Second Chance Month is the perfect time to break the stigma around people with a criminal record. But to do that, we must first accept that people cannot be defined solely by their worst decision. Because a crime is something a person committed, not who they are.

I am optimistic that we can work together with community partners to raise the standard of mental health care and better support inmates when they are discharged. I also believe we can break the cycle of recidivism and stop treating mental illness as a crime.

Last year, the legislature passed a bill that rewards probation officers who help reduce crime in their communities. The bill, HB2707, gives probation departments part of the savings when fewer people enter prison. I decided to lead on HB2707 because ...

Arizona corrections officials don’t have the capacity to improve staffing problems that have put prisoners with medical and mental health issues at risk of harm, according to lawyers for incarcerated people who are asking a judge to take over health ...

Police say Ryan, who is accused of pointing a gun at two officers Jan. 6 during a three-hour standoff, slurred his words and was antagonistic to a police negotiator.

Police on Wednesday said they are recommending felony charges against former Arizona Corrections Director Charles Ryan in an encounter at his Tempe home nearly two weeks ago in which he was accused of pointing a gun at officers.  Investigators recommend ...

With the top court’s blessing, state lawmakers stacked the deck against defendants with harsh, mandatory minimum sentences for conviction of drug- related and many other crimes. These laws tie the hands of judges but give prosecutors the power to threaten to indict a defendant for additional, related crimes in order to get a guilty plea.

As the Arizona state government completes their annual budget, I write to encourage them to support programs that help men and women successfully re-enter society after having completed a prison term.

Addressing public safety is urgent for communities throughout the state that experience loss, violence, and trauma every day. These are communities that have been left behind by the current system.

Does the corrections department require more accountability to taxpayers, more transparency and more professionalism? Yes; no question. Therefore, HB2167 is a laudable idea whose goals are poorly executed in the bill. It should go back to the drawing board.