An official report has been released by the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry regarding the escape of John Charpoit and David Harmon from the ADCRR Florence – South Unit facility in Florence, Arizona on January 23, 2021.
ASPC Florence – South Unit is a medium-security prison facility that primarily houses men convicted of sex-based offenses. South Unit is rated as having an operational capacity of 965 beds with a total population on the date of the escape of 943 men.
Security staffing numbers for ASPC- Florence South Unit on the date of the escape indicate that the unit required 42 officers to operate the unit; however, on the date of the escape, only 15 staff members were on shift.
Here is an excerpt of a report from AZCentral.com Journalist Jimmy Jenkins regarding the ADCRR escape:
The records show the South Unit of the Florence prison was understaffed during the night shift on Jan. 23, when the prisoners escaped.
A Daily Briefing Sheet provided by the department shows there were 42 authorized corrections officers positions for the shift but only 15 staff members were scheduled to report for work. According to the document, 19 staff members were “required” for the night shift.
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-breaking/2021/12/04/records-show-arizona-prison-understaffed-during-escape/8863429002/
However, staffing shortages and the significant threat to effective operations have been known to the department for a long period of time. Additionally, there are a number of security protocols that failed that cannot be explained by staffing shortages alone.
We will continue to follow this story and update as new information becomes available.
