Arizona

Overview

In recent years, Arizona’s prison population has grown significantly, increasing 52 percent over the last ten years. According to a recent projection report, if current trends continue, the state prison population will grow by an additional 52 percent over the next ten years, creating a demand for 20,000 additional prison beds. With 3,000 new beds already appropriated for and under construction, the state will need to appropriate an additional $3 billion in funding over the next ten years to absorb the projected growth. Further analysis of the prison population revealed that high rates of failure among people on community supervision are the primary driving factor behind prison growth – parole and probation revocations account for 17 and 26 percent of admissions respectively.