The day before he’s scheduled to testify before state lawmakers about inmate deaths in prisons, Ryan Thornell, Arizona’s director of corrections, is touting new safety measures.
The hearing stems from an investigation by lawmakers after three prisoners were killed by a fellow inmate within 24 hours in April in Tucson.
The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry says guards were given body cameras in May.
And this month, the department is launching a violence reduction workgroup to find sustainable solutions. Several efforts, such as modernizing mail processing in state prisons, are aimed at reducing contraband.
The department is also touting investments in staff, such as more pay for those with high-risk assignments and new training curriculum for correctional officers.
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The head of community and culture at the Durango juvenile detention center says more kids in the facility want to graduate high school because they can almost immediately start Arizona State University classes. -
When a woman is released from prison, the roadmap back is complicated. But to really start over, she needs a job. For women with a criminal record, that can be difficult. -
An Arizona woman who used fake court documents to secure her father’s early release from prison last year has been arrested in Texas for forging documents in a child custody dispute. -
You might be surprised to learn that there was a time in American history when the death penalty was illegal — everywhere. In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that all of the death penalty laws around the country violated the Constitution. They were, essentially, too arbitrary. -
In December 2025, Yavapai County launched its partnership with the technology company Kyndryl to improve recidivism rates and case management.
