When Arizona Correctional Sergeant Gabriela Contreras first downloaded videos of inmates leaving their cells due to broken locks, the whistleblower lost a weeks worth of pay and a potential promotion.

The union representing Arizona prison guards joined an inmate rights group Tuesday to demand that the state immediately fix security problems that they say led to an inmate's death and the severe beating of two guards.

A Tucson man who spent 42 years in prison on 28 arson-related murder counts that were later vacated cannot now collect damages for the years he spent behind bars, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday.

Ultimately, we will never achieve meaningful sentencing reform in Arizona with both sides bashing the other and making “straw dog” arguments based on false mischaracterization of the other’s positions. Instead, we must take baby steps and then measure results as they inform public safety, in much the same way that the recently released APAAC report undertook its detailed and valuable account of recidivism in all categories of offenses. Knowing which categories of offenders recidivate least often can suggest sentencing reductions that are plausible and realistic.

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.

An ex-prisoner has come forward with allegations that a former Arizona Department of Corrections detention officer, Kenneth Couture, made inappropriate sexual advances while she was incarcerated and had sex with her while she was still under the agency’s supervision after her release from prison.

Democratic lawmakers from south Phoenix are siding with their voters in a fight against two proposed programs aimed at helping prisoners re-enter society, a long held constituency of theirs that doesn’t vote.

The Arizona Department of Corrections wants 102 new positions and more than $13 million to fuel re-entry and recidivism reduction programs, but prisoner rights advocates aren’t convinced the request signals a turn in the department’s philosophy.

The Arizona Board of Executive Clemency is requesting about $34,000 to fund a part-time position needed to conduct probable cause hearings – an obligation the board has not fulfilled since funding was cut in 2010.

Responsible improvements should recognize public safety as the primary purpose of the system, while offering a real opportunity for a second chance through investing and supporting a strategic approach in reducing crime and saving tax payer money, and it should start from the beginning of an inmate’s sentence until they re-enter society.