Key Points:

• A new criminal justice advocacy group plans to work on policy that will help former prisoners get careers, not just jobs

• Arizona currently has two laws and one executive order that help felons get jobs

• Advocates say the state can do more to help former prisoners and workforce shortages

Finding jobs after prison can be difficult. Finding a career that supports a stable life can be even harder. 

But a new civil justice organization has plans to make things a little bit easier for Arizona’s formerly incarcerated people. 

The newly established Arizona Advocates for Justice is making fair chance employment one of its top priorities for the state’s next legislative session, arguing that helping formerly incarcerated people build careers – not just find a job – can make a big difference for the state. Fair chance employment policies are meant to reduce the barriers that prevent people with criminal records from being considered for jobs.

Director Erika Ovalle said watching family members struggle after incarceration convinced her that employment was one of the biggest barriers to successful reentry. 

“I’ve had to see so many terrible things happen to our loved ones while incarcerated and helping people find stability when they come home is a really big deal for me,” she said. “I was seeing a lot of people come home, a lot of people get out of prison, in particular women, and we wanted to build a support group.”

Arizona Advocates for Justice also works with kids to educate them on lived experiences and the consequences of bad decisions. 

“Sometimes young people need to speak to someone who knows what it’s like to possibly make a bad decision,” Ovalle said. “It’s just really important for them to tell their stories … especially when it comes to politicians. Politicians, they go back and forth, the political football about us. But once we get lived experience in the room, that is invaluable.”

Once the group started identifying the issues, Ovalle realized they could build legislative strategies. The group has a steering committee of people who are formerly incarcerated and plan to work on policy. Their goal is to get people on the pathway to careers. 

Arizona currently has two laws that help formerly incarcerated people get job interviews before their background is checked. 

In 2021, Arizona passed a law that allows people convicted of certain criminal offenses an opportunity to set aside a prior conviction and seek a Certificate of Second Chance. If granted, the certificate removes some barriers in seeking occupational licenses and allows recipients to apply for jobs and housing opportunities that would not have been available to them. 

Another law, passed in 2018, provides limited liability protections for employers and independent contractors who hire ex-offenders. The law bars the introduction of an employee’s prior criminal convictions as evidence in negligent hiring lawsuits. 

Former Gov. Doug Ducey issued an executive order in 2017 that criminal history cannot be checked until after an interview for state agency jobs. 

On the federal level, President Donald Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act, which included the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act of 2019. The law prohibits federal agencies and contractors from requesting someone to disclose their criminal history record before a conditional offer of employment is made to someone applying for a federal job. 

Arizona has also joined such efforts as Reentry 2030, a national initiative that helps strengthen the state’s reentry system by reducing barriers and expanding access. Gov. Katie Hobbs signed an executive order to join the effort in 2025. 

The program is helping Arizona increase educational opportunities, apprenticeships, career readiness programming, workforce development programs, and vocational training for currently incarcerated people before release, according to a news release. 

Another goal includes expanding access to physical and behavioral healthcare services for incarcerated people before release and upon reentry. 

“People who have served their time, taken accountability, and put in the work to better themselves deserve a second chance and the opportunity to contribute to their families and our economy,” Hobbs said last year in the news release. 

Sen. Analise Ortiz, D-Phoenix, said she supports these efforts. 

“I’m very proud of the progress we’ve made over the years on bipartisan legislation like the independent prison oversight committee and waiving certain fines and fees,” she said via text message. “We have much further to go and I know this coalition will play a key role in advancing important policies to help people get a second chance.”

Ovalle mentioned a woman who got a promotion at a Taco Bell location to be the manager, but the corporation ran her criminal background check. She was demoted and lost her job. Another woman felt like she relived court trials because of the questions they asked during the hiring process, Ovalle said. 

“She felt super vulnerable, like she felt sick, almost like it was physically, spiritually draining for her, because of the amount of questioning they did on her, like even traffic violations were pulled up,” Ovalle said. 

And it’s not just about jobs either. Arizona Advocates for Justice want careers for people who were formerly incarcerated, she said. 

“We want to be able to get that amazing job that’s going to sustain us for the rest of our lives, and right now, because there’s so many limitations, folks are not getting careers,” she said.