Murderers Escape Arizona Prison: How’d They Do It?
All it took for three desperate murderers to see daylight was the help of a woman on the outside and a simple pair of pliers.
It’s believed that the woman, 44-year-old Casslyn Mae Welch, met the men after their escape and helped them get away. She may have visited one of the inmates earlier in the day. Who knows where they got the pliers. But I can assure you that heads will be rolling soon. No, not the heads of the escapees. I’m talking about prison officials.
Sure, it’s big news when dangerous and violent criminals are able to successfully walk away from any correctional facility, but these guys managed to slip away from one of the largest prisons in Arizona, the Arizona State Prison in Golden Valley. This mega institution houses slightly more than 3,500 inmates on approximately 90 acres of land. The 34 building complex is a whopping 795,000 square feet that includes an 80 cell detention unit, dormitories, warehouses, and a medical facility. And, there’s a huge exercise yard, the largest in the Arizona prison system. Prisoners have access to softball fields, isometric training, horseshoes, basketball and volleyball, to name a few of the amenities.
This prison also incorporates a canine obedience program that allows inmates to train and care for a Humane Society dog. The facility also has a unique “open door” policy that requires officers to mingle with the prisoners. There are no security cages or glass partitions between the staff and the inmates. Warden Darla Elliot once told a local Arizona paper that she believed the open, laid-back policy would encourage prisoners in her facility to be more trustworthy and accountable for their actions.
Warden Elliot discussing details of a new dormitory within the prison complex.
Warden Elliot made that statement to her local newspaper in May 2009. A little over a year later, the three killers walked away from her institution. The director of the Arizona Department of Corrections, Charles Ryan, says he believes lax security at the prison may be at the root of the recent escape.
Ryan’s statement brings to mind another question. The Golden Valley facility is a privately-run prison. The state does not operate it. It’s owned, managed, and maintained by a company called Management And Training Corporation (MTC) out of Centerville, Utah.
MTC’s company overview states they have a history of changing lives and helping inmates and Job Corps students learn. And they also say (from their website):
MTC builds trust with government agencies and the public because it:
* Achieves high operational performance
* Operates programs within budget
* Rewards innovation and excellence
* Implements customer policies and exceeds those requirements
* Provides safe and secure working, living, and learning environments
* Builds quality partnerships with communities, employers, workforce development agencies and vendors.
MTC is the third largest operator of privately-run prisons in the country. I haven’t checked, but I’m sure Wackenhut and Corrections Corporation of America are probably the two largest. In fact, Wackenhut operates these prisons (for profit). You can scroll down quickly. The list is long, and boring:
Africa
Kutama- Sinthumule Maximum Security Prison
Australia
Junee, New South Wales
Victoria
Wacol, Queensland
Department of Immigration & Multicultural Affairs (DIMA)
Melbourne, Victoria
Canada
New Brunswick
New Zealand
Auckland
United Kingdom
Doncaster, England
Dungavel, Scotland
Lowdham, England
Marchington, England
Medomsley, England
Pucklechurch, England
Kilmarnock, Scotland
United States
California
Colorado
Florida
Louisiana
Michigan
Mississippi
New Mexico
North Carolina
New York
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Puerto Rico
Texas
Virginia
CALIFORNIA
CENTRAL VALLEY MODIFIED COMMUNITY CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
254 Taylor Avenue
McFarland, CA 93250
Phone: 661-792-3492
Fax: 661-792-5572
550-bed state medium custody community correctional facility
Opened December, 1997
DESERT VIEW MODIFIED COMMUNITY CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
10450 Rancho Road
Adelanto, CA 92301
Phone: 760-246-1171
Fax: 760-246-6420
568-bed state medium custody community correctional facility
Opened December, 1997
GOLDEN STATE MODIFIED COMMUNITY CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
