Sheriff locks down Phoenix jails

PHOENIX, June 30 (UPI) -- The controversial sheriff in Phoenix says he locked down the Maricopa County jails because of rumors of trouble between black and Hispanic inmates.

During the lockdown, visitors will not be able to enter the jails and the 10,000 inmates will be confined to their cells, The Arizona Republic reported. Prisoners will still be taken to court and work release and work furloughs will continue.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio has come under fire for harsh treatment of inmates and for a crackdown on illegal immigrants. He has won five elections as sheriff, most recently in 2008.

He said Monday inmates were apparently upset at not being grouped by race or ethnic background, the newspaper reported.

"If we segregate them, they don't like each other, that means I'm giving into them by isolating groups based on the ethnic background," he said. "That's not going to happen."

The lockdown is the second in six weeks. In May, the jails were locked down after some immigration detainees began a hunger strike.