PHOENIX — The leader of the largest prison officers union in Arizona is calling on the governor to fire the state's prison director because of the explosion of assaults inside state lockup and a criminal investigation targeting people leaking videos that expose the violence.
Carlos Garcia, who heads the Arizona Correctional Peace Officers Association, laid out the union's demands at a press conference, directly going after Director Ryan Thornell.
"We are getting killed by this director, who wants to play Russian roulette with us," Garcia said.
The union is calling for three specific actions:
- Director Thornell and his top staff fired.
- The state's leak investigation to stop.
- Prison officials to stop "overriding" thousands of inmates.
"It's going to go off the rails. It has gone off the rails. There's going to be more deaths, and as we're speaking, there's staff getting assaulted," Garcia said.
Over the past two months, insiders have leaked a series of videos exposing the violence inside state prisons, with statistics showing total assaults doubling in recent years.
Under Thornell's leadership, assault numbers have sharply climbed overall. Inmate-on-inmate assaults rose from 1,436 to 2,330 to 3,552 to 3,605 across fiscal years 2023 through 2026, according to official department statistics. During the same period, inmate-on-staff assaults went from 426 to 563 to 724, before dropping to 528 in the most recent fiscal year. But staff injuries have still doubled in recent years, going from 38 in fiscal year 2023 to 78 in the most recent year.
The most damning leaked video may be one that shows an officer sucker-punched, then left fighting for his life for three minutes as no backup ever arrives.
As ABC15 has been breaking stories that show the leaked videos, the prison director has had Department of Public Safety detectives running a criminal investigation to find the people leaking the footage.
The union's third demand focuses on security "overrides," which Garcia says put dangerous inmates in less secure units. The inmate in one of the leaked assault videos was an override.
"You’re a lion, I'm going to put you with the bunnies and the sheep. Like (Thornell) worked in Maine. He was from the petting zoo in Maine," Garcia said.
Before coming to Arizona, Thornell ran Maine's prison system.
"Now, he comes in our system and thinks the lions and the lambs are going to get together.... They're hunting us down and hunting the bunnies and the sheep," Garcia said.
Thornell has declined ABC15's repeated interview requests.
But in response to the press conference, he responded in an email directly accusing the union of making the prisons more dangerous.
"Carlos Garcia's rhetoric has created an unsafe environment for our staff and population, and his threats of violence are unacceptable," Thornell said. "He continues to spread false, fabricated, and sensationalized claims. It is unfortunate that he pretends to represent our staff's best interests, while actively undermining prison safety and security. ADCRR relies on objective evidence, thorough investigations, and measurable facts rather than misleading rhetoric."
The Department of Corrections also released the following statement saying it has made "historic improvements" in safety.
Over the past 18 months, the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry (ADCRR) has executed an aggressive, comprehensive strategy to modernize institutional security, hired an unprecedented number of new correctional officers, and better-equipped frontline personnel with the latest tools to enhance safety throughout the state’s prisons. And, it’s paying off - just this month, incidents of violence (including violence against staff) are at their lowest levels since early 2023, a clear sign that the hard work of staff is making an impact.
Although recent accusations and baseless sound bites are attempting to distract from the good work staff are performing every day, we will not allow this to stifle the hard work and progress being made. ADCRR takes unfounded allegations and factless complaints seriously because each has the potential to undermine security in our prisons and put the individuals who serve on the front lines at risk. This is precisely why thorough, impartial investigations are so important. They help separate fact from speculation, bring the truth to light, and ensure decisions are being made based on evidence rather than disgruntled rhetoric. Grounded in facts and committed to progress, we move forward with integrity to deliver work that matters most.
Under the leadership of Director Ryan Thornell, the Department has addressed longstanding challenges through proactive frontline-focused actions designed to protect staff and enhance operational vigilance every single day. Driven by targeted technological investments, fundamental operational overhauls, the latest training, and meaningful, open dialogue between staff and leadership, key pillars of this agency-wide transformation include:
- Staff Recruitment & Comprehensive Academy Training: Hundreds of newly graduated correctional officers have joined ADCRR this year to strengthen security operations across Arizona. With a steady pipeline of cadets currently training at the Correctional Officer Training Academy, our dedicated workforce continues to grow.
- Optimized Control Room Staffing: To maintain continuous, focused oversight in high-risk environments, ADCRR has reinforced resources by dedicating staff directly inside close custody control rooms.
- Historic Investment in Staff Health and Wellness: ADCRR has made significant investments to support the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of correctional staff. Through the appointment of a full-time Wellness Program Administrator, the Department has deployed peer-led support teams and 24/7 crisis resources across complexes, offered specialized resilience and Post-Traumatic Growth trainings, expanded employee access to confidential mental health support, fitness programs, and specialized peer assistance modalities, and engaged in facility-level wellness planning, including dedicated staff wellness areas at ADCRR facilities.
- Stronger Inmate Movement and Housing Protocols: Through intentional, data-driven action, ADCRR has enforced stricter classification guidelines, ensuring inmates are properly housed within the approved custody matrix.
- Cutting-Edge Surveillance & Immediate Real-Time Backup: ADCRR achieved an agency milestone in 2025, deploying body-worn cameras across maximum custody, close custody, and mental health units, and also for community reentry officers. Integrated with the Department’s Security Operations Center (SOC), this technology provides live, continuous monitoring of close-custody units. This centralized surveillance network delivers immediate threat awareness, enhances real-time tactical coordination, and has driven measurable reductions in use-of-force incidents and staff misconduct reports.
- Aggressive Contraband Interdiction and Facility Modernization: Targeted physical and policy improvements are removing violence causes at the root. ADCRR has implemented a modern, digital inmate mail system to decrease the introduction of contraband and has phased out high-risk items inside housing units.
- Leadership Transparency & Director Thornell’s Open Door Policy: ADCRR’s transformation has been built through collaboration with the men and women serving on the front lines across Arizona. During Director Thornell’s tenure, the Department has instituted an open door policy, encouraging staff across all ranks and facilities to engage in direct, productive conversations about every aspect of operations and daily realities in a correctional environment. When staff have concerns, they have multiple opportunities to bring those concerns forward in a safe, confidential manner through the Director’s Office and the Office of Professional Standards and Accountability.
- Violence Reduction Work Group: In 2025, ADCRR launched a Violence Reduction Workgroup composed of Department staff and external experts from throughout Arizona’s communities tasked with finding and implementing feasible, sustainable solutions to reduce violence and improve prison safety. Insights and recommendations from this Work Group have informed a number of improvements across the Department in areas, including: inmate classification and movement, security and operations practices, and staff training and wellness resources.
The safety and well-being of ADCRR personnel remain foundational to every action our Department takes. While a few agenda-driven voices may wish to draw attention away from the significant positive transformations made by our agency, ADCRR will continue solidifying a workplace culture grounded in direct communication, driving measurable, lasting safety for the correctional professionals who proudly serve Arizona and the population in their care.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and based on broadcast and digital reports written by ABC15 Chief Investigator Dave Biscobing (Dave@abc15.com).
ABC15 is committed to finding the answers you need and holding those accountable.
Submit your news tip to Investigators@abc15.com
