A plan to add a prison employment center and housing for former inmates who violate release conditions at the county jail in south Phoenix is facing opposition from elected officials who represent the area.
The proposal from Gov. Doug Ducey's office would place a 335-bed employment training center for soon-to-be-released inmates at Maricopa County's Durango Jail complex. Also planned for the site is a 265-bed community correction facility housing inmates who break release rules.
The proposal has been in the works for months, but community members, business owners, and elected officials slammed it on Monday. Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Gallardo called it "environmental racism" and criticized the idea of putting more inmates in a depressed community.
He and others questioned why the state isn't looking at other areas.
