Federal judge orders trial over Arizona prison system’s inmate health care

Federal judge orders trial over Arizona prison system’s inmate health care

Federal judge orders trial over Arizona prison system’s inmate health care

A federal judge has scrapped a six-year-old class action legal settlement over inmate health care, blasting the Arizona Department of Corrections for not complying with its obligations.

U.S. District Judge Roslyn Silver said millions of dollars in fines and repeated judicial warnings haven’t forced the state to comply with the agreement. So she is ordering a trial.

“Defendants have in the past six years proffered erroneous and unreliable excuses for non-performance, asserted baseless legal arguments, and in essence resisted complying with the obligations they contractually knowingly and voluntarily assumed.” Silver said in her 37-page July 16 order. “The present situation must end.”

Officials with the Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation. Gov. Doug Ducey’s office did not respond to an interview request.