Inside The Prison Jodi Arias Will Call Home: Perryville Is ‘No Joke’ With ‘Hard Core Rules’
After Jodi Arias is sentenced on April 13, she will spend her days in a small cell at Perryville, an all-female facility that is part of the Arizona State Prison Complex in Goodyear, Arizona. At Monday’s sentencing, which will be broadcast live online, Judge Sherry Stephens will decide if Arias will go to prison for life, or if she will be eligible for release after serving 25 years of her life sentence.
The death penalty is off the table for Arias, who was arrested in 2008 for the gruesome murder of her ex-lover, Travis Alexander. A mistrial was declared on March 5, making it the second time a jury deadlocked on whether or not to sentence her to death. The mistrial removed the death penalty as an option.
Whether the judge decides Arias should serve the rest of her natural life in jail, or allows her the possibility of release when she is almost 60-years-old, her time in prison will afford her very little freedom, at least during the first few years of her sentence.
According to Wendy Feldman, a crisis manager and legal coach, life at Perryville is “no joke” and Arias will have to adhere to “hard core rules” at the prison that houses more almost 2,400 women.
“Perryville is NO JOKE… there is no tweeting or even computers or cell phones. And yes, there are female gangs… she must prepare for long, boring days and lonely nights now that the court drama has ended. Perryville and it’s hard core rules await. [all sic]”
After her sentencing on Monday, Jodi Arias, who will turn 35 in July, will be transported to the 400-acre Perryville campus in Goodyear. USA Today reports that she will spend her days in a 12-by-7 concrete room in the prison’s maximum security unit, furnished with a bed, sink, toilet, and a desk — all made of concrete and steel. There are two 6-inch window slits that look out onto the state highway. She will spend 23 hours a day locked up, and will be able to make one 15-minute call per week.
“Every cell door in Arias’ building is solid steel. The cells have a narrow slot through which correctional officers will pass her food. There is one electrical and one cable outlet on the wall. Inmates may purchase a radio and a small television, which gets about 15 channels. Many inmates spend their days watching Law and Order reruns.”
Sue Ellen Allen, who spent seven years at Perryville for securities fraud, tells AZ Central that Jodi Arias is “very naïve” and her time in jail is “going to be hell.”
“There will be some groupies, probably not many, but there will be som. There will be some that want to put her in her place. There will be staff that wants to put her in her place.”
After Arias spends two years in maximum security, she could be moved to a unit within the prison that is less restrictive, and have an increase in her recreational time, but any changes are based on an inmate’s behavior. If she earns the move, she would share a cell with a roommate, and eat with other inmates.
Watch the Jodi Arias sentencing live online, on HLN TV or CNN starting at 11:30 p.m. ET on Monday, April 13.
[Image: ABC]
