An Independent Oversight Office Proposed for Arizona Prisons
A legislative proposal in Arizona aims to create an independent oversight office for the state’s prison system, potentially altering the current framework of supervision. The bill, if passed, would establish a new ombudsman for the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry.
The legislation, sponsored by Republican State Senator Shawnna Bolick, proposes the appointment of an ombudsman tasked with investigating complaints of unfair treatment within the department. The bill also mandates annual reporting on inmate deaths, suicides, and sexual assaults.
Joanne MacDonnell, the existing state ombudsman, remarked on the increasing legislative concern regarding prison oversight. “I don’t know what’s exactly spurring [lawmakers] on, but I do know that there’s been an uptick in their interest in having increased oversight,” she said.
Currently, each Arizona state agency, including corrections, has an internal ombudsman. However, cases from the Department of Corrections can escalate to MacDonnell’s office. In the past fiscal year, her office investigated 61 complaints related to corrections. Arizona’s prison system houses over 35,000 inmates across 16 facilities.
Kara Janssen, who spent five years incarcerated in Arizona, contributed to Governor Katie Hobbs’ Arizona Prison Oversight Commission in 2023. Alongside Janssen, a team of 10 others was tasked with evaluating the Department of Corrections’ operations, including facility conditions. Janssen expressed concerns over the current oversight, stating, “Nobody oversees the department of corrections, they do what they want to do. They report what they want to report to the governor, and 9 out of 10 times, it’s not accurate.”
The proposed role of the new ombudsman would be integrated into the state’s existing ombudsman office and appointed by the governor. Under the current law, the office is restricted from investigating inmate claims directly but can address issues raised by family and staff.
A similar bill was previously introduced by Republican State Representative Walter Blackman in January but failed to advance to a vote.
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