Union rep speaks out after COVID-19 cases soar at Yuma Prison Complex

The executive director of the Arizona Correctional Peace Officers Association says CO's were instructed not to speak to the media

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Carlos Garcia, the Executive Director of the Arizona Correctional Peace Officers Association (AZCPOA), speaks out about conditions at Arizona State Prison Complex (ASPC) in Yuma as COVID-19 runs rampant.

On Tuesday, the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry (ADCRR) released new numbers of positive coronavirus cases within the Yuma Prison Complex.

The ADCRR dashboard currently shows 671 inmates with COVID-19.

ADCRR said Tuesday, 655 of those cases are from the La Paz unit alone.

La Paz currently houses 1,066 inmates.

This information comes after several correctional officers (CO) and inmates' families reached out to News 11 about the outbreak.

Garcia told News 11 that all CO's were instructed not to speak to the media about the situation.

Garcia also said that the outbreak is proof that the Department of Corrections (DOC) doesn't have a grasp of containing the virus within prison walls.

He also said several workers from the Yuma Prison Complex told him there had been a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) among staff.

The ADCRR said they provided face masks to all staff and inmates within the prison in July.

Jeannie Vlezy's son is currently an inmate who tested positive for the virus in the La Paz unit.

Vlezy's son told her he got sick earlier last week and was tested Monday.

Once testing positive, she said it took a day for medical to get to him.