Now, we fast forward to the present. Today, if one visits the Arizona Department of Correction’s homepage:
Towards the bottom of the column on the right hand side just above the link to Governor Jan Brewer is a checked link “Requests for Proposals – Privatization of all Correctional Health Services/100017DC & Minimum/Medium Security Prison Beds/100028DC”
This leads to this page:
http://www.azcorrections.gov/adc/divisions/adminservices/Request_for_Proposal.aspx
Upon which one finds no less than 16 PDF files of public notices attempting to privatize medical (and mental health) services for all of ADC.
However, I do not advocate privatization of health services for two reasons:
First, any organization which thinks the State of Arizona, which is totally broke and slipping even further over the edge rapidly, and/or ADC is going to cut them a sweet deal and treat them fairly is in for a rude awakening. I can not in good conscience recommend to anyone or any organization that they attempt to enter into any good faith agreement with ADC because they are going to get burned and burned badly!
Second, it will cost the Sate of Arizona untold sums of moneys dealing with the surprises that arise out of trying to pass their responsibility on to others. It will break the State to litigate, mitigate and deal with all the law suits and all the liability that would ensue.
Those cautions advised, there is, however, one area of ADC “treatment” that I recommend privatizing, or rather, “re-privatizing.”
The Sex Offender Treatment Program (SOTP) was originally contracted to an outside agency as was the proper thing to do. It was moral, ethical and legal. In contract, the monster that pretends to offer treatment for Arizona’s sex offenders is nothing more than a paper tiger.
ADC’s motto is “If it’s not on paper, it didn’t happen.” Likewise, ADC tries to foist off all kinds of lies, misrepresentations and frauds by conjuring up papers documenting what has never occurred. In short, they are lairs and thieves and perhaps even murderers. Who’s going to watch over them?
Certainly, not Arizona’s Governor. Not the legislators and never the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DSP). I know. I’ve tried appealing to everyone—only to get cut off at the knees.
However, the policies of the State and ADC create a false sense of security. While it appears they are making the public safer, they are in fact placing the public at even greater risk!
Consider that last year in APA journal of “Psychology, Public Policy, and Law” studies revealed that sex offender registries don’t protect anyone! Why? Because 95% of all new sex crimes are committed by new offenders who are not in the system and are not identified and hence placed on sex offender lists.
But, the fraud and deceit feigning increased public security goes beyond that. I’ll have a lot more to say about this, but let me close with a hand written statements from two sex offenders incarcerated at Special Management Unit II (SMU II) at the Arizona State Prison Complex—Eyman (ASPC-Eyman) seeking treatment they and others were being denied.
Their requests follow my Memo to the Administrator of Counseling and Treatment Services on 22 Dec 2005 in the attached PDF file: