The Joint Ad Hoc Study Committee on Correctional Practices and Facility Safety is set to hold a public hearing on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, at the State Capitol in Phoenix. The committee aims to investigate recent inmate deaths within Arizona’s prison system and assess policies of the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry (ADCRR) concerning inmate classification, facility safety, and institutional accountability.
The hearings will gather testimonies from former staff, experts, and stakeholders to evaluate if current protocols sufficiently protect both staff and inmates. A significant concern is the increasing number of custody-level overrides where maximum-custody inmates are reassigned to lower-security facilities despite their violent histories or known threats. The committee will scrutinize these overrides’ procedures and justifications, their impact on staff safety, and whether staffing and security measures are adequate.
Committee Co-Chairs Representative Quang Nguyen (R-1), who was elected in 2021 to replace Steve Pierce in Arizona’s 1st House District, and Senator Kevin Payne (R-27) have requested ADCRR Director Ryan Thornell to testify at the hearing. The meeting will be open to the public and livestreamed online.
Other committee members include Representatives Laurin Hendrix (R-14), Neal Carter (R-15), Alma Hernandez (D-20), along with Senators Hildy Angius (R-30), Mitzi Epstein (D-12), and David Gowan (R-19).
The hearing will also address administrative decision-making patterns, transparency issues, and internal responses following inmate deaths.
https://www.azleg.gov/videoplayer/?clientID=6361162879&eventID=2025081002
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