PHOENIX, AZ – FWD.us Director of Advocacy and Campaigns for Criminal Justice Reform Elissa Johnson issued the following statement today after the Arizona House voted to pass Senate Bill (SB) 1064, legislation that would expand earned release credits:

“The passage of this bill by an overwhelming margin in the House sends a clear message that Arizona lawmakers understand the urgent need to safely reduce the prison population and begin to address the state’s incarceration crisis.

“People in Arizona serve some of the longest prison sentences in the country. With the fifth highest imprisonment rate nationwide, Arizona taxpayers pay over a billion dollars on a prison system that holds families and communities back without making them any safer. This widely supported legislation represents the most impactful criminal justice reform to advance this far in the legislative process in decades, and that should be applauded. It will free up hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars that can be invested to make Arizona safer and stronger.

“Now, we urge the Senate to pass this common sense reform and send this bill to the Governor’s desk for signature.”