Officials are investigating the death of an inmate at ASPC-Lewis, marking yet another in-prison death in the state of Arizona.
Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry officials say Indalecio Garcia, 31, died Monday at a West Valley hospital.
Garcia was admitted into custody in 2022 after being sentenced for aggravated assault and child molestation in Pinal County. He served a previous sentence for other crimes, according to prison records.
The cause of Garcia’s death is under investigation, but sources tell ABC15 an inmate was murdered this week inside Lewis Prison, and another inmate was believed to have died from an overdose.
“It is true, an inmate was killed at Lewis,” Executive Director of the Arizona Correctional Peace Officers Association Carlos Garcia told ABC15. “It's completely frustrating because our job is for staff safety and even public safety, and in the shorter term, inmate safety.”
ABC15 has been investigating incidents of violence in Arizona prisons.
Three inmates were killed during an "altercation" in April at the Arizona State Prison Complex Tucson.
Multiple other in-prison deaths have occurred this year, leading to the closure of Arizona prisons to visitors.
ABC15 has also obtained videos, also recorded and posted by inmates, showing additional assaults, and even TikTok-style videos.
Lawmakers continue to press for more answers, including pushing SB1507, a new bill, sponsored by AZ Sen. Shawnna Bolick, which would allow the Governor to nominate an independent monitor of Arizona’s Correctional System.
So far, the Governor’s office has not responded to ABC15’s questions about the most recent incidents inside Arizona prisons.
“Arizona spends nearly $1.8 billion a year on its prison system—the second-largest item in our state budget. To make sure that money is spent wisely and that inmates are housed safely and responsibly, we need more than selective updates and closed-door briefings from ADCRR. We need independent oversight backed by facts,” Blackman said in a release.
Bolick and Blackman are only a few of the lawmakers asking for more answers from ADCRR.
“I’m getting asked by constituents, what’s going on there,” said AZ Rep. Vince Leach. “Everybody is asking about their safety, what are we doing about their safety?”
Earlier this year, Rep. Quang Nguyen and Senator Kevin Payne asked ADCRR for more information about the violence inside prisons.
The Department of Corrections responded to our questions Wednesday with the following:
"The Department is actively investigating the death of inmate Indalecio Garcia (ADCRR #303535) and cannot comment on an active investigation. The death notification can be found here [corrections.az.gov].
"All notifications regarding inmate deaths within ADCRR are posted online here [corrections.az.gov] as information becomes available.
"As the Department remains committed to carrying out its 24/7 mission of public safety and rehabilitation, there will be continued communication, including full transparency with elected officials and the public regarding all aspects of Arizona’s corrections system. The Department will be responding to Senator Payne and Representative Nguyen’s June 4th letter today as originally requested by the lawmakers. The response will be made public on the ADCRR website and should provide you with additional information."
