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The Second Regular Session of Arizona's 50^th Legislature was called into session on January 9, 2012.

Just prior to the session, APAAC (Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys’ Advisory Council) released a report they commissioned, Prisoners in Arizona, with a warning that there would be legislative attempts to reform sentencing. APAAC's guest column in the Arizona Republic on the topic cited their findings that Truth-In-Sentencing* has worked in Arizona because of the reduction in both crime and prison population during the last 10 years. The report draws the conclusion that therefore, all the right people are behind bars and that Arizona is doing everything right - its sentencing statutes are just fine.

Other experts feel that the methodology used in this report is flawed, and that while the report has some interesting information, it is hardly conclusive that the outcomes can be attributed to Truth-In-Sentencing. (Hear an interesting debate questioning the validity of the report) The assertion that 95% of the people in prison are "repeat or violent offenders" is particularly misleading because it lumps together two very different groups of inmates in order to make it appear that our prisons are full of dangerous people. In truth, many "repeat offenders" are drug addicts who have committed a string of minor offenses to support their drug habits.

Truth-in-Sentencing was instituted in Arizona in 1994. Crime rates and prison population continued their upward growth (see AZ Republic article Oct 9, 2011), until 2005 when evidence-based practices like diversion were starting to be implemented by the courts and probation departments. I believe we need to continue implementing evidence-based practices that have been proven to reduce crime and make communities safer.

In addition, over half of U.S. states have successfully reduced their prison populations through sentencing reforms, and many of these states saw a more dramatic drop in crime rates than Arizona. Thirteen states closed prisons in 2011 due to policy changes implementing evidence-based best practices; however, Arizona's governor just proposed a budget for 2012 which includes $50 million for new prison construction.

I think Arizona has much to learn from other states' experiences. APAAC is right about one thing: Arizona has been a leader in sentencing - it has the highest proportion of prisoners of any western state, it boasts some of the harshest sentences in the nation, and spends over 11% of its budget on prisons - more than it spends on higher education.

See a balanced presenation about this topic, in the Arizona State Bar magazine, Incomplete Sentence, by Tim Eigo, January 2012.


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* Truth in Sentencing is a mandatory requirement that anyone who is sentenced to prison must serve a minimum 85% of their sentence regardless of the violent / nonviolent nature of the offense.

further discussion

Welcome

It is an honor to serve the voters of District 18 as their State Representative. We currently have many challenges facing our state. But I am optimistic that with a concerted effort, we can meet and overcome these challenges, making our state stronger and better than it has ever been.

Unfortunately, many cuts were necessary to balance the state budget, but we are approaching a time when further cuts will not be necessary as our economy continues recovering. With the recently passed jobs incentive package for Arizona, I expect to see a broader range of baseline industries getting established that will supply more jobs and lead to a stronger, more sustainable Arizona. When that happens, we will then be positioned to deal with some of the long-range challenges and investments we must decide on for our future, including solar energy, stabilization of our revenue sources, improvements to our education system, refining our tax code, and other projects to make Arizona a great place to live and work.

HEALTH

As chairman of the House Health and Human Services Committee, I feel responsible to assure that our state's public heath care system is widely accessible. Competent health care professionals, great hospitals, up-to-date technology and cutting-edge research from our universities are making Arizona a destination state for top quality medical treatment.

INCARCERATION CHANGES

As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, I am also very concerned about an overcrowded prison system that is housing over 40,000 inmates. Evidence based practices in Arizona and other states demonstrate that it is more cost-effective for non-dangerous offenders to serve their sentences in the community under supervision. We have seen that crime can be reduced simultaneously with a reduction in the prison population. In Arizona, employing evidence-based practices with probationers from 2008 to 2010 has saved $36 million in averted prison costs. I believe further modifications to the criminal justice system will result in savings that can go directly back into our education and university systems, while at the same time, making our communities safer with less crime.

I invite your support and participation in these efforts.

Best regards,

Cecil Ash