Push for $1.5M in prison oversight funding follows a deadly December

PHOENIX – With the 2026 Arizona legislative session set to begin in one week, lawmakers and advocates are pushing to secure $1.5 million in funding for an independent prison oversight office that currently exists only on paper.

What we know:

Governor Katie Hobbs signed legislation creating the oversight body in 2025, but the office remains unstaffed and inactive because it was passed without a budget. Rep. Walt Blackman, R-Snowflake, and Sen. Shawna Bolick, R-Phoenix, have introduced identical bills for the upcoming session to rectify the funding gap.

The push for oversight follows a violent December in which three inmates within the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry (ADCRR) were killed by other prisoners.

“When an inmate death occurs, it also means there’s been a breach of security in terms of a weapon, contraband, that sort of thing,” said Donna Hamm, founder and executive director of Middle Ground Prison Reform. Hamm noted that while the department has a budget exceeding $1 billion, taxpayers lack transparency regarding how those funds are utilized.

Dig deeper:

Blackman, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, said he intends to scrutinize the executive budget to ensure the $1.5 million is included.

“It’s a systemic problem, and with that systemic problem, we want to have an outside pair of eyes look at it,” Blackman said. He is also exploring legislation to increase pay for prison staff to improve retention.

Estrella Lopez, senior state policy manager for the Justice Action Network, called the funding a “smart investment” to prevent tragic human and monetary costs.

ADCRR has not yet responded to requests for comment on the pending legislation or requests for body-camera footage related to the December inmate deaths.