Justice Action Network

08/05/2026

This year four JAN-supported bills were signed into law in Arizona!

Read more about Senate Bill 1662, sponsored by Sen. Shawnna Bolick (R).

08/04/2026

Four smart justice reforms are now law in Arizona!

This year, Arizona lawmakers passed, and Governor Hobbs signed, four bipartisan, JAN-supported reforms that will make its justice system more fair, effective, and accountable by:

- Tailoring probation to individual circumstances
- Eliminating burdensome fees for defendants exercising their constitutional rights
- Increasing transparency around court fines and fees
- Expanding veteran support and treatment courts

These practical reforms will strengthen public safety and help more Arizonans successfully rebuild their lives.

We're proud to have worked alongside our legislative champions and advocacy partners to help get these bills across the finish line, and look forward to building on this progress in the years ahead!

08/03/2026

This year three JAN-supported bills were signed into law in Oklahoma!

Read more about House Bill 4237, sponsored by Rep. Chris Kannady (R) and Sen. Todd Gollihare (R).

07/31/2026

This year three JAN-supported bills were signed into law in Oklahoma!

Read more about Senate Bill 2030, sponsored by Sen. Adam Pugh (R) and Rep. Nicole Miller (R).

07/29/2026

This year three JAN-supported bills were signed into law in Oklahoma!

Read more about House Bill 3321, sponsored by Rep. Mike Osburn (R) and Sen. Todd Gollihare (R).

07/16/2026

Three smart justice reforms are now law in Oklahoma!

In a politically challenging legislative session, Oklahoma lawmakers passed, and Governor Stitt signed, three JAN-supported bipartisan reforms that will increase access to second chances, strengthen fairness and accountability in the state’s justice system, and make a statewide impact.

Here's what these new laws accomplish:

1. Moves Oklahoma's Clean Slate Act toward full implementation. The law requires courts to begin automatically expunging eligible records in 2029, helping ensure relief is delivered through a clear and efficient process people can actually rely on. Once fully implemented, an estimated 354,000 Oklahomans with eligible records will be on a path to having their records sealed automatically.

2. Brings much-needed transparency to the use of cost arrest warrants. The law directs the state's Cost Administration Implementation Committee to develop a plan for collecting county-level data on the use of arrests and incarceration for failure to pay fines and fees, not for committing a new crime.

3. Increase access to cost hearings. Courts will now offer defendants an ability-to-pay hearing at sentencing before imposing financial obligations, helping ensure fines and fees are assessed with a person's financial circumstances in mind.

These new laws show smart justice reform is not only viable, but it’s popular. Even in an otherwise difficult political environment, making meaningful progress on smart justice reform was a top priority for Oklahoma lawmakers.

We’re proud to have played a role in shaping these bills and so grateful to work with our legislative champions and advocacy partners to make these bold ideas a reality in Oklahoma.

07/10/2026

Court debt should not become an endless sentence.

For too many people, court-imposed debt extends punishment long after a sentence is complete. Missed payments can trigger driver's license suspensions, additional penalties, damaged credit, and lasting financial instability for those trying to rebuild their lives. Unbelievably, sometimes people face incarceration for unpaid fines and fees.

JAN works with lawmakers across the country to address and minimize these harms. Many states are examining the impact of court debt, ending debt-based driver's license suspensions, reducing or eliminating certain fines and fees, expanding payment and waiver options, and ensuring unpaid debt does not block expungement, record clearing, or rights restoration.

The principle is straightforward: when the justice system imposes debt people cannot afford to pay, it undermines successful reentry, economic stability, and long-term opportunity.

Swipe through for a look at why this matters and how states are starting to respond.

06/30/2026

Arizona just took an important step toward greater transparency in its criminal justice system.

This year, JAN worked alongside Rep. Chris Lopez (R) to require annual reporting on court-imposed fines and fees, incarceration for unpaid court debt, and the costs of enforcement. These measures were included in House Bill 4158, a criminal justice omnibus bill, that was signed into law.

In a legislative session where few bills crossed the finish line, this reform stands out. Improved data will help policymakers better understand how court debt impacts Arizonans and guide future efforts to build a fairer justice system.

06/12/2026

The cost of inaction is measured in more than dollars.

Arizona passed its annual budget, and for the second year in a row, despite a $1.6 billion appropriation for the Department of Corrections, the budget leaves the Independent Correctional Oversight Office unfunded.

As JAN Senior State Policy Manager Estrella López told Arizona Capitol Times, the cost of waiting reverberates far beyond the state budget:

“I’m confident that this will get funded, it’s just a matter of how many more failures in the system, how many more lives impacted that could have been averted if there had been another set of eyes on this.”

Read more:

Funding critical to improving the state prison system fell short in the state budget this session.

06/05/2026

Independent prison oversight should not exist only on paper.

Arizona enacted JAN-priority legislation last year, creating the Independent Correctional Oversight Office, but without the funding to make it operational.

In a recent News 13 segment, Estrella López, JAN’s Senior State Policy Manager, spoke about why funding Arizona’s Independent Correctional Oversight Office in the state budget should be a top priority for the legislature. Oversight has drawn renewed attention following several recent high-profile incidents inside Arizona prisons.

Watch Estrella’s interview with KOLD News 13 to hear more about why funding oversight matters: https://bit.ly/4xaeQrB

Oversight of the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry is a hot topic following several high-profile incidents.