The Phoenix Prison, part of Arizona Department of Corrections, has been commemorating public service for 50 years. The facility is currently under the direction of Charles L. Ryan and has over 9,500 corrections professionals who are well-trained and dedicated to the safety of the staff, the public, and the inmate’s by effectively utilizing proficient operational procedures, established programming opportunities, and comprehensive correctional practices for the inmates.

Directions to get to Phoenix Prison

2500 E Van Buren St
Phoenix, AZ 85008

Main Telephone: (602) 685-3100
Main Fax: (602) 685-3111

To Alhambra Unit:

• From the I-10 east freeway, take the 24th Street exit and head North to Van Buren.
• Alternatively, from the Loop 202 freeway, exit 24th Street and head South to Van Buren.
• Travel east on Van Buren approximately 200 yards.
• At the front entrance, make a left turn.
• The prison is located east of the entrance.

To Aspen / SPU:

• If driving from Phoenix, take the I-10 east freeway, or I-10 west if traveling from Tucson, proceeding via I-10 to the 24th Street exit.
• Turn North and drive until you reach Van Buren Street.
• Continue on North until the first driveway, which is approximately 200 yards and make a Right Turn
• You will see the parking lot and prison on the right-hand side.

Visitation Information / Contact Information

To maintain community and family ties with inmates, visitation privileges are offered to family members and more. However, there are certain prerequisites that all individuals must adhere to in order to visit an inmate or receive calls from them that can be found in the Department Arizona DOC Inmate Policy manual (download pdf here) which applies to all of the Department prisons.

The Units at the Phoenix Prison are:

• Alhambra Reception
• Aspen SPU
• Baker Ward
• Flamenco Females
• Flamenco Males
• Inmate Workers

Mail Visitation Applications or Information Requests to the following address and respective unit

Note: Alhambra Visitation – Inmates in Reception status at Alhambra are not allowed visitation or phone calls (usually 30 – 45 days). Only those inmates assigned to Alhambra as resident workers or those in treatment programs are allowed visitors.

In order to visit an inmate or accept their calls, you must first submit a completed application, then pay a one-time background check fee of $25 that is non-refundable (if applicable) and wait to be approved. Once your application has been received and checked for proper completion, and the payment has been verified it will be processed, then within 60 days it shall be approved or denied. The inmate will be notified of the decision and responsible for informing the applicant of the outcome.

There are two ways to apply…

1. Apply Online
2. Print and mail an application

Alhambra Visitation Office 
ASPC – Phoenix – Alhambra
P.O. Box 52109
Phoenix, AZ 85072-2109

Aspen/SPU Visitation Office
ASPC – Phoenix – Aspen/SPU
P.O. Box 52109
Phoenix, AZ 85072-2110

Click Here for 2019 Food Visitation & Holiday Schedule (Aspen and Alhambra Units)

How DM Cantor Criminal Defense Attorneys can help

At DM Cantor, our Criminal Defense Attorney team is extremely knowledgeable in all areas of criminal law, the legal processes, was a former prosecutor and more. We provide the best criminal defense services available in the state of Arizona that include all State, Federal, City, and County court jurisdictions.

To learn more about how DM Cantor can help a friend or family with defense matters, visit any of the pages below.

• Post-Conviction Relief
• Appeals
• Sentence Modification
• Habeas Corpus
• Petition for Early Termination of Probation
• Rule 32
• Expungement Restoration of Civil Rights

Available Work Programs and Treatment Programs at Phoenix Prison

The ASPC Phoenix prison offers work programs, education assistance and medical treatment programs to inmates that qualify. All units offer medical, dental and nursing care to inmates to meet the required needs.

Education Programs

• Alhambra and Flamenco Units:
  • Mandatory Education. Special Education, Title 1 Literacy, College Distance Learning and GED (Mental Health Inmate Workers)
• Aspen / SPU Unit:
  • Mandatory Education; GED; Special Education; Chapter 1 Literacy

Treatment Programs:

• Alhambra and Flamenco Units:
  • Operates a licensed acute care mental health unit with 40 available beds and a licensed intermediate mental health unit with 135 available beds. Group and Individual therapy is provided for male and female inmates as part of an integrated daily living program.  General medical and dental care.
• Aspen / SPU Unit:
  • Operates as the transitional care unit for mental health inmates. Psychiatric assessment, staffing, group and individual therapy, work, recreation, and education are all part of each inmate’s treatment plan. General medical and dental care.

Work Programs Available

• Alhambra and Flamenco Units:
  • Skilled inmates are selected from the general population inmates throughout the state to perform maintenance on the facility and other functions such as Porters, Alhambra Kitchen Workers and Yard Maintenance.
• Aspen / SPU Unit:
  • Facility, building and equipment maintenance; porters, yard maintenance and dining hall/ kitchen sanitation crews.

Post-Conviction Relief Petition (PCR)

If you were convicted of a crime, it does not mean that you completely lost your case. A criminal defense attorney with experience can appeal your case for a better outcome. This process is called, “Post-Conviction Issues and Appeals”. It seeks to modify the terms of your sentence, restore your rights, and overturn your conviction. If it can be done, DM Cantor Criminal Defense Team can do it as we are beyond aggressive and will find a way to get you a better deal.

