Woman dies at Perryville prison after being left outside

[Ptah]

Source: The Arizona Republic

A 48-year-old woman died early Wednesday after being left in an outdoor cage for nearly four hours at Arizona State Prison Complex-Perryville.

Marcia Powell, who was serving a 27-month sentence for prostitution, was scheduled to be transferred to a detention unit Tuesday.

At 11 a.m., while she waited to be transferred, she was placed in an outdoor, uncovered chain-link holding cell. At 2:40 p.m., she collapsed, the Arizona Department of Corrections said in a release.

A half-hour later, Powell was taken to West Valley Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 12:42 a.m. this morning. The prison is in Goodyear; the high temperature reached 107.5 degrees on Tuesday.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/05/20/20090520prisondeath0521.html

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Looks like the DOC is falling short of the mark.

[Ecumenist]

1. OMG, how horrific !! Last time I checked, prostitution wasn't

a capital offence.

[sarcasmo]

2. The Prison Industrial Complex taking care of the population. What a horrific way to die.

[avaistheone1]

3. Isn't it fun giving all our money away to the military industrial, prison industrial, and medical

industrial complexes.

[depakid]

4. Arizona is not exactly known for having reasonable laws on victimless crimes

nor for having humane prisons to house people in.

[Vidar]

5. Murder charges should be filed against the warden & guards involved.

[spotbird]

22. You're right

If someone treated a dog similarly, they'd be charged with animal cruelty.

[WestSeattle2]

6. The warden and the guards on duty need to be charged with

manslaughter.

[Enrique]

7. 27 months for prostitution?

what do you get for homicide?

[Wednesdays]

16. I suppose, either the death penalty or a medal

Depending on the socioeconomic class of the person killed, as well as the perpetrator.

[wroberts189]

8. Her picture tells a story. I think she is in peace now. nt

[Canuckistanian]

9. I thought "the box" was outlawed years ago

It was the favorite of Japanese prison camps, too.

Is this still the 21st century?

[Ptah]

10. I just spoke with a recently released parolee, and he tells me it is common.

The unshaded outdoor cage is common in the Arizona Prison system.

[rhett o rick]

11. Is this a contractor run, for profit prison? Does Cheney own a part? nm

[Ptah]

12. No, it's run and staffed by the Arizona Department of Corrections

It's a common practice in the state prison system

[scentopine]

13. No indictments at AIG or CIA, but when it comes to sickly old hookers...

...they're not holding back. John Yoo write any memos for AZ penal system?

[Doremus]

14. She had a history of mental illness. :(

Ronald Fucking Reagan's legacy lives on.



:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

29. Her picture reminds me of a woman who lived next door

when I was a student in Baltimore. She lived with her mother, and they often had fights. I think prostitution may have been her only source of income, unless she received some kind of disability check.

Once she was out in the hall crying and crying. I think her mom had kicked her out or something. So I invited her in for a cup of coffee. I told her I was afraid she'd make herself sick crying so much. We just chatted about stuff like the weather, the building, and so forth. She calmed down after a few minutes, then started telling me all kinds of odd random things...pointing to a knick-knack of a cardinal, she said, "That's the Lord's bird, the red red robin," and stared at me with long tear-induced streaks of mascara dried on her cheeks. Then she started pointing out other things that were "The Lord's".

Eventually she said she felt better and left. I didn't see much of her after that, and I often wonder what may have happened to her. So sad...

[annm4peace]

15. I read about this place years ago.

was it in Mother Jones ????

I think I had read even young adults had died.

there is absolutely no excuse. this place should be take over and people held accountable.

[buckrogers1965]

17. Charge the Guards and the warden.

If they let someone in their care die from neglect, then they should be spending time in the prison they ran before, on the other side of the bars.

[reggie the dog]

18. horrible

all this for a consensual crime.

[CrispyQ]

19. We are a nation of torturers. We even torture our own.

I was surfing cable one night & inadvertently saw a scene from "Oz." Never again. That was dark, disturbing shit.

[crim son]

20. This totally freaks me out.

Sometimes I just hate this country, with all its talk about equality and freedom and human rights. What fucking hypocrisy.

[Amaya]

23. what you said

equality, freedom, and human rights- ha what bullshit!
my husband is from Germany (born and raised) he tells me that he truly is fearful living here-

[crim son]

24. I believe that, Amaya.

My ex husband's family is German and we spent several weeks in Munich and St. Goar. More than once we got into heated discussions about how American "personal responsibility" has turned into societal disregard for human life, liberty and happiness. I couldn't fully agree with all their assessments, but I certainly understood the sentiment. Interestingly, one of the young women arguing with me was twenty seven, in school and had never had a job and didn't intend to. She was upset that I expressed near-hatred for the Shrub as the then-president. I tried to explain that when you are helpless to do anything, sometimes anger and despair kick in. She claimed not to understand.

Don't get me wrong; I loved Germany and the people. My kids are going with their father to spend another month there this summer if all goes as planned, and I think it's uber fantastische (just made that up. I don't speak German)

[Name removed]

28. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Blue_Tires]

21. the DOC is not falling short of the mark, this is EXACTLY what they do

and what they want to happen...

[Fumesucker]

25. Nearly four hours at over 100 degrees with no shade and probably no water..

That is fucking torture, no question about it.

[RamboLiberal]

30. And even their policy in this heat is torture

Although prisoners are given bottled water, department guidelines call for prisoners to be confined outdoors for no more than two hours.

She was out there longer, but even 2 hours in 107+ heat could kill someone!

[LeftHander]

26. Cheney calls forced dehydration harsh interrogation....nt

[jazzjunkysue]

27. And what was the punishment for the men who paid her for sex?

Don't tell me, let me guess.

[Ptah]

31. After inmate death, state ends use of outdoor cells

http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/295532


PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Corrections has discontinued the
use of outdoor holding cells following the death of an inmate in triple-digit heat.

Corrections spokesman Barrett Marson said in an e-mail Tuesday that the
decision came after consulting with Gov. Jan Brewer's office. He declined
to explain the decision or elaborate on discussions with her office, saying
Corrections Director Charles Ryan would answer questions today.

The Corrections Department had said last week that it would continue using
the cells once they were retrofitted to provide shade and water.

Marcia Powell, 48, died from heat-related complications hours after she
collapsed May 19 in an uncovered outdoor cell. She had been in the cell
for nearly four hours despite a prison policy saying inmates should be
removed after two hours.

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It's about time.