Judge Orders Takeover of Arizona Prison Health Care After Years of Poor Care

Federal judge cites 'deeply entrenched unconstitutional conduct' in appointing independent authority to run medical and mental health services.

Published on Feb. 27, 2026

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A federal judge has ordered a takeover of health care operations in Arizona's prisons and will appoint an official to run the system after years of complaints about poor medical and mental health care. The decision comes after the judge's 2022 ruling that Arizona had violated prisoners' rights by providing inadequate care that led to suffering and preventable deaths.

Why it matters

The judge's order is a drastic step to address the state's long-standing failure to provide constitutionally adequate health care in its prison system, which has been plagued by issues for over a decade. The move aims to finally implement the systemic changes necessary to ensure prisoners receive proper medical and mental health treatment.

The details

U.S. District Judge Roslyn Silver concluded that the state has failed to comply with court-ordered changes and the Constitution after nearly 14 years of litigation. She wrote that the 'deeply entrenched unconstitutional conduct' requires an independent authority to take over and run the prison health care operations.

  • The judge's order was issued on Thursday, February 20, 2026.
  • The state and attorneys representing prisoners have 60 days to submit a list of candidates to run health and mental health care operations in prisons.

The players

Judge Roslyn Silver

The U.S. District Judge who ordered the takeover of Arizona's prison health care system.

David Fathi

One of the lawyers representing the prisoners, who said the decision 'brings hope that the preventable suffering and deaths that have haunted Arizona's prison system for over a decade can finally end.'

Arizona Department of Corrections

The state agency responsible for operating Arizona's prison system, which has been criticized for years over its inadequate medical and mental health care for inmates.

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What’s next

The state and attorneys representing prisoners have 60 days to submit a list of candidates to run health and mental health care operations in Arizona's prisons.

The takeaway

This court-ordered takeover of Arizona's prison health care system is a drastic but necessary step to address the state's longstanding failure to provide constitutionally adequate medical and mental health services to inmates. It signals the judge's frustration with the state's lack of progress and the urgent need for an independent authority to implement systemic changes and end the preventable suffering and deaths that have plagued the prison system.