The Arizona Auditor General has found that hundreds of inmates in Arizona Department of Corrections facilities that were eligible for release are being held in prison because the Department has not yet properly programmed its computer system.
According to the Auditor General, the Department failed to program its computer system with all eligibility requirements for the transition program and drug possession release. Auditors found that in calendar year 2020, the Department:
- Did not release 313 of the 1,200 inmates (26 percent) 3 months early as required by statute, which may have resulted in longer prison stays and higher Department costs. Thirty inmates we reviewed were not timely released because of Department process delays and other factors.
- Denied all 45 of the inmates we reviewed of the approximately 1,600 inmates denied for the transition program in line with statutory and Department requirements, such as having convictions that made them ineligible.
The auditors note that the Department “relies on manual processes to identify eligible inmates, which takes additional staff time and increases the potential for errors.”
The Department told the Auditor General that it is working with its vendor to automate these processes and expects changes to be completed between October 2021 and November 2022.
The Arizona Auditor General conducted 3 performance audit reports on the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry as a part of the Department’s sunset review.
The first report focused on the Department’s capital projects funding and finances and assessed whether Department spending was consistent with statutory and other requirements.
The second report determined whether inmates were enrolled in and completed 4 specific self-improvement or treatment programs based on their identified need for the programs.
The auditors analyzed Arizona Department of Corrections data for approximately 35,200 inmates released between January 2017 and November 2019. Auditors found:
- Approximately 14,200 (43 percent) of 32,800 inmates who needed cognitive restructuring were enrolled in the program, and 11,100 enrolled inmates (78 percent) completed it.
- Approximately 4,300 (17 percent) of 24,900 inmates who needed substance abuse (SA) treatment were enrolled in either the moderate or intensive SA treatment program, and 2,700 enrolled inmates (63 percent) completed an SA treatment program.
- Approximately 2,900 (79 percent) of 3,700 inmates who needed DUI treatment were enrolled in the program, and 2,500 enrolled inmates (87 percent) completed it.
Staffing and other limitations have affected the Department’s capacity to provide these programs, according to the Auditor General.
The Department advised that it has been taking steps to address those limitations including requesting and receiving an additional $5 million appropriation in fiscal year 2022 to contract for and expand its provision of SA treatment services.