Three terminally ill Arizona inmates will be released from prison after Gov. Doug Ducey commuted their sentences on Tuesday.

Dana Huff, Aubrey Bryson and Ray Garcia were among five people who the Board of Executive Clemency approved months ago to be released early for health reasons.

It's unclear why it took Ducey months to sign the orders required to release the individuals, particularly in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Many inmates are in the high-risk category.

The Prison Law Office advocated on the families' behalf. The office is assisting in representing thousands of inmates in Arizona prisons seeking access to adequate health care from the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry.

"We’re overjoyed for these three people and their families that they can leave prison and return home to be with their loved ones in their final days," Corene Kendrick of the Prison Law Office told The Arizona Republic.

"But something is broken with the process if the clemency board can unanimously conclude a person is no risk to public safety, and the governor can sit on his hands for months without taking the simple act of signing his name to a release order."

Who are these individuals?

Huff, 62, was sentenced to two years in prison in May for aggravated driving under the influence with a suspended license. Now, Huff will be on community supervision.

Bryson, 53, was sentenced in May 2015 to eight years for theft of means of transportation and two years of probation for unlawful flight from law enforcement. Now, Bryson will be on probation.

Garcia, 45, was sentenced in July 2017 to two years and 10 months for a dangerous drug violation and drug paraphernalia violation. Now, he will be on community supervision.

More people who are ill

The board also recommended commutation for two other inmates who are terminally ill, Douglas Fields, 56, in December and Gayle Larassa, 56, in January.

The Prison Law Office is asking Ducey to sign their release orders without further delay and to take quicker action when the board sends him orders in the future.

"This disregard and lack of empathy for the basic human dignity of the dying people and their families – especially with the looming specter of COVID-19 entering the prisons – is unsettling," Kendrick said.

Linda Moore-Fields, Fields' ex-wife, told The Republic that the family is heartbroken that Ducey didn't grant his release.

"Today we were one of the unfortunate 2 out of 5 commutation that were not signed," she said in an email. "I'm not sure why this was, but our family is heartbroken."

She spoke on Fields' behalf with other family members at his hearing in front of the Board of Clemency. She said out of the four board members present that day, only one voted against recommending commutation.

"We only wanted him to die with dignity and comfort surrounded by family and friends," she said.

Fields has mesothelioma, according to Moore-Fields. She said his family expects his last birthday to be next week. His release date is in November. However, a doctor said at the time of his December hearing that he had only four months to live.

Advocates have shared concerns from those who are vulnerable in Arizona prisons since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In March, attorneys for inmates visited the Florence prison and described it as having "unsanitary conditions," according to a letter they sent to Timothy Bojanowski, the lawyer for the department.

The lawyers stated in their letter to the department that they saw "crowded, filthy, unventilated dorms, tents, and Quonset huts housing elderly, frail men with chronic health conditions and multiple disabilities," when visiting the Florence prison.

The ACLU asked Ducey to order the release of elderly, nonviolent and other inmates who pose little to no risk to the public. Ducey has not publicly responded to that request.

Have thoughts about Arizona's prison? Reach criminal justice reporter Lauren Castle at Lauren.Castle@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Lauren_Castle.

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