Prison Oversight
March 25, 2025 No Comments
Independent prison oversight, comprehensive support, and holistic wellness are key to building safer, healthier communities.
People closest to the problem are closest to the solution
but furthest from power and resources.Glenn E. Martin
Comprehensive solutions for systemic change
At Praxis Initiative, we understand that the problem isn’t just the system itself, but how it operates — unaccountable, unchecked, and unfair. We’ve lived through it, and we know firsthand that while there are many wrongs in our criminal legal system, there are also moments of justice that are twisted into something much darker by a system that values punishment over rehabilitation. We know there are victims in every corner of our prisons, but we also know there are perpetrators who need to face the consequences of their actions, too.
But here’s the truth: The problem starts long before a person ends up behind bars. It starts with the way we prosecute, the lengths we go to prosecute, and how we allow the system to be manipulated by the very people whose jobs depend on the continued existence of these broken institutions. Prosecutors wield too much unchecked power, and that power is often used without care or concern for fairness. This results in unequal, inaccurate, and ineffective applications of the law, sending people to prison who don’t need to be there — and it leaves those who do need to be there with no chance of rebuilding their lives.
Praxis Initiative advocates for independent, external oversight of Arizona’s prison system to ensure transparency, accountability, and the protection of human rights through a fully empowered correctional ombudsman.
Working to reform and improve the justice system through policy advocacy and community engagement.
Our Drug Policy & Overdose Prevention program advances evidence‑based policies and provides community trainings and tools to reduce overdose deaths.
Our Arts in Prison & Think Motion program delivers music, visual arts, dance, and movement workshops inside correctional facilities—empowering participants with new skills, community, and hope.
Our Core Civics and Advocacy Training program prepares returning citizens for civic engagement and community leadership — providing training in government systems, policy advocacy, storytelling, and reentry leadership. Built by and for people with lived experience, this program turns personal insight into public power.
We are committed to addressing the root causes of this dysfunction. It’s time to stop kicking the can down the road, to stop allowing elected officials and appointed leaders to keep playing the game of competence and effectiveness while our prisons overflow and the systems fail. The healthcare lawsuit pending in Arizona, the overcrowding, the lack of oversight — it’s all connected, and it’s all the result of years of neglect and inaction. This is what we fight against.
But we’re not just here to point out problems — we’re here to solve them. The solution isn’t simple, but it’s possible. It starts with holding the system accountable, with ensuring that when laws are broken, people face justice — but justice that is humane, fair, and rehabilitative. After all, 96% of people in prison are coming home. The question isn’t if, but when. And when we come home, we need a system that doesn’t leave us worse than when we went in. That’s what we’re fighting for: a system that works, that holds people accountable, and that allows us to return to society stronger, not more damaged.
Your donation directly supports our mission to transform Arizona’s criminal legal system through lived experience and evidence-based advocacy. As a community-driven organization, we rely on supporters like you to continue our vital work.
Insights and stories from the frontlines of criminal legal system reform
The people powering our mission for change. Driven by experience, united by purpose
John endured fifteen years of incarceration spanning nine distinct prison complexes, acquiring deep institutional knowledge of security operations, administrative processes, and inmate services. He channels this lived expertise into visionary reform strategies, driving legislative advocacy efforts and empowering community-driven oversight initiatives aimed at transforming Arizona’s criminal legal system from the inside out.
J served five years incarcerated over three convictions, gaining firsthand comprehension of carceral policies, systemic barriers, and rehabilitative challenges. Recognized for leadership in drug policy and substance use advocacy, she leverages her lived experience to shape Praxis Initiative’s programs, inform policy development, and galvanize stakeholders toward humane, effective reforms within Arizona’s criminal legal landscape.
Jessica spent eight years at the Perryville Complex, navigating all custody levels as both inmate and advocate, which forged her profound understanding of institutional shortcomings and reform opportunities. She transforms personal adversity into strategic advocacy, spearheading legislative initiatives and coalition-building efforts designed to improve conditions, expand oversight, and ensure accountability across Arizona’s correctional institutions.
Sherri witnessed both her sons’ incarcerations—one serving a thirty-year sentence and the other tragically lost to suicide after enduring deplorable conditions—which fueled her unwavering commitment to prison oversight. Drawing on personal tragedy, she courageously champions independent monitoring, legislative reforms, and community engagement to demand transparency, justice, and humane treatment for individuals within Arizona’s prison system.
Mindi Krasinski dedicated twenty-six years to ADC service, rising from administrative typist to Correctional Officer III working primarily at the Eyman, Florence and Globe complexes. Her extensive operational expertise spans security protocols, case management, and special management units. She now applies this deep institutional insight to guide Praxis Initiative’s accountability measures, training programs, and policy recommendations.
Your questions answered: who we are, what we do, and how you can help.
Praxis Initiative is dedicated to transforming Arizona’s criminal legal system by reducing mass incarceration, promoting transparency, and ensuring equal treatment under the law. We advocate for independent prison oversight, harm reduction, and bipartisan policy solutions that center human dignity and public safety.
Our work combines rigorous policy research, legislative advocacy, community engagement, and public education. We draft and promote reform bills, build coalitions across ideological lines, elevate voices with lived experience, and run awareness campaigns—turning justice theory into concrete action.
Praxis Initiative is led by a diverse team of policy experts, community advocates, and program managers with lived, firsthand experience in the criminal legal system and in our prisons,Together, they guide our strategy, partnerships, and day-to-day operations.
Our co-founder John Fabricius began campaigning for independent prison oversight just after his release from prison in August 2018. Volunteering with American Friends Service Committee-Arizona in Tucson, John and other dedicated volunteers advocated tirelessly on oversight. After the Lewis Lock event broke and Director Charles Ryan suddenly retired the day before a damning report was issued by the governor, John wrote oversight legislation that was sponsored by Rep. Diego Rodriguez (D). As COVID-19 emerged in the Spring and early summer of 2020, the threat to the well being of the incarcerated exceeded critical and a core group of AFSC volunteers and others joined John and formed Arizonans for Transparency and Accountability in Corrections (ATAC) and began working on oversight exclusively.
In 2024, we rebranded as Praxis Initiative to reflect an expanded mission that now includes criminal legal system reform, drug policy & overdose prevention, returning-citizen civics & advocacy training, and arts-in-prison programs.
Praxis Initiative is a pioneering, directly impacted-led organization combining independent oversight, overdose awareness and risk mitigation advocacy, and community-driven solutions.
Our lived experience has shaped our views and reinforced our resolve as we refuse to compromise on accountability, transparency, and effectiveness—focusing relentlessly on outcomes that strengthen public safety and rebuild community trust in Arizona.
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Praxis Initiative campaigns for a criminal legal system that prioritizes transparency, harm reduction, and fair treatment. We engage in policy advocacy, public education, and coalition-building—drawing on the firsthand insights of directly impacted individuals—to promote independent oversight and systemic reforms aimed at reducing mass incarceration across Arizona.
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Every dollar you give drives our oversight investigations, fuels evidence-based research, and powers grassroots campaigns to transform Arizona’s criminal legal system.
From committee rooms to cell blocks – Every dollar you contribute directly funds our work. We need your help. Please donate.
