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Arizona has an incarceration rate of 710 per 100,000 people (including prisons, jails, immigration detention, and juvenile justice facilities), meaning that it locks up a higher percentage of its people than any independent democratic country on earth. Read on to learn more about who is incarcerated in Arizona and why.

52,000 people from Arizona are behind bars

Additionally, the number of people impacted by county and city jails in Arizona is much larger than the graph above would suggest, because people cycle through local jails relatively quickly. Each year, at least 117,000 different people are booked into local jails in Arizona.

Rates of imprisonment have grown dramatically in the last 40 years

Also see these Arizona graphs:

• total numbers rather than rates.
• Women’s prisons: Incarceration Rates | Total Population
• Men’s prisons: Incarceration Rates | Total Population

Today, Arizona’s incarceration rates stand out internationally

In the U.S., incarceration extends beyond prisons and local jails to include other systems of confinement. The U.S. and state incarceration rates in this graph include people held by these other parts of the justice system, so they may be slightly higher than the commonly reported incarceration rates that only include prisons and jails. Details on the data are available in States of Incarceration: The Global Context. We also have a version of this graph focusing on the incarceration of women.

People of color are overrepresented in prisons and jails

Arizona's criminal justice system is more than just its prisons and jails

See detailed data on incarceration and supervision numbers and rates by state.

Reports and briefings about Arizona's criminal legal system:

Filter to show Most recent All Big picture Collateral consequences Communication Exploitation Health Jails & bail Parole and probation Policing Poverty Prison gerrymandering Racial justice Women, gender, & families

• Arizona makes medications for opioid use disorder available in its prisons. Why is getting treatment for substance use disorders so difficult across the US carceral system?
• Despite reducing its prison population at the beginning of the pandemic, Arizona's prison population has rebounded since 2021.
• Arizona has been court-ordered to fix its prison healthcare. Why is healthcare behind bars so bad, and what can be done to fix it?
• People on probation in Arizona are saddled with onerous rules and conditions they must follow every day or risk incarceration.
• Prisons in Arizona have tablets, but they may be being used to restrict incarcerated people’s access to books and sap them of the little money they have.
• With an incarceration rate of 710 per 100,000 residents, Arizona locks up a higher percentage of its people than any independent democratic country on earth.
• After the Dobbs’ decision, striking down Roe v. Wade, Arizona severely restricted abortion, putting access to the service effectively out of reach for the 14,780 women on probation in the state who also face travel restrictions.
• Prisons in Arizona force incarcerated people and their families — some of the most vulnerable members of society — to subsidize mass incarceration.
• 80% of people in Arizona jails have not been convicted of a crime, meaning they're legally innocent. There are simple steps the state can take to reduce this number. Why isn't it?
• Arizona releases roughly 153,450 men and 48,964 women from its prisons and jails each year. What is it doing to support them upon reentry?
• In Arizona prisons, breaking the rules can come with monetary fines of $500 to $2,000
• People on parole in Arizona can be sent back to prison for "associating" with anyone else on supervision — even loved ones who are trying to support them
• Black people in Arizona are incarcerated at a rate 4.9 times higher than white people.
• Arizona's choice to criminalize "failure to appear" may be hurting public safety
• The cost of incarcerating older people is incredibly high, and their risk of reincarceration is incredibly low, yet 11% of people in Arizona prisons are over the age of 55. Why is the state keeping so many older people locked up?
• Arizona makes it difficult or even risky for incarcerated journalists to tell their stories.
• Arizona is one of 20 states that locks up some people convicted of sex offenses in shadowy "civil commitment" facilities, long after their sentences are over — and often indefinitely
• In Arizona, 52,000 people are incarcerated and another 74,800 are on probation or parole.
• Arizona charges up to 25¢ for an e-message to or from prison.
• Jails in Arizona charge up to $3.15 for a 15-minute phone call, reaping profits for companies, while prisons charge up to $1.05 for a 15-minute phone call.
• Bail companies in Arizona have a track record of avoiding accountability, our report All Profit, No Risk and review of state-by-state evidence show
• In some Arizona prisons, incarcerated people are forced to drink and breathe contaminants
• Arizona suspended its $5 medical copays in prisons at the beginning of the pandemic, it should eliminate them completely.
• Arizona returned as many people to prison for technical violations of probation or parole in 2020 — the first year of the pandemic — as it did in 2019.
• If a person in Arizona prisons has more than $12 in their commissary account they may not qualify for assistance to purchase essentials like hygiene items and postage.
• Arizona prisons charge families up to a 12% fee to transfer money to an incarcerated loved one.
• We gave Arizona a failing grade in September 2021 for its response to the coronavirus in prisons.
• Arizona hurts jury diversity by excluding people with felony records
• How many COVID-19 cases in Arizona communities can be linked to outbreaks in correctional facilities? (data from our report Mass Incarceration, COVID-19, and Community Spread)
• Cruel and unusual punishment: When Arizona prisons don't provide air conditioning
• We graded the parole release systems of all 50 states - Arizona gets an F-
• Arizona incarcerates women at a rate of 184 per 100,000 residents — higher than any democratic country on earth.
• People in Arizona prisons earn as little as 15¢ an hour for their work.

Other resources

• Research on Arizona in our Research Library