Our View: After riot, return prison to state control

There is much to applaud in Gov. Doug Ducey’s action Wednesday severing ties with a private prison company.

Management and Training Corp. had operated the prison at Kingman for 11 years, compiling a checkered record. Lax attention to rules allowed three inmates to escape in 2010, leading to the murder of an Oklahoma couple. Last month, a riot destroyed much of the prison. A state report says the blame lies solely with MTC.

The rioting inmates, the report notes, did not attack each other but directed their anger at prison staff and property. “The riots were more likely precipitated by inmate dissatisfaction with MTC’s operation of the prison than by anger among the inmates themselves,” the report concludes.

It also found failures to train staff, efforts to hide shortcomings from state officials, and problems that have persisted since the escape five years ago. This company was a bad actor that should have been cut loose years ago.

Ducey also ordered reviews of the state’s other privately operated prisons. “Fail in your job, we will hold you accountable,” the governor said at a press conference. “Risk public safety, we will end your relationship with Arizona.”

All good. All strong.

He also declared that MTC will be required to find a new private operator for the prison in Kingman. The beds are needed. Another private operator is not.

At this point, it would make more sense to the Department of Corrections to take over operations once MTC repairs the damage. If the idea is to regain the public trust, especially in the Kingman area, it’s best not to take a chance that the next private operator will be responsible.

The security and operations of Arizona prisons is critical, Ducey said Wednesday, “because it directly impacts public safety.”

Correct. So let the public agency run a prison where the public trust was so severely fractured.