Arizona to boost job training for inmates

Arizona will use federal funds to provide more job training for inmates in a plan to reduce recidivism — and to cut down on violence behind bars, says the state’s prison chief.

Gov. Katie Hobbs, in announcing Arizona’s Reentry 2030 program on Tuesday, said there’s a need to do something more to end the revolving door.

“In Arizona, approximately one in three people has a criminal record,’’ she said, quoting figures from the Clean State Initiative, which says there are more than 1.9 million adults who have “a conviction or non-conviction record.’’ Hobbs said about 95% of those behind bars will eventually be released, or about 17,000 a year.

At the same time, she said, less than half of those released were employed a year later.

“That’s a staggering number that increases their chances of reoffending, reentering the corrections system and costing taxpayers even more,” Hobbs said.

The announcement’s timing comes amid increasing scrutiny of the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry.

A federal judge, who has been reviewing the system for decades, now is threatening to appoint a receiver to take over the management of health care for the more than 35,000 inmates.

And more recently, state Sen. Kevin Payne launched a probe after an inmate currently serving 16 life sentences allegedly killed three other inmates at the state prison complex in Tucson.

Corrections Director Ryan Thornell said the new program may help deal with the violence behind bars, both among inmates and in attacks on guards.

“We know that giving opportunities to individuals who are incarcerated, under the supervision of staff and with support of staff, creates a safer prison environment,’’ Thornell said. He called it “one of many strategies to support the overall effort to create safer prisons.’’

That may not be enough to satisfy Payne.

“What transpired within this (Tucson) prison is inexcusable and incredibly troubling,’’ said the Peoria Republican, who chairs the Senate Public Safety Committee. “I fear for the lives of the correctional officers and staff who are reporting to duty every day and risking their safety in a facility that has proven it cannot prevent dangerous criminals from inflicting violence.’’

Thornell, pushed on the question of violence, said there is no “common thread’’ among various instances. Instead, he cited “a lot of various complicating factors.’’

“It’s not an isolated situation,’’ Thornell said. “It’s not one isolated factor.’’

“We’re putting together a very robust plan in response to it,’’ he said, promising to share details later this week with the Governor’s Office. “It’s a combination of many things that we think will bring better solutions to statewide incarceration.’’

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‘Time to scale up’

Tuesday’s announcement stems from Congress’ 2008 approval of the Second Chance Act, which provides money through the U.S. Justice Department. Six other states already started similar programs with the funds, said Marshall Clement, interim director of the Council of State Governments Justice Center.

“The challenge of improving reentry outcomes is not new,’’ he said, noting there are programs across the nation, including in Arizona, involving state governments and nonprofit organizations. “This initiative was born with the understanding the time has come to scale up what we have seen working in reentry and that we know is critical to success.’’

Clement said there already is evidence existing programs can make a difference.

He said recidivism in Arizona went from 38% in 2009 to the current figure of 29%. But he said Reentry 2030 “is very different’’ and can help reduce that figure more.

That will involve removing existing barriers to training that are unnecessary to promote prison safety, he said. For example, he said this includes plans such as continuing health care services and special support services for those with serious mental illness. It also means more vocational training.

One benefit from the program, Hobbs said, is the fact all of the money is coming from the federal government. No state dollars are involved, she said. Conversely, she said, reducing recidivism will save money for the state.

All that, of course, depends on this federal funding not disappearing. Clement said the money should be available, particularly as it was approved by Congress. But he did not dispute that, since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has issued a series of orders and directives to end federal programs despite their congressional authorization.

Clement said he believes this program is likely to survive. He pointed out that it was reauthorized in 2018 as the First Step Act, legislation that was approved by Trump during his first term.

“This is work that he signed into law,’’ Clement said. “This is work that he supported.” The program “enjoys bipartisan support in Congress,” he added.

Judge’s oversight

That still leaves the related issue of health care behind bars in Arizona.

Inmates filed a class-action lawsuit in 2012 claiming cruel and unusual punishment due to poor medical and mental health care.

The state in 2015 agreed to a settlement, promising to do better. Yet the state was fined $1.4 million in 2018 for failing to live up to the performance measures to which it had agreed, with U.S. District Court Judge Roslyn Silver imposing another $1.1 million penalty in 2021.

A year later, in a 200-page order, Silver said the care provided by the state is “plainly grossly inadequate’’ and that state officials were acting “with deliberate indifference’’ to the substantial risk of harm to inmates.

Now, claiming no real progress, the American Civil Liberties Union, which is representing inmates, wants the court to transfer management of health-care operations in state prisons to a third party under the direction of a court-appointed receiver. A hearing on that is scheduled for July.