Criminal
Justice Program
The Criminal Justice Program, formerly known as the Prison Concerns
Subcommittee, originally focused on abolition of the death penalty,
but gradually began expanding it's scope to include examination
of such issues as prison conditions, sentencing policy, prison expansion,
prison privatization, and discrimination against ex-prisoners. We
count among our accomplishments a Listening Project on the Death
Penalty conducted with state legislators in the early 1990's; and
Factories With Fences: A conference on prison labor and privatization
held in 1996. Ffamilies and friends
of prisoners remain our central constituency.
The Criminal Justice program's work is centered in advocacy promoting
public education and social change. Some of our advocacy work is
on behalf of individual prisoners or family members, but we strive
to concentrate our efforts on larger, policy-level issues that affect
large numbers of people. We serve as a resource for prisoners, ex-prisoners,
and their family members to find information and resources to address
their questions and needs, and a place to get involved in brining
their voice to the seats of power in Arizona .
Criminal Justice Program Mission Statement
We believe the system of punitive justice and the prisons on which
it relies are inherently unjust, immoral, and proven to be ineffective
and destructive to the moral well-being of our communities. We believe
all individuals are uniquely valuable members of the human community
regardless of their conduct. Therefore, we take as our general mission
the peaceful abolition of this system and its replacement with principles,
programs, and practices suited to the needs and humanity of individuals,
families, and communities. We also seek to educate the public about
the destructiveness of punishment as a means of responding to breaches
of the social order.
The current "tough-on-crime" attitude of criminal justice
policy in Arizona and the U.S. has led to excessive incarceration
and overcrowded prisons without addressing crime and its causes.
The number of people incarcerated has swelled to 36,000 in Arizona
and over 2 million in the U.S. , yet crime rates have remained stable
over the past 20 years and have dropped in recent years. "Tough-on-crime" politics
and the public fear of crime play off of each other, perpetuating
a cycle of rhetoric, increased funding, prison construction, incarceration,
and retributive justice.
Current projects
StopMax Arizona Campaign to End Long-Term
Solitary Confinement
The national proliferation of so-called “supermax” prison
units has serious negative consequences for our long-term public
safety. These units employ long-term solitary confinement (being
locked in a cell alone for 23-24 hours every day for periods of
months to years) in sensory deprivation conditions. This environment
has been shown to exacerbate symptoms in mentally ill prisoners
and even cause mental health symptoms in otherwise healthy prisoners.
There is no evidence that such units decrease prison violence, but
there are strong indications that being held in supermax can increase
recidivism. Help AFSC find positive alternatives to this draconian
correctional practice. Join the StopMax Arizona Campaign!
Resource book for prisoners being released in Tucson
Guidelines on Getting Out
is one of our most requested brochures. It was developed by the
Tucson Planning Council for the Homeless, as a response to the large
number of people being released in Tucson with no place to live.
It includes information on emergency shelters, transitional housing
programs, drug treatment programs, and much more. The booklet has
recently been updated and expanded with more information on job
searching and family reunification. It even includes sample letters
to attach to housing and employment applications. We invite everyone
to share and distribute this resource widely.
Sentencing Reform
The Criminal Justice program has partnered with a wide variety
of statewide community groups to advocate for reform of the state's
draconian sentencing structure. Our rapidly growing prison population
and related budget crises are directly related to the over-use of
incarceration in Arizona . There are many sensible alternatives
that are more effective than the correctional warehousing we now
practice and which would cost taxpayers far less. We supportted
the efforts of the Ad Hoc Alternative Sentencing Working Group in
the state legislature in 2003, chaired by Rep. Konopnicki.
Related Documents:
Families Against Manditory Minimums conducted an exhaustive study
of the impact of Arizona's harsh sentencing laws. Click here to
read the report, "Arizona Prison Crisis."
Positive Trends in State-Level Sentencing
and Corrections Policy An excellent report from our friends
at Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM). This report can
be found on their webpage-check our links section for a direct
link to their site.
Suggested Reforms for
Arizona A short list of the kinds of reforms we are supporting
Ten Reasons Why Sentencing
Reform Makes Sense for Arizona
Human Services
Flyer Explains why people who work in the social services
field should care about sentencing reform
Opposing Privatization
Arizona, like many states, is looking to prison privatization as
a solution to overcrowding in times of fiscal crisis. Privatization
is sold to states as a way to save money, but the facts paint a
very different picture. Private prisons typically have chronic
staff shortages, problems with mismanagement, and horrendous abuses
of inmates. That is why AFSC opposes prison privatization. To
learn more about our position on this issue, check out our position
against privatization
of prisons." You can also read more about the current
privatization scene in AZ and get more details on the problems that
come with it by reading our briefing paper, Overview
of Prison Privatization in Arizona. Finally, you can learn more
about some of the private prison corporations that are doing business
in Arizona through our rap sheets. These fact sheets detail the
dirty dealings of the different corporations around the country.
You can also find out how much private prison companies contributed
to elected officials in Arizona when you. Follow
the Money!
AFSC-AZ Releases Report Questioning Private Prison Cost Savings
A report released today by the Private Corrections Institute (PCI),
the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), and the Arizona Leadership
Institute (ALI), re-examines the research that supporters of prison
privatization say shows that private prisons are cheaper than state-run
ones. The report found that the existing research on the success
of privatization in Arizona suffers from serious methodological
flaws, is badly outdated, and, in at least one case, has been discredited
by the investigator’s financial ties to the industry.
