New sheriff in Arizona to close
controversial 'Tent City' jail
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[April 05, 2017]
By David Schwartz
PHOENIX (Reuters) - A controversial outdoor
tent jail in Arizona that became one of the signature tough-on-crime
projects of former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio will be shut down,
his replacement for the job said on Tuesday.
The canvas compound known as “Tent City” in southwest Phoenix, long
branded inhumane by civil rights groups, was no longer needed to handle
the inmate population, new Maricopa Sheriff Paul Penzone said.
“This facility is not a crime deterrent, it is not cost efficient and it
is not tough on criminals,” said Penzone, who took office in January
after beating Arpaio in last year's election. He projected $4.5 million
savings from closing Tent City.
Penzone said the jail had become a circus that inmates preferred, rather
than a prudent law enforcement tool to house law-breakers.
“Starting today that circus ends and these tents come down,” he told
reporters at a news conference, adding that inmate transfers would begin
in 45 to 60 days. “We’re going to give these criminals what they don’t
want.”
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The decision comes after Penzone appointed a committee in January to
determine the fate of the outdoor facility, which opened in August 1993
with surplus military tents.
Billed as a cost-saver, the more than 2,000-bed facility was intended to
help relieve an over-crowded jail system and quickly became one of
Arpaio’s most high-profile acts during his six terms in office.
A string of politicians and visitors from across the world have toured
the sun-scorched facility erected adjacent to a brick-and-mortar jail.
Arpaio, who became known for his anti-illegal immigration stance and
jail practices such as making inmates wear pink underwear and eat green
bologna, vowed the jail would never close under his watch.
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![](../images/040517pics/news_g15.jpg)
An inmate serving a jail sentence rests on his bed at Maricopa
County's Tent City jail in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. on July 30, 2010.
REUTERS/Joshua Lott/File Photo
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Alessandra Soler, executive director of the ACLU of Arizona, called
the closure a “good step forward” but that still more work was
needed.
“Maricopa County’s jails are plagued by the mistreatment of
pre-trial detainees and remain under federal court oversight because
of the ongoing abuse of people with mental health problems,” said
Soler, in a statement. The dollars saved by the closure should be
used for programs and services that address these and other
problems, she added.
Arpaio, 84, was ousted in November after serving 24 years as
sheriff. He faces a criminal contempt trial on April 25 for
violating the orders of a federal judge in a racial profiling case.
Arpaio declined to comment for this story.
(Reporting by David Schwartz in Phoenix; Editing by Dan Whitcomb and
Andrew Hay)
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