mandatory prison sentences; judicial discretion

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

mandatory prison sentences; judicial discretion

SB1275 - 572R - Senate Fact Sheet Assigned to JUDE�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� AS PASSED BY HOUSE ARIZONA STATE SENATE Fifty-Seventh Legislature, Second Regular Session AMENDED FACT SHEET FOR S.B.

What This Bill Does

• SB1275 - 572R - Senate Fact Sheet Assigned to JUDE�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� AS PASSED BY HOUSE ARIZONA STATE SENATE Fifty-Seventh Legislature, Second Regular Session AMENDED FACT SHEET FOR S.B.
• 1275 mandatory prison sentences; judicial discretion ( NOW: diversion program; military members; veterans ) Purpose Allows a county attorney to establish a Veterans Diversion Program (Program) for the purpose of treating a defendant who is a military member or veteran.
• Background Veteran courts currently exist in certain counties and cities in Arizona.
• Veteran courts entail a process that includes prosecutors, defense counsel, judges, the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services (AZDVS), the Department of Veteran Affairs and other community-based organizations.

Limits and Unknowns

• This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Official Summary Text

SB1275 - 572R - Senate Fact Sheet

Assigned to
JUDE�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� AS
PASSED BY HOUSE

ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Fifty-Seventh
Legislature, Second Regular Session

AMENDED

FACT SHEET FOR
S.B. 1275

mandatory
prison sentences; judicial discretion

(
NOW:
diversion program; military members; veterans
)

Purpose

Allows a county attorney to establish a Veterans Diversion Program
(Program) for the purpose of treating a defendant who is a military member or
veteran.

Background

Veteran courts currently exist in certain counties and cities in Arizona.
Veteran courts entail a process that includes prosecutors, defense counsel,
judges, the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services (AZDVS), the Department of
Veteran Affairs and other community-based organizations. Veteran courts aim to
rehabilitate and restore veterans as active, contributing members of the
community, and typically focus on veterans who are currently in, or entering,
the criminal justice system. The court creates and supervises treatment plans
to address the underlying causes of a veteran's behavior or issue, including:
1) substance abuse; 2) post-traumatic stress;

3) traumatic brain injury; 4) anger issues; and 5) domestic violence (
AZDVS
).

There is no anticipated fiscal impact
to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.

Provisions

1.

Allows
a county attorney to establish a Program for the purpose treating a defendant who
is a military member or veteran.

2.

Specifies
that the county attorney has sole discretion to decide whether to divert the
prosecution of an offender.

3.

Specifies
that the Program may be structured to require an offender to plead guilty
before entry into the Program and may provide for the dismissal of a criminal
complaint on successful completion of the Program.

4.

Stipulates
that considerations for the Program do not preclude the ability of another
prosecuting agency to divert or defer the prosecution of an offender as
otherwise provided by law.

5.

Stipulates
that considerations for Program eligibility do not apply if the defendant is
charged with:

a)

death or serious physical injury to another person;

b)

a sexual offense; or

c)

engaging in the continuance of a criminal enterprise.

6.

Defines

military member
and
veteran
.

7.

Makes technical and conforming changes.

8.

Becomes
effective on the general effective date.

Amendments
Adopted by Committee of the Whole

1.

Removes
the ability of a judge to impose a lesser prison sentence or suspend the
sentence in lieu of probation when sentencing a defendant for certain crimes
that require a mandatory prison term.

2.

Allows a county attorney to
establish a Program for the purpose of prosecuting, adjudicating and treating a
defendant with a mental health condition related to the defendant's military
service.

3.

Specifies
that the county attorney has sole discretion to decide whether to divert the
prosecution of an offender.

4.

Specifies
that the Program may be structured to require an offender to plead guilty
before entry into the Program and may provide for the dismissal of a criminal
complaint on successful completion of the Program.

5.

Requires
the criteria and guidelines for entry into the Program to be developed and
agreed to by the presiding judge and the prosecutor.

6.

Makes
technical and conforming changes.

Amendments
Adopted by the House of Representatives

1.

Limits
the scope of the Program to treating defendants who are military members or
veterans, regardless of whether the defendant has a related mental health
condition.

2.

Removes
domestic violence as a precluding offense to Program eligibility.

3.

Precludes
defendants who are charged with specified crimes, rather than convicted of
specified crimes.

4.

Specifies
that another prosecuting agency is not precluded from diverting or deferring
the prosecution of an offender as provided by law.

5.

Removes
the requirement that the criteria and guidelines for Program entry be developed
and agreed to by the presiding judge and the prosecutor.

6.

Modifies
the definition of a qualifying
veteran
by removing the requirement that
the
veteran
by discharged, separated or released from service under
specified conditions.

7.

Makes
technical and conforming changes.

Senate Action
���������������������������������������������������������
House
Action

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Prepared by Senate Research

June 9, 2026

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Current Bill Text

SB1275 - 572R - H Ver

House Engrossed
Senate Bill

mandatory
prison sentences; judicial discretion

(now: diversion
program; military members; veterans)

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SENATE BILL 1275

AN
ACT

amending title 11, chapter 2, article 11,
Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 11-366; relating to criminal
diversion programs.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted
by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Title 11, chapter 2, article 11, Arizona
Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 11-366, to read:

START_STATUTE
11-366.

Veterans diversion program; definitions

A. A county attorney may establish a
veterans diversion program for the purpose of treating a defendant
who
is a
military member or veteran.

B. The county attorney has sole
discretion to decide whether to divert, before a guilty plea or a trial, the
prosecution of an offender, except that the veterans diversion program may be
structured to require an offender to plead guilty before entry into the
veterans diversion program. The veterans diversion program may provide for the
dismissal of a criminal complaint on successful completion of the veterans
diversion program. �This section does not preclude the ability of another
prosecuting agency to divert or defer the PROSECUTION of an offender as otherwise
provided by law.

C.

A DEFENDANT who is charged with
any of the following
offenses is not eligible to participate in the veterans diversion
program
:

1. An
offense involving the death of or serious physical injury to another person.

2. A violation of
Title 13, chapter 14 or 35.1.

3. An offense in which the defendant
engages in a continuing criminal enterprise.

D.
For the purposes of this section:

1. "Military member" means
an individual who serves in the uniformed services of the United States,
including all regular, reserve and national guard components of the United
States army, navy, air force, space force, marine corps and coast guard.

2.
"veteran" means
an
individual who has served in and who has been discharged, separated or released
from active or inactive service in the uniformed services of the United States,
including all regular, reserve and national guard components of the United
States army, navy, air force, SPACE force, marine corps and coast guard
.
END_STATUTE