Lawsuit challenges new $25 one-time fee charged to Arizona prison visitors

Family visits may be good for inmates.

Only now, it’s going to come with a price tag.

A state law that took effect July 1 allows the Department of Corrections to charge a one-time fee on any family member who wants to come see a relative behind bars. The fee is expected to generate about $750,000 this year.

Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, who inserted the provision into this year’s budget, said the fee is justified. He said there is a cost behind doing the necessary background checks.

But James Hamm of the prisoner rights group Middle Ground Prison Reform said anything that discourages family members from visiting is not only a bad idea — said it’s also illegal.

A lawsuit filed by Middle Ground in Maricopa County Superior Court claims that lawmakers acted unconstitutionally in authorizing the Department of Corrections to charge the fee. Attorneys for the state disagree and want the case thrown out.

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