PHOENIX (AP) — Lawyers representing inmates in a settlement over health care in Arizona’s prisons are seeking a $400,000 contempt of court fine against the state.
They say it failed to adequately provide urgent specialty care for inmates at the prison hit hardest by the coronavirus. The attorneys say Arizona has consistently failed at the Florence prison to provide those services within 30 days of being requested.
The proposed fine is being sought for noncompliance that occurred before the pandemic was declared. Still, the inmates’ lawyers said it doesn’t bode well that officials couldn’t comply with the requirement before the coronavirus emergency emerged. Corrections officials declined to comment.
