This study summarizes and analyzes the findings of a statewide survey conducted last year of samples of homeless individuals in the Phoenix and Tucson areas and across the state. The aim of this report is to join with other, ongoing efforts to develop effective policies concerning such issues as job training, treatment for the mentally ill and Arizona’s critical need for affordable housing. Hopefully, it will help politicians and policymakers talk more openly and productively about a pervasive social problem that is both glaringly obvious and largely invisible.
This report looks at apprehensions of undocumented crossers over the years in Arizona and elsewhere, as well as "triggers" related to enforcement standards and metrics to determine the "effectiveness rate" in helping Congress and its constituents reach the elusive agreement on a "secure border."
This report looks at the economic impact regarding permanent residency vs. U.S. citizenship, as part of the options in the immigration reform package being considered by Congress. Arizona’s overall economy would benefit significantly if undocumented immigrants become U.S. citizens instead of simply legal residents, according to the author.
"Arizona's Emerging Latino Vote" uses demographics and other data to project a change in Arizona's political landscape due to the younger Latino population coming of voter age. With Latinos largely voting Democratic, Arizona could possibly change from a "red state" to a "blue state" by 2030, according to the report.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act mandates that all children with disabilities receive a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). One of the biggest barriers to implementing FAPE in Arizona is inadequate funding, which has led to a shortage of well trained and qualified teachers.
The purpose of this report is to provide descriptive statistics about firearm deaths in Arizona from 2015 to 2017. Morrison Institute for Public Policy partnered with the Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety (CVPCS) to compile, analyze and report on all firearm deaths in a three-year period. Through the mechanisms of data integration and abstraction from death certificates, autopsy and toxicology reports, and law enforcement investigations, the Arizona Violent Death Reporting System (AZ-VDRS) as a National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) partner, seeks to contribute to public understanding of firearm deaths in Arizona. Understanding the scope and nature of firearm deaths at state and local levels informs local and state authorities, policymakers and other stakeholders.
COVID-19 has disrupted almost every facet of American life, but the pandemic’s economic impact has been especially challenging for some of Arizona’s renters. Prior to COVID-19, approximately one in seven Arizonans lived in poverty, which is defined as earning less than $13,000 a year for a single adult and less than $22,000 a year for a three-person family. More Arizonans are one crisis away from severe financial hardship and potential eviction than just Arizonans living in poverty. Preventing an eviction “avalanche” after Arizona’s eviction moratorium ends is critical to the state’s finances because the costs, shouldered in part by taxpayers, associated with eviction and homelessness can be staggering. While financial support from unemployment insurance programs, the federal CARES Act, and Arizona’s eviction prevention fund are helping some Arizonans navigate the initial economic fallout from COVID-19, there are still thousands of Arizonans on the brink who have applied for rental assistance and not received support.
Arizona State University's Morrison Institute policy analyst David Schlinkert is a doctoral student at ASU. He recently traveled to Florence Detention Center to observe an asylum court proceeding for one of his immigration policy classes where he discovered that for many asylum seekers, the purgatory of seeking asylum may seem more like an eternity, and the detention stay more like a prison sentence than any prospect or promise of safety and freedom.
First responders need two things to respect the wishes of seniors experiencing cardiac arrest at senior living facilities – staff to begin CPR before their arrival, and immediate access to advanced directives. In Arizona, no clear policies exist for either of these issues.
Updated: Spanish-speaking Latino families and adults with developmental disabilities underwent a two day self-advocacy training in Yuma that encouraged individuals to speak up for themselves and bolstered participants’ psychological empowerment.