reform make it less deadly?
Editor’s note: This story is part of a series funded by the Solutions Journalism Network. Yunan Tutu was 26 when he died inside the Pima County jail. The court had ruled…
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Pima County approves raise for guards at deadly jail
At the Pima County Board of Supervisors meeting five days before Christmas, loved ones of people who died in jail spoke out and repeatedly warned that a salary bump wouldn’t…
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How we reported the Pima County jail story
Neither people nor information are easy to get out of jail. That makes reporting on these barred institutions immensely challenging. Since 2020, 28 people have died in Pima County Adult…
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