“Good public policy requires decisions be made based on accurate
information.” said Caroline Isaacs of AFSC, “The criminal
justice industry deserves extra scrutiny because of its unique character.
It is now very clear that Arizona has no research that supports
the calls for privatization in that industry.”
The report also explores the lesser-known issue of private prison
financing, and reveals disturbing evidence of hidden liabilities
for counties and the state regarding popular lease-revenue bonds
for new prison construction. In certain cases, Arizona could be
forced to keep contracts with private prison operators even if the
beds were no longer needed or the facilities were completely mismanaged,
out of fears for the state or county’s credit rating.
“The way that Arizona funds private prison construction is
fraught with dangers,” said Joel Foster, Executive Director
of ALI. “The private prison companies insist that they are
not responsible for any liability. If that’s true, then the
taxpayers of Arizona are responsible for hundred of millions of
dollars in borrowing with little oversight.”
The report concludes that a comprehensive, independent cost comparison
study between Arizona’s public and private prisons must be
conducted prior to any further contracts being awarded. Such a study
must take into account the differences in inmate populations, facility
age and architecture, and other factors that have rendered previous
studies invalid.
The report is available online at: http://www.flpba.org/private/private_pics/
AZ%20PP%20Rpt%20v4.pdf
Are you concerned about the outrageously harsh criminal
sentencing laws in Arizona?
Wish you could do something to create positive change?
Join the Arizona Sentencing Action Network
What is the Arizona Sentencing Action Network?
The Sentencing Action Network is a collection of people
concerned about criminal sentencing laws in Arizona. Members of
the Network agree to contact their legislators when they receive
emails regarding bills that are moving through the state legislature
that would impact sentencing laws such as mandatory minimums, truth
in sentencing, and the like.
The purpose is to create a network of people from all over the
state, in every legislative district, who are willing to take action
to make positive changes in our criminal justice policy. As we all
know, numbers count. The more people in the Network, the more calls
and emails we can generate on bills. The more calls and emails a
legislator gets, the more attention she or he will pay to the bill.
Most people NEVER contact their legislators about anything. We can
make a difference!
All you have to do is send a few quick emails or make a couple
2-minute phone calls each time you receive an alert. We promise
to limit the number of alerts we send out (we know how much email
you already get!). That’s it!
To join the Arizona Sentencing Action Network, click
here . Just send us your name, address, phone number and your
legislative district (if you know it). We will add you to the
list!
For more information on the Arizona Sentencing Action Network and
how to be an effective citizen advocate for sentencing reform, click
here.
Past Activities
We Stopped the Superprison!
 Thanks
to the diligent work of a statewide coalition of grassroots activists,
Governor Napolitano announced last week (10/1/03) that there would
be no private superprison built for women in Arizona!
"Napolitano put an end to a plan to build a private women's prison
in Pinal County. She said she wasn't convinced that private prisons
save money or provide better services."-"$700 million urged for
prisons," Arizona Republic, 10/2/03
 Congratulations
to everyone who worked so hard to make this campaign a success!
Our thanks to everyone who wrote letters or called the Governor
and/or their representatives, everyone who came to the hearings
and the press conference, and everyone who helped us spread the
word about the campaign. See what is possible when we work together?
Alternative Budget Suggestions
The Criminal Justice Program has drawn up an alternative
budget for the state of Arizona in response to concerns regarding
budget cuts and their impact on corrections. The report
outlines the many policy changes the state could enact that would
save millions of dollars while reducing recidivism and decreasing
our reliance on incarceration.
Hepatitis C in Prison
Hepatitis C in prisons is a nationwide problem. It is estimated
that 40-60% of inmates are infected. We have no accurate numbers
on the population in Arizona's prisons because ADC only recently
began testing prisoners at intake. AFSC is joining forces
with the state chapter of the ACLU to take action on this issue. We
are currently dialoguing with the Department on guidelines for testing
and treatment, and are attempting to educate the general public
on the problem. Click here to read an editorial our
Program Coordinator and a committee person wrote on the issue. We
are also hoping to inform prisoners' families of the risk factors
and efforts their incarcerated loved-ones can take to protect themselves.
For information about Hepatitis C in prisons, please call: 623-9141
or check out
HCV Prison News: www.hcvprisonnews.org
Segregation in State Prisons
In January of 2001, ADC began moving white, African-American, and
Mexican-American prisoners out of the Tucson state prison complex
in order to create two units specifically for Mexican Nationals.
ADC reports that it did so in response to a number of violent conflicts
between Mexican-American and Mexican National inmates in several
different facilities. We believe that these conflicts could have
been prevented with better training for guards and more rehabilitative
programming for inmates. We doubt that segregation is a solution
to violence between ethnic groups and believe instead that the move
will only serve to make inmates more angry and frustrated. In addition
to the move's questionable constitutionality, it is a great hardship
on the families of all inmates, who may now have to travel great
distances in order to visit their loved-ones. Many inmates' families
are already struggling financially, and the cost of travel and added
phone charges presents them with a heavy burden.
Restorative
Justice offers a different framework for looking at society's
response to crime. See:
Links to criminal
justice sites
National Center on Institutions
and Alternatives
Justice Information
Center/NCJRS
Families Against Mandatory Minimums
Arizona Dept.
of Corrections
Prison Activist Resource
Center
The Sentencing Project
Justice Policy Institute
The Center on Crime, Community,
and Culture
Debt to Society
PrisonSucks.com
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