Update
As the movement for prison oversight spreads across the country, the Prison Society is proud to play an important role. As one of just three non-governmental prison oversight organizations in the United States, the Prison Society and our sister organizations, the John Howard Association of Illinois (JHA) and the Correctional Association of New York (CANY), are lending our knowledge and support to lawmakers, interested citizens, and newly-formed state oversight commissions.
The need for oversight
Prisons and jails in the U.S. are responsible for the well being of 2 million Americans and cost taxpayers billions of dollars a year. A recent poll by FAMM found that 82% of registered voters are in favor of independent prison oversight, with near equal support among Republicans and Democrats. The top three reasons people polled found most convincing for supporting prison oversight were to “root out waste, fraud, abuse, and corruption;” to keep people who live and work in custody safe; and to save “taxpayers money by finding potential issues before they become bigger and more costly problems.”
Despite widespread public support for prison oversight, only 20 states have it, according to the National Resource Center for Correctional Oversight. That number is growing, with states like Arizona, Virginia, and Connecticut all recently establishing oversight bodies for their state correctional systems. In another promising development, Congress introduced a bipartisan bill last year that would create a new independent ombudsman to oversee federal prisons.
Providing hands-on help in Arizona
Recognizing the need to ”improve transparency and accountability of Arizona’s corrections system,” Governor Katie Hobbs created an Independent Oversight Commission by executive order in January 2023. The newly-formed commission sought technical support from the Prison Society and our sister organizations, JHA and CANY. Last October, staff from the three organizations traveled to Arizona and provided on-site training for the Arizona commission.
We endorse the recommendation in the commission’s preliminary report that Arizona invest in oversight with “dedicated funding and staffing to accomplish meaningful and credible work.” Currently, the commission consists of 11 volunteers. We agree with commission member and Arizona House Representative Analise Ortiz that “This commission really needs to have full-time staff, and full-time commitment and money behind it.”
Working behind the scenes in Virginia
The Prison Society has also been working behind the scenes to help establish new oversight entities across the country. We have met with lawmakers, citizens, and advocacy organizations interested in building independent prison oversight in New Jersey, Hawaii, Florida, Texas, and Virginia.
A former Prison Society volunteer in Chester County, Jacqueline Carter, helped spur interest in Virginia when she relocated to the state several years ago and was looking for ways to continue advocating for better prison conditions. Finding no independent oversight organization, she advocated for one with state legislators, and in 2021 the Prison Society met with Virginia lawmakers to promote oversight. Last fall, Virginia passed a law creating a state prison ombudsman charged with responding to complaints from incarcerated people and their families and investigating and monitoring conditions in state prisons.
The Prison Society is excited about the momentum behind correctional oversight in the current moment, and we look forward to continuing to build capacity for this work nationwide.
