Sign In
Free Newsletter
Prison oversight office approved, but lacks funds to get started
Key Points: Governor OK’d creation of independent prison oversight office No appropriation in budget makes finding funding a crucial next step Lawmakers, proponents still hopeful for a robust oversight body […]
Push for new prison oversight office stalls with governor
Key Points: A bipartisan proposal to create an independent prison oversight office stalls Despite broad legislative support, governor and corrections still have concerns Lawmakers continue to push proposal and attached […]
Breaking the cycle — the missing ingredient to reentry
Every year, more than 14,000 individuals are released from Arizona’s prisons. While many are eager to turn their lives around, too many end up back behind bars. Within three years […]
Arizona needs a retirement plan fix to staff correctional facilities
The last line of defense in our criminal justice system are the jails and prisons that house the scofflaws of our society. Working in a correctional environment is rewarding and […]
Senate panel approves DOC nominee amidst death penalty debate
A Senate panel voted unanimously on Tuesday to recommend the approval of Ryan Thornell as director of the Department of Corrections Rehabilitation & Reentry and discussed the state’s actions related to the death penalty.
Data suggest changes for sex offense policies Â
It’s time for a new paradigm in sex offender policies, one that considers real studies by real scientists.Â
2024 spending spread from schools to a rodeo and more
The budget crafted by Gov. Katie Hobbs and state lawmakers includes a tax rebate, big-ticket spending packages and – in a break from tradition – funding for scores of small, local projects.
We spend $1B on prisons – why aren’t we safer?
It’s time for Arizona to get smart on crime and join other conservative states by adopting the reforms in SB1064.
Prisoners prepare retired greyhound racers for family life
More than a dozen prisoners at Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy spend their days working with former racing greyhounds to understand these commands.
First-time offenders shouldn’t be treated as career criminals
Arizona’s justice system is at a breaking point. In the last 20 years, our prison population has grown seven times faster than our general population, putting us in the unenviable position of having the fifth highest imprisonment rate in the country. Our prisons now cost taxpayers $1 billion a year.
Arizona prisons ban book on black men in the justice system
The American Civil Liberties Union called on the Arizona Department of Corrections this week to rescind the ban on "Chokehold: Policing Black Men." The book by Paul Butler, a former federal prosecutor, examines law enforcement and mass incarceration through its treatment of African American men.
DOC director blames private provider for health care failures
With potential sanctions for his agency’s failure to meet court-ordered prison health care standards looming, Arizona Department of Corrections Director Charles Ryan laid the blame largely at the feet of private contractor Corizon Correctional Healthcare.
