PHOENIX — The only way Jodi Arias will see freedom in the foreseeable future is by peering through two 6-inch window slits in her soon-to-be new home, a prison cell in Goodyear.
A state highway is easily visible from her cell, a 12-by-7-foot concrete room where Arias will live in maximum custody at Arizona State Prison Complex-Perryville.
Arias, convicted of first-degree murder in the 2008 slaying of Travis Alexander, will be transported from Maricopa County Superior Court in downtown Phoenix to the 400-acre Perryville campus after Judge Sherry Stephens sentences her in April. Stephens by law must hand down a life sentence following Thursday's mistrial — the second such verdict in the high-profile murder case.
Stephens has the option of sentencing Arias to spend the rest of her natural life in prison, or giving her life with a chance for release after 25 years.
Arias eventually could be placed in a medium-custody prison after five years and be allowed to work if her behavior warrants a downgrade in her security level, a prison spokesman said Thursday.
Arias, 34, said she killed her lover in self-defense, but a jury in May 2013 did not believe her. That jury, however, was unable to agree on a life or death sentence, so a new jury was impaneled in October 2014 to consider the matter. That jury began deliberating Feb. 26.
The Arizona Republic was previously permitted to examine the facility where Arias will be housed at the all-female prison complex. The cell is small — about the size of a Mini Cooper, only taller — and spartan.
She will be in an individual cell in the L-shaped maximum-security "special management" building within the Lumley Unit. The unit was named for Brent Lumley, a correctional officer killed by a male inmate who now lives on death row in Florence for the slaying.
Every cell door in Arias' building is solid steel. The cells have a narrow slot through which correctional officers will pass her food. Doors on the first floor open out into a prison yard. Those on the second floor open onto a catwalk overlooking the yard.
The Department of Corrections declined to say on which floor she would be housed.
Inside each cell is a toilet, a sink, a bed and a desk, all made of concrete and steel.
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, including the four major networks and educational and religious shows. Many inmates spend their days watching Law and Order reruns, according to prison officials.
Death-row inmates also can have up to 10 books or magazines in a cell at one time.
The prison will issue Arias a mattress, a pillow, a blanket and two sheets. An air vent above her bed will allow her to speak to her neighbor if she wishes. Many inmates use the vents to ease their isolation, prison officials say.
A prison spokesman said maximum-security and death-row inmates are offered programming, which means out-of-cell time, in addition to recreation time.
The type of programming Arias receives will depend on the assessment that she'll undergo when she arrives.
Arias told jurors in her first trial that she hoped to teach Spanish and literacy skills from behind bars. She likely misunderstands how little social contact she will have for at least the first two years.
Lumley's maximum-security unit is surrounded by a tall fence with razor wire. Ten outdoor enclosures nearby serve as exercise areas. The enclosures are shaded and cooled by misters, and measure roughly 10 feet high by 12 feet in length and width.
The women at Lumley are allowed at least one hour of daily exercise time for up to six days a week. Each woman may shower once a day for up to six days a week.
Maricopa County sheriff's deputies eventually will transport Arias roughly 23 miles from the courthouse to the prison as soon as Stephens pronounces her sentence. She will be delivered to an intake area at the north gate, about 200 feet from the main entrance.
There, inmates are issued orange prison clothing and a T-shirt, and have their mug shot taken. Arias will undergo medical, mental and dental examinations, according to prison officials. Her picture will be placed outside her cell door for correctional officers to make positive ID.
She will be allowed one visit of up to two hours per week. There can be no physical contact, and visitors must be approved by the Department of Corrections. An inmate's family may visit during that time.
Initially, Arias will be allowed one 15-minute phone call per week, monitored by prison officials.
Privileges, such as recreation time, can increase based on an inmate's behavior.
After two years, Arias could be moved to a close-custody unit, which is less restrictive.
The biggest difference is that Arias could be moved to a two-bunk cell and have a roommate. She also would be allowed to be escorted to an eating area with other inmates. Three years later, she could be moved to medium custody, where she could live in a dormitory environment with 10 or more inmates and would be able to work, according to a prison spokesman.
Regardless, she will stay at the Perryville facility, as that is the only state prison that houses women.
