Arizona petition calls for funding to improve state prison system

Prison reform advocate pushes for $1.5 million in Arizona oversight funding

Advocates are urging Gov. Hobbs to fully fund an oversight committee to improve Arizona's prison system. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean learns what they are hoping to see happen before this legislative session ends.

PHOENIX - Funding for prison oversight is at the center of an online petition in Arizona. 

What we know:

The petition is asking Gov. Hobbs and the Arizona Legislature to fully fund the Independent Correctional Oversight Committee (ICOO) created last session, and it is being signed by people with loved ones behind bars in state prisons.

"A prison oversight committee is good governance for everybody," Mary Douglas, a prison reform advocate, said.

Douglas has watched loved ones go through the Arizona state prison system, and now advocates for prison reform. She said the passage of legislation aiming to fund an already-established ICOO is essential to helping lighten the burden on taxpayers in Arizona. 

She cited the recent announcement of a federal receivership takeover of the state's prison healthcare system following a 14-year lawsuit against the department.

"See the millions and millions of dollars that have been paid that ultimately trickle down to taxpayers. We would not be in this situation had an oversight committee been in place," Douglas said.

Why you should care:

Douglas said prison oversight concerns range from prison commissaries to the presence of drugs at prison facilities to inmate-on-inmate violence. 

She said the $1.5 million being asked for is well worth it.

"It is a drop in the bucket in comparison to what we have paid in lawsuits, and when I say ‘we’ as in long-term taxpayers, we've paid in lawsuits, we've paid in legal bills, the prison industry has just become a cash cow in this country and it's a cash cow in Arizona," Douglas said.

Local perspective:

Douglas said she has been disappointed in several Arizona politicians, including Gov. Katie Hobbs, for not already funding this oversight committee when it was first established last session.

"Hobbs, who you know is probably from a governor's perspective, the best governor we have had relative to reform, but she has also fallen short in this area," Douglas said.

What you can do:

Douglas encourages people to sign the online Dream.org petition asking for passage of this bill to bring even more attention to Capitol lawmakers.

"Not pushing this through is our legislature and our government not taking care of society, not just the inmates, they're gonna get out, and they're gonna be our neighbors," Douglas said.

What they're saying:

Gov. Hobbs' office released a statement to FOX 10 on April 15.

"The governor is pleased to have signed the bill creating this important position. Funding details will be addressed during budget negotiations. The real holdup is the legislature, who have yet to release their budget to the public, and negotiate with the governor in good faith."

The Department of Corrections told FOX 10 they had no comment. 

What's next:

For more information on the two bills regarding the funding, click here and here.