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

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

Published on Feb. 27, 2026

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A federal judge has ordered a takeover of healthcare 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. U.S. District Judge Roslyn Silver said the state has failed to comply with court-ordered changes, exposing prisoners to 'an intolerable grave and immediate threat of continuing harm and suffering.'

Why it matters

This decision marks a significant intervention by the courts to address longstanding issues with the quality of healthcare in Arizona's prison system. The judge's order to appoint an independent authority to oversee and implement reforms aims to finally bring the system up to constitutional standards after over a decade of litigation and the state's failure to make necessary improvements on its own.

The details

Judge Silver's order comes after her 2022 ruling that Arizona had violated prisoners' rights by providing inadequate care that led to suffering and preventable deaths. The state had previously agreed to an overhaul of medical and mental health services in a 2014 settlement, but was soon accused of failing to keep many of those promises. This led to $2.5 million in contempt of court fines against the state and the eventual revocation of the agreement by the judge, who said corrections officials had shown little interest in making the required changes.

  • In 2022, Judge Silver ruled that Arizona had violated prisoners' rights by providing inadequate healthcare.
  • In 2014, the state agreed to overhaul its prison healthcare system in a settlement, but was soon accused of failing to follow through.
  • On February 20, 2026, Judge Silver ordered the takeover of Arizona's prison healthcare operations.

The players

Judge Roslyn Silver

The U.S. District Judge who ordered the takeover of healthcare operations in Arizona's prisons after years of poor care and the state's failure to comply with court-ordered changes.

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 the prison healthcare system, which has been criticized for years over the poor quality of medical and mental health care provided to 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 healthcare system represents a drastic but necessary intervention to address the state's longstanding failure to provide constitutionally adequate medical and mental health services to inmates. The appointment of an independent authority signals the judiciary's determination to finally enact the systemic changes needed to protect the health and safety of prisoners.