The controversial outdoor "tent city" jail in Maricopa County, Arizona, opened by former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, has now been shut down, The Arizona Republic is reporting.
The last of the remaining inmates at the 7-acre compound in Phoenix were transferred to the county's nearby Durango Jail over the weekend, the newspaper said.
Sheriff Paul Penzone, who ousted Arpaio in the November election, had said closing the jail was a top priority. He had called the tents a "circus."
Critics claimed inmates suffered through cruel conditions at the jail, particularly during sweltering summers, the newspaper noted. But others claimed it offered the proper punishment for those who broke the law.
Arpaio opened the facility in 1993 in hopes of relieving jail overcrowding.
"Some cities let criminals out because their jails are too crowded," Arpaio had said in a 2016 campaign ad. "I would never do that. That's my commitment to you: Keeping our community safe."
The former sheriff was convicted of criminal contempt for violating a court order in a racial profiling case, was pardoned by President Donald Trump in August, HuffPost noted.
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