| NEWS | Hell from p 11 “represents a temporary action but not a permanent operational change,” which was developed by “one jail and the unique situational needs of their facility at a given moment in time” Gillett wrote. MCSO’s staffing problems are long- standing, though, and the agency has taken some steps to address them, including a $3,000 sign-on bonus. But the problem is getting worse. At the end of October, the sheriff’s office submitted a request for the National Guard to assist with staffing in its jails, citing “critical staffing levels across multiple de- partments.” “Multiple jails are reaching maximum capacity with manpower shortages,” the request said, “causing the Sheriff’s Office to use badged field personnel to fill vacan- cies.” The Arizona National Guard and Mari- copa County officials confirmed to New Times that MCSO’s request was ultimately withdrawn and that no Guard members are currently assisting in the jail system. But since that initial request, more than 100 MCSO employees have departed the agency, bringing overall staffing numbers — around 3,100 — to their lowest levels in two years, according to monthly internal staffing data reviewed by New Times. The attrition is particularly pronounced within county jails, which have lost around 9 percent of their staff since the beginning of the pandemic. Meanwhile, Correctional Health Ser- vices, which provides medical care in for the jails, currently is at 21.7 percent va- cancy, according to the county. Officials said the staffing gaps are being covered in part by overtime hours and contractors. In 2021, Maricopa County paid an addi- tional $4.7 million in detention salaries, benefits and overtime compared to 2020. In less than a month between the first week of December 2021 and January 2022, 124 employees at the county’s sheriff’s of- fice contracted COVID-19 or about 4 per- cent of the workforce, according to a recent email obtained by New Times. Most of those people who got sick work in county jails. It all has taken a toll on those inside. Play from p 8 unusual conversation.” Although theater has taken multiple hits during the pandemic shutdown, Southers had found a silver lining. “Last season, to be safe for audiences, we switched from presenting plays on stage to presenting them on film. I think it was a plus to be pushed into film. I wouldn’t have learned it otherwise. And as awful as it that people are dying, I see Jerod Stevenson was booked into Wat- kins Jail at the beginning of January after pleading guilty to prohibited possession of a firearm. He had been caught carrying a handgun, despite a prior felony drug charge. Soon after, he tested positive for CO- VID-19. The cell holds 10 men and, in the cor- ner, there’s a sink and toilet. In messages to New Times from his cellphone, Steven- son described a grueling lockdown. No one in his quarantined cell was permitted to leave, except to shower, just as in Omar’s case. The men have not been pro- vided any soap or hand sanitizer, Steven- son said. “Unsanitary to say the least,” he said. Three other men quarantined in Wat- kins gave similar accounts to New Times. One said he had not been given a change of clothes in more than a week. The accounts were familiar to Jared Keenan, a staff attorney with ACLU Ari- zona, who is working on the litigation against MCSO for its poor COVID-19 pro- tocols. The suit, filed in June 2020, alleges that MCSO failed to provide adequate sanitary supplies or protect vulnerable people in custody from contracting CO- VID-19. The new emergency protocol, he said, was “very concerning,” and an example of how commonly “folks incarcerated end up being punished for things that are really out of their control.” Furthermore, when COVID-19 quaran- tine causes people in custody to lose cov- eted privileges or access to basic hygiene, Keenan said, it can act as a deterrent — making others less likely to report that they are sick or believe that they were exposed to the virus. That, in turn, can increase spread, Keenan said. “This disincentive to tell jail staff that you’re feeling sick has existed throughout the pandemic and I think, if anything, is getting worse, now that numbers are going up and the staffing situation is quite prob- lematic,” he said. The ACLU is still fighting to get relief for its clients in court. So far, a judge has declined to take immediate action. For those inside, it’s still a waiting game. that all kind of stories will come out of this tragedy.” Then again, Southers thought it unlikely that anti-vaxxers who contributed to the plague would one day go see a play about COVID-19. “We never get people in the seats who need to hear the play’s message,” he said. “You do a play about racism and you’re not going to have racists in the audiences, see- ing what they’ve done wrong. That’s just how that always goes, in the theater.” 13 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES JAN 27TH– FEB 2ND, 2022
