Arizona’s criminal justice system is not perfect. There is always room for improvement in any system, and I and other prosecutors remain willing to engage in productive discussions and initiatives to improve criminal justice system outcomes for crime victims, the public we serve, and defendants to reduce recidivism.

The prosecution function has come a long way in the last two decades across the country and here in Maricopa County.

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.

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

Defense attorneys allege in a federal suit filed today that an Arizona law blocking them from speaking with crime victims and their relatives violates the First Amendment.

The Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys Advisory Council, or APAAC, has begun a review of Title 13 and all of the criminal provisions in the 45 other titles, said Kim MacEachern, the group’s staff attorney.

The Arizona Senate approved legislation Monday that requires police and prosecutors to keep the addresses and other personal information of crime victims and witnesses secret from defense attorneys and the public without a court order.

Charges have been filed against a woman accused of faking cancer in 2010 to get Arizona to pay for her late-term abortion, state prosecutors said Tuesday.

Arizona, other states retaliate against ‘revenge porn’

Sparked by a new law approved by the California legislature this fall, Arizona is one of several states where lawmakers are proposing bills to criminalize “revenge porn.”

Former U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi is asking a federal judge in Tucson to allow him to remain free on bail while he appeals his conviction on public corruption, money laundering and other charges.