Arizona Prisons

KJZZ explores the barriers and risks incarcerated women face as they prepare to leave prison and start their lives over again.

Women are a small but growing segment of the state’s prison population, and their needs are distinct. Yet, many of the programs designed to prepare them for release were primarily tailored for men.There are efforts in Arizona aimed at giving incarcerated women a real second chance.

Leroy Dean McGill, 63, was pronounced dead at 10:26 a.m. Wednesday following a lethal injection at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Florence, corrections officials said.

The federal judge who ordered the takeover of Arizona’s prison healthcare system earlier this year because of years of unconstitutionally inadequate care is looking to quickly appoint a receiver to oversee the care of more than 25,000 state inmates.

It appears there’s progress being made in budget talks between Republican legislative leaders and Governor Katie Hobbs. But a recent court ruling could add another wrinkle into those negotiations.

Arizona is scheduled to execute by lethal injection a man in his 60s on Wednesday morning in Florence.

Violence erupted among prisoners at the Arizona State Prison Complex-Eyman late last month. Multiple people were injured, and Arizona Correctional Peace Officers Association President Carlos Garcia called it a “full-blown riot.”

A new audit finds the state Department of Corrections may have unlawfully spent more than $50 million from an opioid settlement.

Earlier this year, researchers from ASU released a report about incarcerated women at Estrella Jail — a women’s-only facility in Maricopa County. Now those same researchers released a new report about the women at Perryville Prison in Goodyear.

Last year, Arizona joined a national program aimed at reducing recidivism rates by 30% by 2030 through job training, education and other support. Still, the barriers for formerly incarcerated people are steep — from finding housing and work to staying sober and rebuilding relationships.