Agency Vision

Contributing to safer communities through responsible, professional and effective corrections.

Agency Mission

To serve and protect the people of Arizona by securely incarcerating convicted felons, by providing structured programming designed to support inmate accountability and successful community reintegration, and by providing effective supervision for those offenders conditionally released from prison.

Agency Guiding Principles

  • We have the legal and operational responsibility to be accountable and responsive to the judicial, legislative, and executive branches of government; to our employees; to inmates; and most importantly, to the citizens of Arizona.
  • We value honesty and integrity in our relationships, and we place a high priority on quality of services and development of teamwork, trust, and open communication.
  • We make fiscally sound, measurable decisions, and respond effectively to the changing demands placed upon the agency by stakeholders, citizens, and their representatives.
  • We maintain an environment that is humane and equitable to both employees and inmates, utilizing a grievance and disciplinary system that is consistently administered and fosters due process.
  • We develop, encourage, recognize, and reward professional performance and growth by employees at all levels.

Agency Strategic Issues FY 2013 - FY 2017

Strategic Issue 1: Managing Inmate Population Growth

Inmate population has increased from an average daily population of 29,936 in FY 2001 to 40,226 in FY 2011 (34.4 percent increase). After continuous inmate population growth from FY 2001 to FY 2010, with a monthly average growth rate of 117 inmates, inmate population growth dramatically declined in FY 2010 and FY 2011. ADC grew by only 65 inmates in FY 2010, and then actually declined by 296 inmates in FY 2011. FY 2010 and FY 2011 had the two lowest growth rates on record going back to 1973. Although inmate population growth slowed in FY 2010 and FY 2011, the Department must continue to use planning and process improvement strategies throughout the organization to maximize resources and ensure the safety of the public, staff, and inmates. As part of this strategic issue, the Department will focus on accurate bed plan forecasting; efficient control of population movement and management of permanent state beds and contracted private beds; maximization of inmate programming and complex scheduling; effective management of an aging inmate population; development of a viable workforce through targeted staff recruitment and retention; and appropriate allocation of resources to address unmet state prison physical plant needs.

 

Strategic Issue 2: Enhancing Security and Oversight of Prison Operations

When Director Charles L. Ryan assumed Department leadership in January 2009, he began a systemic review of the operational and administrative practices at both state-operated and contracted private prisons, focusing on the strict and uniform compliance with Department policy, especially safety and security practices. Since then, the Department has worked diligently to develop systems to strengthen state-operated and contracted private prison oversight, including enhancements to the significant incident reporting (SIR) process; collection and analysis of assault data and mortality data; improved private prison contract monitoring; improved Department Office of the Inspector General (IG) investigative processes, and a new inspection program and annual audit instrument designed to identify areas of non-compliance and violations of policy, correct them, and use data and information to make systemic operational changes to reduce violations and ensure safety. As part of this strategic issue, the Department will continue to work to improve its oversight procedures; provide ongoing staff training; increase security and staff presence among inmates; ensure safe housing assignments; and develop sound intervention strategies for high risk inmates.

 

Strategic Issue 3: Maximizing efficiency through privatization of services and public/private partnerships

The Department has been actively engaged in privatization and efficiency efforts since 1986. With over 600 current contracts, the Department uses private contractors for many functions, including private prisons that house inmates in-state; correctional health services; inmate food services; inmate commissary services; inmate telephone services; and inmate career training provided through Arizona Community Colleges. As part of this strategic issue, the Department will focus on the privatization of all correctional health care services; the legislatively mandated addition of 5,000 private medium/minimum beds; and the exploration of viable opportunities for additional privatization.

 

Strategic Issue 4: Integration of ADC Technology and Service Delivery

The need for viable technology, process automation, system integration, and easy to use, secure information systems that are efficient, effective, and standardized is essential to the ability of the Department to continue to effectively carry out its mission and its obligations to the public. Without viable hardware and software solutions, integrated platforms, and automated processes in place, it will become increasingly difficult for the Department to provide appropriate services in an efficient and safe manner. As part of this strategic issue, the Department will focus on the migration of the AIMS mainframe system to new web-based technology; the exploration of optimum blends of hosted and in-house hardware/software platforms designed to increase efficiency; and the enhancement of disaster recovery capabilities and disaster recovery exercise cycles.

Agency Goals FY 2013 - FY 2017

Goal 1: To maintain effective custody and control over inmates in an environment that is safe, secure and humane.

 

Goal 2: To require inmate participation in self improvement programming opportunities and services including work, education, substance abuse treatment, sex offender treatment, and spiritual access designed to prepare inmates to be responsible citizens upon release.

 

Goal 3: To provide cost-effective constitutionally mandated correctional health care.

 

Goal 4: To maintain effective community supervision of offenders, facilitate their successful transition from prison to the community and return offenders to prison when necessary to protect the public.

 

Goal 5: To provide leadership, direction, resource management, and support for Department employees to enable the Department to serve and protect the people of the State of Arizona and to provide comprehensive victim services and victim-focused restorative justice programs that hold offenders accountable.