The Latest: Ducey says retired judges to probe prison locks

PHOENIX (AP) - The Latest on problems with cell door locks at the Lewis state prison in west of Phoenix (all times local):

5:20 p.m.

Gov. Doug Ducey says he’s hired two retired Arizona Supreme Court justices to conduct an independent investigation into problems with cell door locks at the Lewis prison west of Phoenix.

Ducey announced Tuesday that former justices Rebecca Berch and Ruth McGregor will conduct the review. Ducey spokesman Patrick Ptak says they are also tasked with finding out if the problem exists at other prisons.

The move follows a report from Phoenix television station ABC15 showing inmates were able to open their locked cells. One inmate died after a related assault and two corrections officers were severely beaten.

The prison guards union joined with an inmate rights group Tuesday to demand an immediate fix.

Padlocks have been placed on 1,000 cells at the prison in Buckeye as a temporary fix.

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12:49 p.m.

The union representing guards at Arizona’s prisons has joined with an inmate rights group to demand that the state immediately fix security problems that they say led to an inmate’s death and the severe beating of two guards at a prison west of Phoenix.

Carlos Garcia of the Arizona Correctional Peace Officers Association said at a Tuesday news conference that the time is now for Gov. Doug Ducey and Corrections Department Director Charles Ryan to fix the problem. He accused the department of negligence for problems with door locks at the Lewis Prison in Buckeye that were revealed in a report by Phoenix television station ABC15.

Corrections officials say they’ve placed padlocks on 1,000 cells at the prison. The department says inmates are tampering with the cell door locks.