The program goals are to incentivize prosecutors and public defenders to choose or remain in public service by lessening the burden of educational debt obligations, provide substantial and…

The Arizona Criminal Justice Commission (ACJC), operating as Arizona Corrections Support, was awarded a $129,616 Formula Grant under the John R. Justice Prosecutors and Defenders Incentive Act (CFDA 16.816) program by the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance. The grant, effective from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2025, will enable ACJC to establish and maintain a statewide student loan repayment assistance program for local, state, and federal public defenders as well as local and state prosecutors in Arizona. The program aims to help recruit and retain talented legal professionals in these public service roles by alleviating some of their educational debt burden. ACJC will conduct outreach to eligible attorneys, review applications, and select recipients based on financial need and geographic diversity considerations, administering the loan repayments directly to the recipients' student loan servicers.

The program goals are to incentivize prosecutors and public defenders to choose or remain in public service by lessening the burden of educational debt obligations, provide substantial and meaningful awards to successful applicants while maximizing the number of awards available, adhere to the statutory mandate by making awards based on the applicants ability to pay while balancing geographic and demographic diversity, and ensure equal amounts allocated to prosecutor and public defender groups and attempt to provide equal awards to prosecutors and public defenders individually. The strategy is to partner with arizona criminal justice associations and agencies to conduct a widespread outreach campaign ensuring eligible applicants are aware of the grant and informed of the application process, utilize a fair and understandable method for calculating ability to pay, divide the state into geographic sectors representing various population densities, and collect data and conduct surveys to comply with reporting requirements.