Policy Change Could Save State $30 to $73 Million Annually and Maintain Safety

PHOENIX — Ten years ago the state’s three universities received 40 percent more funding from the General Fund than did the Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC).  Today, it’s reversed; corrections receives 40 percent more than universities.  No one voted to change priorities, rather a new report from the Grand Canyon Institute, a centrist think tank, argues Arizona’s rigid approach to sentencing nonviolent offenders is a significant cause.

The Grand Canyon Institute Monday released its report “Reducing Incarceration While Maintaining Public Safety: From Truth in Sentencing to Earned Release for Nonviolent Offenders.”   Says report author, Dave Wells, a Fellow for the Institute, “Arizonan is the only state in the country that requires nonviolent offenders, regardless of risk or programs they complete while in custody, to serve at least 85 percent of their sentence behind bars.  That’s neither cost effective nor best practice.  Arizona can learn from other states that have moved toward earned release with appropriate community supervision and drug treatment and save between $30 and $73 million annually while maintaining public safety.”

Former Republican State Representative Bill Konopnicki, who serves on the Institute’s Board, notes, “Our prisons can be a revolving door.  Last year 19,055 people left the Arizona Department of Corrections and another 18,759 people replaced them.  At least three in four have significant substance abuse issues, yet last year only 1,810 received treatment.  It’s no wonder that repeat offenders make up seven out of every 10 inmates.”
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