Mortality Data and Related Policies, 2000-2020

Dear Forrest Behne: The Arizona Department of Corrections received and initiated your public records request.  Your request was received in this office on 5/23/2021 and given the reference number R009745-052321 for tracking purposes. Records Requested: Arizona Department of Corrections
Attn: Media Relations m/c 441
1601 W Jefferson
Phoenix, AZ 85007

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Arizona Public Records Law, § 39.101 et seq., I hereby request the following records:

– Those which include time and date of all instances of death occurring in the offender population between January 2000 and December 2020.

– Those which indicate the total number of individuals in Arizona Department of Corrections (ADOC) custody who died by any cause, separated monthly, from January 2000 to December 2020.

– Monthly population records that include the total number of deaths occurring among people in the custody of the ADOC between January 2000 and December 2020.

– Final reports of death for all individuals in ADOC custody who died between January 2000 and December 2020.

Additionally, I am requesting an opportunity to inspect or obtain copies of any and all ADOC policies, regulations, and procedures, pertaining to...

– Investigations of in-custody deaths.

– Requirements for the performance of an autopsy or post-mortem medical examination of individuals who die while in ADOC custody.

– The reporting of in-custody deaths to other governmental agencies.

– Next-of-kin notification in the event of in-custody deaths.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not. However, we respectfully request a waiver of these fees as we are affiliated with an educational or noncommercial scientific institution, and this request is made for a scholarly or scientific purpose and not for a commercial use.

If you intend to deny this request, I will expect to hear from you within the five business days mandated by law. Also, please provide all segregable portions of otherwise exempt material. If you expect a significant delay in responding to this request, please contact me with information about when I might expect copies or the ability to inspect the requested records.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in this matter.

Sincerely,

Forrest Behne
Policy Director, COVID Prison Project
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Office: (919) 391-7962
340 MacNider Hall | Campus Box 7240
333 South Columbia Street
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7240

Upload documents directly: https://https://www.muckrock.comhttps://www.muckrock.com/ Your request will be forwarded to the relevant department(s) to locate the information you seek and to determine the volume and any costs associated with satisfying your request. You will be contacted about the availability and/or provided with copies of the records in question. PLEASE NOTE: The State Public Information Act does not require a governmental body to create new information, to do legal research, or to answer questions. NOTICE:  A.R.S. 31-221(E) any active inmate from viewing or obtaining any inmate records, including his or her own prison records, except as provided in A.R.S. § 31-221(D) and Rule 123 of the Arizona Supreme Court.” prohibits Thank You, Arizona Department of Corrections Note:   If you are seeking Medical records from inactive inmates or inmates housed at one of the following facilities: CACF, Florence West, Kingman, Marana, Phoenix West or Red Rock, please contact the ADC Medical Records Monitor at (Ph: 602-255-2493; Fax: 602-364-2958). Note:    If you are seeking Medical records for active inmates housed at one of the following facilities: Douglas, Eyman, Florence, Lewis, Perryville, Phoenix, Safford, Tucson, Winslow or Yuma, these records must be requested from the contracted health care provider, Centurion. The telephone number for Centurion is (833) 981-0041 and the fax number for the request is (480) 897-9145.

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Public Access Public Records Request - R009745-052321
Good morning,
We are in receipt of your request.  In response to the policies, regulations and procedures, please refer to Department Orders 601, 608, 922, and 1105 available on our public website.  For your convenience, we have included the links below:
DO 601 - https://corrections.az.gov/sites/default/files/policies/600/0601_04182021.pdf
DO 608 - https://corrections.az.gov/sites/default/files/policies/600/0608_082720.pdf
DO 922 - https://corrections.az.gov/sites/default/files/policies/900/0922_092120.pdf
DO 1105 - https://corrections.az.gov/sites/default/files/policies/1100/1105_021021.pdf
You may also wish to review the Heath Services Technical Manual
https://corrections.az.gov/sites/default/files/documents/PDFs/tech_manuals/adcrr-healthservicestechnicalmanual_07152020.pdf
Finally, we are researching the first portion of your request.  We will be contacting you regarding the specifics of this portion shortly, which may include narrowing the request, identifying specific records, etc.  In the meantime, you may want to review the Inmate Assault, Self-Harm & Mortality Data available at: https://corrections.az.gov/reports-documents/reports/inmate-assault-self-harm-mortality-data.
Sincerely,
Public Access

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Public Access Public Records Request - R009745-052321 Good afternoon, Further review of the first section of your request indicates that the time frame would need to be narrowed.  We would ask that you review the below resources.  If, after such review, you have need of further records, please provide a narrower time frame, as well as any further clarifications you can offer so that responsive records can be properly identified and gathered. – Those which include time and date of all instances of death occurring in the offender population between January 2000 and December 2020. The information regarding the dates of all inmate deaths from 2014 to present are on our public website at https://corrections.az.gov/inmate-death-notifications
– Those which indicate the total number of individuals in Arizona Department of Corrections (ADOC) custody who died by any cause, separated monthly, from January 2000 to December 2020. Records are not maintained in this specific manner, however, the inmate deaths from FY 2008 to present can be found at https://corrections.az.gov/reports-documents/reports/inmate-assault-self-harm-mortality-data
– Monthly population records that include the total number of deaths occurring among people in the custody of the ADOC between January 2000 and December 2020. The average daily population is a component in the Self-Harm & Mortality Data at https://corrections.az.gov/reports-documents/reports/inmate-assault-self-harm-mortality-data
– Final reports of death for all individuals in ADOC custody who died between January 2000 and December 2020. You would need to clarify “final reports”. However, please note that information regarding specific inmates’ causes of death are unavailable without a release. Again, the causes of death, in aggregate are available within the resources mentioned above.
Sincerely,
Public Access

