Arizona State Prison Complex - Douglas

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Arizona State Prison Complex - Douglas is one of 13 prison facilities operated by the Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC).
ASPC-Douglas is located in Douglas, Cochise County, Arizona, 248 miles southeast from the state capital of Phoenix, Arizona.

The ASPC-Douglas, adjacent to the Bisbee-Douglas airport, first opened as the Cochise Correctional Training Facility early in 1984. It now consists of 6 units: Gila, Maricopa, Eggers, Mohave, Papago and the Complex Detention Unit (CDU). Built with inmate assistance to the contractor, the first unit to become operational at ASPC-Douglas, was the Maricopa unit. The next was the Mohave unit. Due to prison overcrowding the Gila unit was built with portable modular housing. In 1984 a law was passed that DUI inmates could not be housed with other inmates this created a problem and the Papago Unit was purchased from the Desert Inn Motel Company and converted into a prison unit. A special Detention unit was also added.

Significantly inadequate health care for inmates has plagued ASPC-Douglas for years. In February of 2008, Samuel Atkins, an inmate at ASPC-Douglas's Gila unit died from pneumonia after being repeatedly ignored and neglected from the callous medical unit (hearsay) at ASPC-Douglas. By the time the staff finally took his condition seriously, it was too late. He died en route to the prison hospital. A simple diagnosis and treatment could have saved his life. Episodes such as this, which could have been easily prevented had the medical staff been the least bit effective at their jobs, have been going on at ASPC-Douglas since its inception. Residents all over Arizona have been stunned and angered by these incidents, as they keep occurring without proper action or reform being taken against the prison's medical staff. Regardless of how sick an inmate is, they are refused immediate care and told to turn in a "Health Needs Request form". They subsequently wait 3-10 days to be seen. During the disgraceful waiting period, sick men pass on their illness to other inmates and officers. Then those inmates that become infected also have to wait up to 10 days again, and then they spread illness as well, and so on. It's a never ending circle that is essentially and intentionally torturing men at this prison. When the sick men are finally seen, the nurses that treat them are especially vicious and spiteful towards the men. Investigations into these allegations have turned up horrific behavior by employees of the health units, particularly in the Gila, Maricopa, and Mohave's health units. Their unconscionable acts of torture and death among members of the prison is a grim reminder of how callous the healthcare staff of this prison truly is.

ASPC-Douglas has an inmate capacity of approximately 2,148 in 5 housing units at security levels 1, 2, 3 and 5. The ADC uses a score classification system to asses inmates appropriate custody and security level placement. The scores range from 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest risk or need. ASPC-Douglas is a modern, medium to high security prison.