PHOENIX — There are new calls for the Arizona governor to fund an independent oversight office for the Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry, ADCRR, to bring accountability and transparency to the state prison system.
Lawmakers passed a bipartisan bill last legislative session that would create the oversight office; however, the office remains unfunded.
Danell Lendsey's son is serving a 10-year sentence in one of Arizona's state prisons. She considers herself part of a large network of families affected by prison conditions.
“This network of husbands, wives, moms, dads, grandparents, just so many, so many people, so many friends and family that are impacted by the same issues,” Lendsey said.
She says she has worried about her son's access to medical care and violence inside prisons.
"He's suffered from orbital fractures, fractured nose, TBI... Within months of being in there. And I have his medical records," Lendsey said.
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Lendsey says she was optimistic when state lawmakers passed Senate Bill 1507 this past legislative session, creating an outside oversight committee over ADCRR.
"They're responsible for his safety, his life, and the programs that are available. We've got so many questions. You've got questions when people pass, and these are questions that don't get answered. These are questions that are not made public. That oversight office will provide those answers," Lendsey said.
Governor Katie Hobbs signed the bill, but months later, there has been no funding to start this office.
The governor was asked about this at a recent press event.
"Why form an oversight office if you're not going to fund them?" a reporter asked.
"The fact is that there was a lot of compromise when it came to that, to that bill and the creation of that office, and so I'm certainly willing to continue those conversations to make sure that we can make sure that that office is as effective as... possible," Hobbs said.
State Representative Walt Blackman helped push the bill through. He has now filed an appropriations bill to fund it.
"They need help, and if they are not given that help by an outside agency or group or oversight committee, then it's going to be hard to really tell folks what's underneath that bedding and fix it so that that is what I have seen over the years," Blackman said.
For Lendsey, she is hoping accountability and transparency are a priority.
"These things that our leaders fought for, right? Like the legislators, they pushed it through like we got this done. This was a great accomplishment. It's just sitting there. It's smoke and mirrors," Lendsey said.
Lawmakers would have to fund this oversight office, needing about $1.5 million. They could do that through a new bill like Blackman's or include it in the next state budget.
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