611 Frontage Road
McFarland, CA 93250
Phone: 661-792-2731
Fax: 661-792-6131
550-bed state return-to-custody correctional facility
Opened December, 1997
McFARLAND COMMUNITY CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
120 Taylor Road
McFarland, CA 93250-0637
Phone: 661-792-3001
Fax: 661-792-3007
224-bed state correctional facility
Opened January, 1989
WESTERN REGION DETENTION FACILITY AT SAN DIEGO
220 C St. (West)
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619-232-9221
Fax: 619-232-9224
616-Bed Detention Facility
Opened July, 2000
TAFT CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION
1500 Cadet Road
Taft, CA 93268
Phone: 661-763-2510
Fax: 661-765-3002
2,048-bed federal correctional facility
Opened December, 1997
COLORADO
AURORA/INS PROCESSING CENTER
11901 East 30th Ave
Aurora, CO 80010
Phone: 303-361-6612
Fax: 303-341-2652
340-bed I.N.S. detention facility
Opened February, 1987
FLORIDA
ATLANTIC SHORES HOSPITAL
4545 North Federal Highway
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308
86-bed rivate psychiatric hospital
Owner/Manager since July 1997
Phone: 954-771-2711
Fax: 954-493-9998
BROWARD COUNTY WORK RELEASE CENTER
3900 North Powerline Rd.
Pompano Beach, FL 33073
Phone: 954-973-4485
Fax: 954-973-6179
300-bed minimum security work release center
Opened February, 1998
MOORE HAVEN CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
Hwy 27 N & Hwy 78 E
Moore Haven, FL 33471
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 718501
Moore Haven, FL 33471-8501
Phone: 863-946-2420
Fax: 863-946-3437
750-bed state medium/close-custody security prison
Opened June, 1995
SOUTH BAY CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
600 US Hwy. 27 South
South Bay, FL 33493
Phone: 561-992-9505
Fax: 561-992-9551
1,436-bed state medium/close-custody security prison
Opened February, 1997
SOUTH FLORIDA STATE HOSPITAL
800 East Cypress Dr
Pembroke Pines, FL 33025
350-bed stats psychiatric hospital
Phone: 954-392-3000
Fax: 954-392-3041
Opened November, 1998
New facility construction opened December, 2000
LOUISIANA
ALLEN CORRECTIONAL CENTER
3751 Lauderdale Woodyard Road
Kinder, LA 70648
Phone: 337-639-2942
Fax: 337-639-2944
1,474-bed state medium/maximum security facility
Opened December, 1990
MICHIGAN
MICHIGAN YOUTH CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
1805 West 32nd Street
Baldwin, MI 49304
480-bed youth correctional facility
Phone: 231-745-9711
Fax: 231-745-9707
Opened July, 1999
MISSISSIPPI
EAST MISSISSIPPI CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
10641 Highway 80 West
Meridian, MS 39307
Phone: 601-485-5255
Fax: 601-485-5944
500-bed mental health correctional facility
Opened April, 1999
MARSHALL COUNTY CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
833 West Street
Holly Springs, MS 38634
Phone: 662-252-7111
Fax: 662-252-5777
1,000-bed state medium security prison
Opened June, 1996
NEW MEXICO
GUADALUPE COUNTY CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
P. O. Box 520
South Highway 54
Santa Rosa, NM 88435
Phone: 505-472-1001
Fax: 505-472-1006
600-bed correctional facility
Opened January, 1999
LEA COUNTY CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
6900 West Millen Drive
Hobbs, NM 88244
Phone: 505-392-4055
Fax: 505-392-6488
1,200-bed correctional facility
Opened May, 1998
NEW YORK
QUEENS PRIVATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
182-22 150th Avenue
Jamaica, NY 11413
Phone: 718-553-5420
Fax: 718-553-5426
200-bed I.N.S. detention facility