A PCR can be filed if…

• The defendant doesn’t think he had effective assistance of counsel (mainly happens with public defender cases)
• New evidence has been discovered that supports his innocence
• A substantive change in the law has occurred

Although a PCR can be filed any time that newly discovered evidence is found, a defendant has 30 days from his/her last appeal date or 90 days from the sentencing date to file a PCR, which can be extended at the court’s discretion.

Some of the Many Reasons for Appeals:

• Improperly admitted evidence is the most common reason for appeals
• Police Officers admit to improper statements
• A defendant’s right to a fair trial was imposed by a prosecutor
• An improperly obtained confession was allowed as evidence by the judge
• Items were improperly obtained through a search warrant

Note: It is possible to have negative affects when applying for Post Conviction Relief on your own. There are the chances of receiving a greater sentence than you had after a conviction has been reversed. For this reason, you should always speak with a professional attorney who knows what to do in your benefit.

Our firm previously represented a 17-year-old with a 35-year sentence that we had reversed after filing a PCR. He was immediately set free and the State never re-filed any charges.

Phoenix Prison Sentence Modification

In Arizona after the original sentencing has occurred a “Motion to Modify Probation” or “Motion to Modify Sentence” can be filed anytime. This can be done to reduce restitution or probation fees due to the defendant having financial hardship or to reduce or remove jail time scheduled to begin at a later date.

Our law firm will contact the probation officer immediately after being retained to open a dialog and develop an understanding. If a defendant was cooperative during their probation, the probation officer may agree to the motion to modify the sentence with “no objection”.

Next, we can reach out to the Prosecutor for either a “Stipulation to the Motion to Modify” or “no opposition”. If the Probation Officer and/or the Prosecutor are non-cooperative, we will indicate, they did not respond to our requests, in the motion.

Some of the things we may include in our Motion for Sentence Modification…

• A report on how the defendant has changed for the better since he/she was on probation.
• Character letters from family, friends, and — more importantly — the defendant’s current employer.
• Photos of the defendant for the judge to see him/her as a person rather than just a case number.
• Information showing that the alleged victim has received payment from an insurance company; therefore, restitution on the victims’ behalf would be like “double dipping”.

There are also other things we can use that will help convince the judge to reduce a sentence, defer jail for a later review, or even “delete” the full jail sentence altogether, while potentially saving the defendant thousands of dollars as well.

Habeas Corpus

Habeas Corpus is a Latin term that means, “That you have the body”. It is a motion most frequently filed to warrant that a defendant’s detention or imprisonment is not illegal and occasionally used for testing legalities of a commitment or an arrest. The motion can also be used to review the consistency of an extradition process, the right to bail, the amount of bail, and more.

Petition for Early Termination of Probation

After serving around 50 percent of their probation, a defendant’s probation may be terminated in some cases. In fact, we have helped many defendants who had “lifetime probation,” terminate probation much sooner (One of them was terminated in just 1.5 years. We usually recommend waiting at least seven years before attempting to reduce probation when someone is put on “lifetime probation,” but will undertake this motion much sooner at certain requests.

For “Intensive Probation” or “Standard Probation” it is smart to first pay in full, all restitution, fines, and fees before filing a Petition for Early Termination. We are usually successful in terminating probation early when there are few, minor, or no probation violations.

Rule 32

The “Arizona Rules of Criminal Procedure,” provides a process called, “Rule 32” that allows guilty pleas or verdicts to be appealed for one of three reasons:

• Newly discovered evidence
• Ineffective assistance of counsel
• Substantive change of law

Ineffective assistance of counselrefers to cases where a defendant’s attorney submitted substandard or unprofessional representation that affected the outcome of the proceedings. However, you must be able to prove that the case outcome would have been better if the counsel you received was more effective.

Substantive change of lawprovides relief for defendants with certain criminal conviction statutes that have been changed. Numerous deadly force or violent cases fall under the “justifiable use of force” cases where a defendant does not deny committing violent acts, but argues that he had good reason for it making it justifiable, such as self-defense or to defend his/her property.

Expungement Restoration of Civil Rights

Arizona offers “Restoration of Civil Rights” and a “Judgement of Guilt Set Aside” for some convicted defendants.

Restoration of Civil Rights

If the case involves a felony, then a “Restoration of Civil Rights” can be filed so that the defendant will be allowed to vote in the future. In some cases that do not involve sexual misconduct or aggravated assault, we can also file for the restoration of the right to bear arms so that the defendant can own guns.

A judgment of Guilt Set Aside

Once a judge grants a motion to set aside a judgment of guilt, the defendant can state he/she was not convicted of a crime, previously. However, the defendant must admit to being convicted when applying for employment, then add “judgment of guilt was set aside” to the explanation field.

If you know someone who is serving time in the State Prison in Phoenix, Arizona and would like to explore their options of Post Conviction Relief (PCR), Sentence Modification, Rule 32 or Habeas Corpus, give DM Cantor a Call Today and speak directly with a defense attorney at 602-307-0808, or fill out our Online Contact Form now.