Thanks to everyone who responded to our 11th hour action alert yesterday. Unfortunately, House Appropriations passed the bill 8-5 on a party-line vote. However, we are hearing that there are many Republicans who are still unhappy with the budget and are delaying its passage. This buys us a […]
The budget bill released yesterday would require the Department of Corrections to award a contract for 1,000 medium security prison beds to open on July 1, 2016, to be expanded to 2,000 beds (total) in subsequent years, with legislative approval. Corrections is already the third largest state agency […]
Senator Steve Pierce has introduced a bill that would require the Department of Corrections to release more people into the Transition Program, which provides 90 days of behavioral health programming and reentry assistance to non-violent offenders. The program has existed since 2003 and has a proven track record […]
Gov. Ducey’s budget for FY2016 proposes 3,000 new medium-security for-profit prison beds—beds we don’t need. The Governor’s budget estimates that these new beds will cost taxpayers over $100 million over the next three years. Corrections is already the third largest state agency budget, absorbing 11% of General Funds. […]
Given the Arizona’s out-of-control prison spending and the influence of the for-profit incarceration industry in Arizona politics, it is critical for voters and taxpayers to know of the candidates’ ties to this industry, as well as their views on criminal justice policy in general. Consider the following: • Arizona […]
Thanks to intense negative publicity and a flood of calls and emails from our members around the state, Rep. John Kavanagh’s attempt to sneak a $900,000 giveaway to GEO Group into the state budget was defeated last night. In today’s Arizona Republic, Kavanagh was named one of this year’s […]
American Friends Service Committee and Human Rights Defense Center For Immediate Release PHOENIX, AZ – Last Friday, the Arizona Republic reported that House Appropriations Chairman John Kavanagh had inserted $900,000 in additional funding into the House state budget for the GEO Group, the nation’s second-largest for-profit prison company. Rep. […]