Opened March, 1997
NORTH CAROLINA
RIVERS CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION
145 Parker’s Fishery Rd
Winton, North Carolina 27986
Phone: 252-358-5200
Fax: 252-358-5202
1200-bed, low security, adult male facility
Opened March, 2001
OKLAHOMA
LAWTON CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
8607 South East Flower Mound Road
Lawton, OK 73501
Phone: 580-351-2778
Fax: 580-351-2641
1,800-bed medium security correctional facility
Opened July, 1998
PENNSYLVANIA
GEORGE W. HILL CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
Cheyeney Road
Thornton, PA 19373
Phone: 610-358-2150
Fax: 610-358-9694
1,812-bed county prison
Assumed operations April, 1996
Moved to new facility October, 1998
TEXAS
BRIDGEPORT CORRECTIONAL CENTER
4000 N 10th Street
Bridgeport, TX 76426
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 189
Bridgeport, TX 76026
Phone: 940-683-3010
Fax: 940-683-3094
520-bed state correctional facility
Opened August, 1989
CENTRAL TEXAS PAROLE VIOLATOR FACILITY
218 South Laredo Street
San Antonio, TX 78207-4532
Phone: 210-227-5600
Fax: 210-226-5007
623-bed mixed use facility
Renovated and opened January, 1989
CLEVELAND CORRECTIONAL CENTER
901 East 5th Street
Cleveland, Texas 77327
Phone: 281-592-9559
Fax: 281-592-9552
520-bed correctional facility
Assumed Operations January, 1999
COKE COUNTY JUVENILE JUSTICE CENTER
4E Hwy 277 South
Bronte, TX 76933-0700
Phone: 915-473-5700
Fax: 915-473-5800
200-bed youthful offender facility
Opened October, 1994
JOHN R. LINDSEY STATE JAIL
1137 Old Post Oak Road
Jacksboro, TX 76458
Phone:940-567-2272
Fax: 940-567-2292
1,031-bed community corrections facility
Opened September, 1995
KARNES COUNTY CORRECTIONAL CENTER
810 Commerce St.
Karnes City, TX 78118
Phone: 830-780-3525
Fax: 830-780-4057
579-bed adult correctional facility
WCC-managed since January, 1998
LOCKHART SECURE WORK PROGRAM FACILITIES (Men’s)
1400 Industrial Blvd
Lockhart, TX 78644
Phone: 512-398-3480
Fax: 512-398-4551
500-bed men’s state prison facility
Opened February, 1993
LOCKHART SECURE WORK PROGRAM FACILITIES (Women’s)
1400 Industrial Blvd
Lockhart, TX 78644
Phone: 512-398-3480
Fax: 512-398-4551
500-bed state women’s facility
Opened August, 1994
KYLE CORRECTIONAL CENTER (NEW VISION)
701 IH 35 South
P.O. Box 1300
Kyle, TX 78640-1300
Phone: 512-268-0079
Fax: 512-268-0366
520-bed state facility/chemical dependency treatment center
Opened June, 1989
NORTH TEXAS INTERMEDIATE SANCTION FACILITY
4700 Blue Mound Road
Fort Worth, TX 76106
Phone: 817-740-0180
Fax: 817-740-0735
400-bed parole violator facility
Opened August, 1991
VAL VERDE COUNTY JAIL & CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
253 FM
2523 Hamilton Lane
Del Rio, TX 78840
Phone: 830-778-0096
Fax: 830-778-0036
784-bed jail and correctional facility
Opened January, 2001
WILLACY STATE JAIL
1695 Buffalo Drive
Raymondville, TX 78580
Phone: 956-689-4900
Fax: 956-689-4001
1,000-bed state jail facility
Opened January, 1996
VIRGINIA
CHARLOTTE COUNTY CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
Drakes Branch, VA
1,000-bed state correctional facility
Opening 3rd Quarter, 2002
PUERTO RICO
BAYAMON CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
Calle #28 Final
Centro Industrial Luchetti
Bayamon, PR 00961
Phone: 787-288-5800
Fax: 787-786-0800
500-bed state correctional facility
Opened March, 1997
AFRICA
HEAD OFFICE
SOUTH AFRICA CUSTODIAL SERVICES (SACS)
Oak Place
Woodmead Office Park
Western Service Rd.
