Hobbs launches national prison rehabilitation initiative Reentry 2030 in Arizona

Gov. Katie Hobbs signs an executive order aiming to increase rehabilitation efforts in Arizona’s correction systems. The goal is to provide job training to inmates in order to prevent reentry to prisons.

Under Reentry 2030, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) and the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity will work together to provide resources.

“To increase public safety and save taxpayer dollars, we must create pathways for people who have paid the price for their crimes to become productive members of society,” Hobbs said.

Hobbs said in a press release that approximately 93% of people who are incarcerated will be released back into communities.

“People who have taken accountability, paid the price for their crimes and put in the work to better themselves deserve a second chance,” Hobbs said.

Ryan Thornell, director of the Arizona Department of Corrections, said this initiative will benefit communities.

“This is how we ensure people leaving prison are able to sustain themselves, raise their families and give back to their communities,” Thornell said.

Reentry 2030 is part of a bipartisan effort across the country; other states like Alabama, Missouri and Nebraska have launched similar rehabilitation programs.

“It’s not enough to simply say we believe in second chances,” Thornell said. “We need to provide the tools, the partnerships and the connections to ensure those second chances happen.”