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Public Access Public Records Request - R009745-052321
Good morning, We are respectfully closing your request due to no response for additional information. If the records are still needed, please refer to our previous communication for additional information. Once we receive this additional information, we will be happy to assist you.
Sincerely,
Public Access

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Public Access Public Records Request - R009745-052321
Good morning,
We have received your response.  We will reach out to see what responsive records may be available.  We will keep you updated as to the status of your request.
Sincerely,
Public Access

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Public Access Public Records Request - R009745-052321
Good morning, Public Access is still in the process of gathering, reviewing, and making the necessary redactions, if any are needed, to the records responsive to your request. The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry (ADCRR) has a statutory mandate to redact all records as necessary per A.R.S. § 31-221(C). Because of this mandate, this process can sometimes be time consuming. We appreciate your continued patience. We will notify you once the responsive records are ready for production. Should the records no longer be needed, please advise us so we may withdraw your request and close accordingly. Sincerely, Public Access

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Public Access Public Records Request - R009745-052321
Good morning, Public Access is still in the process of gathering, reviewing, and making the necessary redactions, if any are needed, to the records responsive to your request. The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry (ADCRR) has a statutory mandate to redact all records as necessary per A.R.S. § 31-221(C). Because of this mandate, this process can sometimes be time consuming. We appreciate your continued patience. We will notify you once the responsive records are ready for production. Should the records no longer be needed, please advise us so we may withdraw your request and close accordingly. Sincerely, Public Access

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Public Access Public Records Request - R009745-052321 Good afternoon, Public Access is still in the process of reviewing and making the necessary redactions to the records responsive to your request. The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry has a statutory mandate to redact all records as necessary per A.R.S. § 31-221(C). Because of this mandate, this process can sometimes be time consuming. We appreciate your continued patience. We will notify you once the responsive records are ready for production.
Sincerely,
Public Access

--- Please respond above this line ---
Public Access Public Records Request - R009745-052321
Good morning, Public Access is still in the process of gathering, reviewing, and making the necessary redactions, if any are needed, to the records responsive to your request. The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry (ADCRR) has a statutory mandate to redact all records as necessary per A.R.S. § 31-221(C). Because of this mandate, this process can sometimes be time consuming. We appreciate your continued patience. We will notify you once the responsive records are ready for production. Should the records no longer be needed, please advise us so we may withdraw your request and close accordingly. If you have any questions, or wish to discuss this further, please contact me. Sincerely, Public Access

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Public Access Public Records Request - R009745-052321 (https://u8387795.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=nZGH0ylxadMp5hTpNkeAFp2pp1oEdHcBnY5NIZQe-2BTN7uvUVxfVeWlcHhMFg9MJ-2FNEaq6h19YzXGee7qV5K-2BaQ-3D-3D5ycr_aDsCaYMRxHV7Dk62pSmx6w-2FKgZZC94lakdmtWNmiRDlIofjdxQcd0YC6JXck1TEM33CSa2JCn4zmUlhlc36H2WmXUdjMNdST8M-2BPT54ZnGzfO08D-2B6qx1Tv5Q0qByL670vObYSnrattzC4xwHBS0z8XmKKc3r-2FrEFSFdGZHMMo1NWsg7bB9WUOuknJilBhMG9fvNYEjWam1F7VzkwlTWfN5-2Fm-2F6VD4oZVT2MIMR8eAAgFecuxmF7QFWYdYLPJBbGZHvjk-2BQiXMjx4LTxa1fMU7djhCfJP6eMQYtYrkkcVhYr3qNHSycd7E9-2BwVA5RK07KucHQS3tee2ms-2FxxiMrZhW-2B1JmOfJKk3Qsr5BKWJlTcAtkcfPaM3q04ji46Dzg-2BsRD6mYq5YsXLX5smXExhiuQ-3D-3D) Good morning, The records responsive to your request are ready for production. You may have them uploaded to the ADCRR Public Records Portal online for ($.10 per page x $4.10 pages), have them provided on a CD for 41 ( $17.00 for the CD + $15 postage), or receive hard copies for $2 ($.50 per page x $20.50 pages) plus postage. Please advise which format you prefer so we may then generate your invoice. 41
Sincerely,
Public Access

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Public Access Public Records Request - R009745-052321 Good afternoon, This is a reminder that the records responsive to your request are ready for production. You may have them uploaded to the ADCRR Public Records Portal online for ($.10 per page x $4.10 pages), have them provided on a CD for 41 ( $17.00 for the CD + $15 postage), or receive hard copies for $2 ($.50 per page x $20.50 pages) plus postage. Please advise which format you prefer so we may then generate your invoice.   If the records are no longer needed, please advise. 41
Sincerely,
Public Access

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Public Access Public Records Request - R009745-052321 Good morning, This is a final reminder that the records responsive to your request are ready for production. You may have them uploaded to the ADCRR Public Records Portal online for ($.10 per page x $4.10 pages), have them provided on a CD for 41 ( $17.00 for the CD + $15 postage), or receive hard copies for $2 ($.50 per page x $20.50 pages) plus postage. Please advise which format you prefer so we may then generate your invoice.  If we do not receive a response regarding how you would like to receive your records by 41 January 3, 2022 we will consider the request withdrawn and close accordingly.
Sincerely,
Public Access

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Public Access Public Records Request - R009745-052321 Good morning, We are respectfully closing your request due to no response for additional information. If the records are still needed, please refer to our previous communication for additional information. Once we receive this additional information, we will be happy to assist you.
Sincerely,
Public Access