Woodmead
Santon
Phone: 011-27-11-802-4440
Fax: 011-27-11-802-4491
KUTAMA-SINTHUMULE MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON
South African Custodial Management
Temporary Office
Suite 6, Far North Suites
117 Krogh St.
Louis Trichart 0920
Republic of South Africa
Phone: 011-27-15-516-0217
Fax: 011-27-15-516-0277
3,024-bed maximum security prison
Opening 1Q02
AUSTRALIA
HEAD OFFICES
AUSTRALASIAN CORRECTIONAL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD (ACM)
Level 18, AXA Centre
44 Market St., Sydney, NSW 2000
Phone: 011-61-2-9262-6100
Fax: 011-61-2-9262-6005
ACM DETENTION SERVICES
Head Office
Level 18, AXA Centre
44 Market St., Sydney, NSW 2000
Phone: 011-61-2-9295-0204
Fax: 011-61-2-9295-0288
ARTHUR GORRIE REMAND AND RECEPTION CENTRE
3068 Ipswich Road
P.O. Box 1300 Darra
Wacol Queensland 4076 Australia
Phone: 011-61-7-3212-0428
Fax: 011-61-7-3212-0415
710-bed remand and reception centre
Opened July, 1992
DIMA CURTIN IMMIGRATION RECEPTION & PROCESSING CENTRE
RAAF Base Curtin
P.O. Box 1210
Great Northern Highway
Derby, Western Australia 6728
Phone: 011-61-8-9193-3800
Fax: 011-61-8-9193-3818
Limited security immigration dentention centre
Opened September 1999
DIMA MARIBYRNONG IMMIGRATION DETENTION CENTRE
53 Hamstead Road
Maidstone Victoria, 3012 Australia
Phone: 011-61-3-9318-1999
Fax: 011-61-3-9317-7390
Immigration detention facility
ACM assumed management, December, 1997
DIMA PERTH IMMIGRATION DETENTION CENTRE
Corner Baker Road & McCombe Avenue
Perth, WA 6000 Australia
Phone: 011-61-8-9479-1257
Fax: 011-61-8-9479-7284
Immigration detention facility
ACM assumed management, December, 1997
DIMA PORT HEDLAND IMMIGRATION RECEPTION & PROCESSING CENTRE
Dempster Street, Cooke Point
Cook Point, WA Australia 6721
Phone: 011-61-8-9173-2822
Fax: 011-61-8-9173-2825
Immigration detention facility
ACM assumed management, December, 1997
DIMA VILLAWOOD IMMIGRATION DETENTION CENTRE
Miowera Road
Villawood NWS 2163 Australia
Phone: 011-61-2-9752-1500
Fax: 011-61-2-9752-1599
Immigration detention facility
ACM assumed management, December, 1997
DIMA-WOOMERA IMMIGRATION RECEPTION & PROCESSING CENTRE
Works Road
P.O. Box 136
Woomera West 5720
South Australia, Australia
Phone: 011-61-8-8674-7220
Fax: 011-61-8-8674-7574
Reception holding & processing centre
Opened April, 1997
FULHAM CORRECTIONAL CENTRE
Hopkins Road
Fulham, Victoria 3850 Australia
Phone: 011-61-3-51-423-800
Fax: 011-61-3-51-423-801
775-bed state prison
Opened April, 1997
JUNEE CORRECTIONAL CENTRE
Park Lane
Junee NSW 2663, Australia
Phone: 011-61-26-924-3222
Fax: 011-61-26-924-3197
750-bed correctional center
Opened April, 1993
MELBOURNE CUSTODY CENTRE
520 Lonsdale Street
Melbourne, Victoria 3000 Australia
Phone: 011-61-3-9628-7888
Fax: 011-61-3-9628-7894
80-bed custody management & court security centre
Assumed operations March 1999
CANADA
NEW BRUNSWICK YOUTH CENTRE
4 Airport Drive, P.O. Box 39
Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada E1N 3W4
WCC designed, constructed and now has 25-year maintenance contract
Phone: 506-624-2160, 2163, 2164
Fax: 506-624-2162
Opened January, 1998
NEW ZEALAND
AUCKLAND CENTRAL REMAND PRISON
PO Box 8180
Symonds St.
