The mission of the Arizona Justice Alliance is to reduce prison populations and decrease corrections spending so that state resources can be invested in critical services that prevent crime, protect citizens, and fulfill state priorities.

Our overall goal is to advocate for evidence-based practices to reduce the numbers of persons incarcerated in Arizona. The following policies will help us attain that goal.

Promote diversion from incarceration as that will result in more efficient use of tax dollars and effective treatment while treating people and families more humanely.

ARIZONA JUSTICE ALLIANCE PRICIPLES:

  • Support treatment for those with drug addictions, alcoholism, mental illness, and other conditions.
  • Eliminate transfer of children to adult courts.
  • Support Legislation to focus on prevention and rehabilitation rather than incarceration and punishment.
  • Support legislation to de-criminalize acts including, but not limited, to those related to the mentally ill or homeless and youth.
  • Support legislation and funding to promote re-entry, rehabilitation, drug treatment, health care, fair housing, and employment and vocational training.
  • Support legislation that focuses on primary and secondary prevention including childhood education, poverty reduction, family support and elimination of discriminatory policing and prosecution.
  • Expand AJA outreach with targeted messages and a variety of message delivery systems.
  • Tie together our key messaging with outreach
  • Develop a website and marketing plan using social media
  • Engage people on our mailing list in timely advocacy for specific issues
  • Collaborate and network with other groups working on similar issues or for similar results

EXPAND AND DIVERSIFY STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP

The leadership in the AJA should reflect the diversity of stakeholders and others directly impacted by the criminal justice system. We strive to be bipartisan and to maintain a balance among the various stakeholders in the debate (defense, prosecution, courts, corrections, formerly incarcerated persons, advocates for the mentally ill, peers, family members, the public, communities of faith, business). In addition, we work to ensure that our membership reflects the diversity of the people of the state of Arizona.

Current organizations represented include:

  • American Friends Service Committee
  • American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona
  • Maricopa County Public Defender’s Office
  • Children’s Action Alliance
  • Central Arizona National Lawyers Guild
  • Mental Health America
  • Sage Consulting
  • TASC
  • Mental Health Association of America
  • AZ Attorneys for Criminal Justice
  • NAMI
  • Community Bridges
  • Reinventing Re-entry
  • Death Penalty Alternatives

ARIZONA JUSTICE ALLIANCE GOALS

To accomplish this mission, the Arizona Justice Alliance will:

  1. Re-identify the Steering Committee that will determine overall policy directions, set goals and objectives, and monitor progress of the Alliance.
  2. Identify and recommend changes to Arizona’s justice-related laws and practices, develop policy recommendations, draft legislation, and serve as a resource to lawmakers and other elected officials regarding Arizona’s justice-related laws and practices.
  3. Engage in targeted outreach, advocacy, training, public education, and mobilization.
  4. Network among a diverse and representative group of stakeholders, experts, and affected communities, persons, and organizations already working in the field to build personal relationships to boost individual efforts and ensure widespread distribution of events, ideas, actions, and programs.

ARIZONA JUSTICE ALLIANCE PROJECTS

  1. Involve business in AZ Fair Chance Pledge and/or Ban the Box efforts
  2. Investigate participating in Arizona Town Hall
  3. Support re-entry simulations
  4. Distribute legislative/lobbying information to entire mailing list
  5. Support Step Up AZ Campaign, Lodestar Resources, and Homeless ID Project
  6. Establish web site and use social media in a marketing campaign