PHOENIX — Arizona’s prison officers union is demanding that Gov. Katie Hobbs fire Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry Director Ryan Thornell, citing a rise in violence inside state prisons, ABC15 and Arizona’s Family reported.
Carlos Garcia of the Arizona Correctional Peace Officers Association led the call, pointing to department data on assaults, according to the reports.
Inmate-on-inmate assaults rose from 1,436 in fiscal 2023 to 2,330 in 2024, 3,552 in 2025 and 3,605 in 2026, the reports said. Inmate-on-staff assaults went from 426 to 563 to 724 before falling to 528 in fiscal 2026, while staff injuries rose from 38 to 78.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety is conducting a criminal investigation into leaked videos showing attacks on officers, according to the reports.
Thornell pushed back on the union. “Carlos Garcia’s rhetoric has created an unsafe environment,” he said in a response reported by ABC15. The department said violence this month is at its lowest levels.
The governor’s office had not announced any change in leadership as of Saturday.
Sources: ABC15, Arizona’s Family. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: U.S. Navy photo by Journalist 2nd Class Stephen P. Weaver / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
