Arizona is at a crossroads. Should we continue to build more costly prisons and fill them with low-level offenders? Or should we follow the lead of many other conservative states that reserve expensive prison beds for violent offenders, and direct the savings to programs that have been proven to reduce repeat offenses?

Kurt Altman, the state director for Right on Crime, a group that pushes conservative solutions to reduce crime, went to college to play baseball, but he ended up an attorney whose career has taken him from facing down and defending criminals in county and federal courtrooms to lobbying for “Right to Try” legislation in 46 state Capitols.

Last week, the Capitol was abuzz with everything from talk of criminal justice reform to how to fund Arizona's public education system - and that's just the beginning.

A lingering “tough-on-crime” mentality in Arizona is hampering efforts to reconstruct the state’s criminal justice system.

Nearing the end of his first term, Ducey has granted only one pardon, to a man who stole a motorcycle in 1972. Other pardon recommendations sit dormant, leaving people awaiting a signature that could change their lives in fundamental ways.

For Arizona, the bottom line is that the prison population will continue to be reduced by additional changes and the state will save a substantial amount of money over the next several years instead of continuing to increase spending without benefitting public safety. Isn’t it worth taking the extra step and reinstituting the reinvestment portion of the legislation? It will only add to the positive results we’ve already attained.

Jared Keenan is the newest hire by the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, one of three staffing additions the organization will make thanks to a surge in donations following President Trump’s election in 2016.

Amy Love's friends may imagine she wins the court’s favor with lawmakers by making campaign contributions and buying people boats. But she's hardly your typical lobbyist.

Though it is too often ignored in the criminal justice reform dialogue, treating the mentally ill and drug addicted as patients instead of criminals should be a focal point for reform.

Arizona lawmakers weren’t as tough on crime in the 2016 session, choosing instead to focus on victims’ rights.