In a Last-Minute Rush, Lawmakers Approve Measures to Combat Wrongful Incarceration and Enhance Prison Oversight

Before concluding Arizona’s legislative session, the state Senate passed several key pieces of legislation, including measures aimed at compensating wrongly incarcerated individuals and enhancing oversight of state prisons.

Senate Bill 1500 proposes providing twice the median annual income to those wrongfully imprisoned for each year served. It gained bipartisan approval, with a vote of 16-13 on Friday, following nearly unanimous support in the House. Notably, only one Democrat opposed the bill across both chambers.

The bill also includes reimbursement for fines and restitution, along with up to $100,000 for mental health treatment. Senator Kiana Sears expressed her satisfaction, highlighting a more humane approach to justice that considers both mental health and financial compensation.

Governor Hobbs signed the bill into law later Friday evening. Additionally, Senate Bill 1507, which seeks to establish an independent corrections oversight board, received bipartisan support with a vote of 26-3. This new body would ensure compliance with state and federal laws within correctional facilities, educate the public about prisoners’ rights, and create a system for lodging complaints from staff, inmates, and their families.

The context for this legislation is critical. Arizona’s correctional facilities are facing severe staffing shortages, with around 2,000 positions unfilled. This staffing crisis has contributed to a noticeable increase in inmate violence, with ten reported murders in 2025 alone.

While Governor Hobbs endorsed several bills on Friday, Senate Bill 1507 was notably absent from her approvals, raising concerns among both Democrats and Republicans about potential political maneuvering to block it.

In another legislative action, HCR 2055 emerged after an initial failure. The resolution, which seeks to label drug cartels as terrorist organizations, passed on a party-line vote of 16-13 and will appear on the ballot for Arizona voters in 2026. Concerns were raised by Senator Catherine Miranda about the measure’s constitutionality and its potential fallout on migrants unrelated to drug cartels.

On the same day, the Senate also passed and Hobbs signed Senate Bill 1198, which expands the definition of animal cruelty. The vote on Senate Bill 1082, aimed at prohibiting foreign adversaries from purchasing property in Arizona, similarly drew bipartisan support but sparked debates about possible discrimination against specific nationalities.