You don’t have to live in Maricopa County or even the state of Arizona to recognize the name Sheriff Joe Arpaio. He’s the one who keeps inmates in pink underwear in a tent city and who is a vocal critic of (what he says are illegal) Latin American immigrants. In their report, the Department of Justice accused Arpaio of a pattern of racial profiling and discrimination. And, they say their investigation isn’t over. [read more...]

Arizona has become the first state to begin charging friends and family who wish to visit loved ones in prison. Hardly a notable distinction, particularly since the fee is being misrepresented as a way to pay for the background checks associated with visitor application approvals. Anyone wishing to visit an inmate, however, will now be required to submit a one-time $25 fee with their application. [read more...]

If you’re ordered to pay restitution by a judge in a criminal case, you can expect that you will have to pay it, particularly if you were sentenced in Maricopa County. That county was recently recognized as one of the top five in the country on collecting money owed to victims. According to the Arizona Republic, the county collected about $500,000 in delinquent payments from 266 defendants since 2008. [read more...]

Jack Harris, Phoenix’s former Chief of Police granted an interview to The Arizona Republic this past week in which he spoke candidly about the politics involved in leading a modern, urban police force and those politics that contributed to his ultimate retirement. [read more...]

All across the country, lawmakers are crossing the aisle, coming together to reform the criminal justice system and simultaneously save money. With budgets stretched thin and corrections soaking up a lot of what is there, lawmakers are looking to cut prison populations while keeping the public safe and some who would’ve opted for more “tough on crime” legislation years ago are moving in the other direction in order to reduce spending. [read more...]

About seven years into a fourteen year prison sentence, a young man walked free from an Arizona prison—freed by DNA evidence initially used by the prosecution to gain a confession. [read more...]