Auckland, New Zealand
Phone: 011-64-9-309-9859
Fax: 011-64-9-309-9698
383-bed adult male remand prison
Opened July 2000
UNITED KINGDOM
HEAD OFFICE
PREMIER PRISON SERVICES LIMITED
Berkshire Court, Western Road
Brachnell, Berkshire RG12 1RE
Phone: 011-441-344-386-300
Fax: 011-441-344-868-867
PPS COURT ESCORT CUSTODY SERVICE
31-34 South Bar St.
Banbury, England OX169AE
Phone: 011-441-295-225-300
Fax: 011-441-295-276-803
DUNGAVEL HOUSE IMMIGRATION DETENTION CENTRE
Dungavel House
Strathaven, South Lanarkshire ML10 6RS
England
Phone: 011-44-1698-395-000
Fax: 011-44-1698-395-076
HASSOCKFIELD SECURE TRAINING CENTRE
Corbridge Rd.
Medomsley County
Durham, England DH8 6QY
Phone: 011-44-1207-565-600
Fax: 011-44-1207-565-631
40-bed secure training center
Opened September, 1999
H. M. PRISON AND YOUNG OFFENDER INSTITUTON (YOI) DONCASTER
Marshgate, Doncaster, England DN5 8UX
Phone: 011-44-1-30-276-0870
Fax: 011-44-1-30-276-0851
1,111-bed prison for adults and separate unit for young offenders
Opened June, 1994
HM PRISON DOVEGATE
HMP Dovegate
Moreton Lane
Marchington, East Staffordshire ST14 8XR
England
Phone 44-1283 820000
Fax: 44-1283 820066
800-bed national prison and therapeutic community
Opened July 2001
H. M. PRISON KILMARNOCK
Bowhouse, Mauchline Road
Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland 5A1 SAA
Phone: 011-44-1-563-548-800
Fax: 011-44-1-563-548-845
Scottish Prison Service correctional facility
548-bed prison
Opened March, 1999
H. M. PRISON LOWDHAM GRANGE
Lowdham, Nottinghamshire, England NG14 7DA
Phone: 011-44-1-15-966-9200
Fax: 011-44-1-15-966-9345
524-bed national prison, medium/maximum security
Opened February, 1998
H. M. YOUNG OFFENDER INSTITUTION (YOI) ASHFIELD
Shortwood Rd.
Pucklechurch Bristol
England BS16-9QJ
Phone: 011-44-11-7-303-8000
Fax: 011-44-11-7-303-8001
400-bed correctional facility for youthful (male) offenders
Opened November, 1999
These companies are in the prison business to make money. And lots of it. They do so by working inmates for pennies per day at jobs such as, making military body armor, furniture, and clothing. Corrections is a huge multi-million-dollar business that even has its own trade shows, conferences, conventions, and vendors.
So, to make the kind of money that these folks enjoy, that means the overhead must be kept to a minimum. And how do you cut costs in a prison? Simple, you reduce medical care and food quality. And, they have to reduce the cost of manpower. That’s a huge expense (training, salaries, benefits, etc.). So, the private corrections companies normally maintain a very low staff ratio to a maximum number of inmates. And what happens when you reduce the security force? That’s right, prisoners are able to use a pair of pliers and woman driving an old jalopy to follow their yellow brick road to freedom.
– Fortunately, one of the three escapees has been captured, However, the capture involved a high-speed chase and a shootout. At the time of this posting, the other two are still at large and they’re believed to still be in the company of Casslyn Mae Welch.
It is not known if they still have the pliers in their possession.
*I’m traveling today, but I’d like to hear your opinions on privately-run prisons for profit. Do you feel this escape could have occurred at a state of federally run prison? No? Then I direct you to this article about the largest escape from death row.
*Original opening photo deleted per request of Becky Maxedon and photographer Jayne Hanson of the Lake Havasu City Today’s News-Herald. I found the image online and used it, not knowing it was the property of the newspaper. However, the same image was plastered all over the internet during the manhunt for the three escapees, so it was an honest mistake. Actually, I’d think the paper would have wanted the image spread throughout, hoping someone would have recognized the dangerous escapees. But, they asked, we complied, and we apologize for offending the good folks at Today’s News-Herald.
