Arizona

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John Norton, 202-999-4268
jnorton@famm.org

 FAMM applauds Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs’s appointment of members to the independent prison oversight commission 

PHOENIX – Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs recently announced the members of her Prison Oversight Commission, which will deliver recommendations about how the independent body should run later this year. Governor Hobbs established the commission through an executive order back in January.

“FAMM applauds Governor Katie Hobbs for continued leadership in addressing Arizona’s prison crisis by appointing members to her Prison Oversight Commission,” said FAMM President Kevin Ring. “The problems with Arizona’s prison system have been well-chronicled and previous efforts at reform from within the system have failed.

“The Commission’s work is crucial to laying the groundwork for an effective, transparent and accountable prison oversight board that can begin to make change within state’s prisons. It’s disappointing that Republican elected officials declined to appoint their allotted members to the commission. The safety and wellbeing of incarcerated people should not be a partisan issue.”

Prison oversight has broad, bipartisan support nationally, with an overwhelming 82% of those polled responding that they believe “that states and the federal government should have a system of independent oversight for their prisons.”

For more than three decades, FAMM has united the voices of affected families, the formerly incarcerated, and a range of stakeholders and advocates to fight for a more fair and effective justice system. FAMM has led the fight to reform extreme mandatory sentencing laws and to promote rehabilitation and dignity for all people in prison, 94 percent of whom will return to our neighborhoods one day.

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FAMM is a national nonpartisan advocacy organization that promotes fair and effective criminal justice policies that safely reduce incarceration, save taxpayer dollars, and keep families together. Founded in 1991, FAMM has secured bold sentencing and prison reform across the country while elevating the voices of directly impacted individuals and families.

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