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SB 1836

2026-2027; criminal justice

57th Legislature - Second Regular Session Introduced by Dave Farnsworth and 1 co-sponsor

Requires an annual AZ corrections bed capacity report by class, gender, facility, with historical, current, and projected data, plus bed-change rationale.

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Bill Summary · SB 1836

Summary of SB 1836 (Arizona, 57th Legislature, 2nd Regular Session) – 2026-2027 Criminal Justice

Purpose and intent

SB 1836 adds a new statutory requirement for the Arizona Department of Corrections (or the relevant department) to annually report bed capacity across state correctional facilities and private prisons. The goal is to provide a transparent overview of current and projected prison bed capacity, including utilization by security classification and gender, and to explain the department’s decisions related to bed changes.

Key provisions

  • New reporting requirement: Adds Section 41-1604.21 to Title 41, Chapter 11, Article 1 (Arizona Revised Statutes). The department must prepare and submit an annual bed capacity report to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) on or before November 1 each year.

  • Content of the annual bed capacity report:

    1. Bed capacity by classification and gender: Report must show bed capacity for each security classification (e.g., minimum, medium, maximum) by gender, at every state correctional facility and every private prison. Data must be presented as both the rated beds and the total beds.
    2. Historical and projected capacity: Include bed capacity data at the end of the previous two fiscal years, and the projected capacity at the end of the current fiscal year. The report should explain the reasons for any changes within that period. The total bed count must separately indicate the number of temporary beds and special-use beds.
    3. Rationale for permanent bed reductions: Describe the department’s reasoning when eliminating permanent beds rather than reducing temporary beds.
    4. Plans to vacate vs. permanently remove beds: Provide details of any plans to vacate beds without permanently removing them from the bed count. If the department develops a plan after submitting the report to open or close 100 or more state or private-prison rated beds, the department must submit a plan detailing the proposed bed changes to the JLBC for review before implementation.

Who is affected

  • The Arizona Department of Corrections (or the relevant state correctional agency) is required to compile and submit the annual report.
  • The Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) will receive the report and review any proposed bed changes, especially those involving 100+ beds.
  • Other stakeholders in the legislative and budget processes may use the report to inform decisions on prison capacity, funding, and policy.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Reporting deadline: November 1 of each year.
  • Review process: If a plan to open/close 100+ beds is developed after report submission, the department must submit the plan to JLBC for review prior to implementing the changes.
  • Scope of data: Applies to both state correctional facilities and private prisons within Arizona.

Potential impact and considerations

  • Transparency and planning: Creates a formal mechanism for tracking capacity, changes, and occupancy trends by security level and gender, helping legislators assess criminal justice infrastructure needs.
  • Budget and policy decisions: The annual data, including trends in temporary and permanent beds, may influence funding, contract arrangements with private prisons, and long-range capacity planning.
  • Operational incentives: Requiring rationale for eliminating permanent beds versus reducing temporary beds may affect how the department prioritizes bed types during downsizing or expansion.
  • Large-bed-change oversight: The 100+ bed threshold ensures significant capacity changes receive prior JLBC review, potentially slowing or guiding major bed reconfigurations.

Notes

  • The bill’s text specifically names the annual reporting requirements and the inclusion of historical, current-year projections, and bed-type breakdowns (temporary, special use).
  • The bill lists sponsors: Co-sponsors Dave Farnsworth and John Kavanagh. It was assigned for committee consideration and had a Senate First Reading on 2026-04-27.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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