PHOENIX — Arizona lawmakers are looking for accountability after reports of an unprecedented number of homicides inside Arizona prisons.
They have formed the Joint Ad Hoc Study Committee on Correctional Practices and Facility Safety.
On Tuesday, the committee called Ryan Thornell, director of the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry, to the Capitol. He answered questions about policies and the number of assaults, overdoses, and deaths behind bars.
Thornell said there had been nine homicides inside state prisons since the beginning of 2025.
One of Arizona’s most notorious inmates, Ricky Wassenaar, is accused of three of the killings. The deaths, in April, occurred just months after prison officials had moved Wassenaar from a maximum-security cell to the general population.
“He wasn’t moved into a medium custody environment; he was moved into a closed custody, a very structured environment,” Thornell said during Tuesday’s hearing.
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Wassenaar’s move to less restrictive custody was a major focus of the hearing because of the inmate’s history. More than 20 years ago, Wassenaar and another inmate were responsible for the longest prison hostage standoff in Arizona history.
“Why didn’t you take that particular individual into consideration and, say, lock them up permanently somewhere in the dark?” asked state Rep. Quang Nguyen, R-District 1.
“Mr. Wassenaar had gone a lengthy period of time - several years - without infractions, without outward negative behavior,” Thornell said.
ADCRR’s own statistics show inmate-on-inmate assaults have more than doubled, and assaults on staff also increased significantly since Thornell became director in 2023.
“The lack of leadership is evident in almost every decision made by this administration,” said Rodney Carr, a former Arizona prison warden who testified at the hearing. “With results as they are, you should observe a reversal in course; however, this is not the case.”
“You don’t double down; you don’t keep pushing through,” said retired AZ deputy warden Travis Scott. “We’re talking about people’s lives.”
According to ADCRR, Thornell has had successes in reforming several aspects of the prison, including:
- Improving health services and treatment
- Expanding workforce development for inmates.
- Outfitting correctional officers with body cameras
- Additional training and academy time
“You also have many staff members who are very glad for the direction that you’re going, and I would love to hear more from them,” said state Sen. Denise “Mitzi” Epstein, D-District 12.
Committee members said they’ll continue to investigate what’s happening in the prison and put together a report.
