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Rising Prison Population in Arizona

Arizona is experiencing a general decline in crime rates, according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report. This applies to both violent crimes and property crimes. At the same time, the states prison population continues to grow. It sounds like something must be wrong with the system, given these two seemingly incongruous facts. Here are some […]

Crime Reduction and the Jail Population in Arizona

Sure. Everyone wants to reduce crime. And there are a host of theories about how to do it. Some suggest that the way to stop recidivism – that’s the tendency of a convicted criminal to commit additional crimes – is to make the punishment so harsh that it will “deter” the commission of a crime. […]

New Arizona Law Could Help Opioid Users Avoid Prison

SB 1278 went into effect last week. The bill establishes a statewide program for the rehabilitation – rather than imprisonment – of some non-violent felons, including those charged with felony drug crimes. Until now, Maricopa County was the only county in Arizona with a pretrial intervention program aimed at felonies. The bill includes an appropriation […]

U.S. Judge: Arizona Prison Health Care Plan “Absurd”

It’s not every day that you read a statement by a federal judge describing government actions of any kind as “absurd.” But that is word used by United States Magistrate David K. Duncan after his review of a proposed plan by the Department of Corrections to improve health care in Arizona’s prisons. The genesis of […]