This is the second consecutive year Graham County has won the award.
By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – The Graham County Adult Detention Facility was recently honored by the National Institute for Jail Operations (NIJO) with its Detention Facility Innovation Award. It is the second consecutive year the facility has won.
“Our staff is always looking at ways to make our jail run more efficiently and to help our inmates to hopefully better themselves,” Graham County Sheriff P.J. Allred said.
Sheriff Alder was joined by Jail Commander T.J. Perez and other detention staff and was presented with the award at the NIJO’s annual conference at the Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino in Chandler on June 11.
“Our guys who work in our jail facility work very hard at trying to find different programs – trying to get them (inmates) any treatment that they may need and making things more efficient in the jail – not only for us but for the inmates; making it easier for the inmates, and getting the inmates the help and things that they need,” Sheriff Allred said.
The NIJO pointed out the jail’s transition to electronic mail lessens the chance for contraband, and its Sunrise Diversion Program for those with substance abuse issues has a 60% success rate in reducing recidivism.
Additionally, the Graham County Sheriff’s Office became the first in Arizona to implement an electronic book tracking system in 2024, which monitors library use and deters misuse. As noted in the nomination, this system “has completely impacted the inmate population from utilizing books for other means.”
Other operational improvements include the creation of the facility’s first-ever Corporal positions, the launch of a paperless electronic FTO manual, and the implementation of the NIJO Policy Platform in February 2025, strengthening training and policy compliance.
Unlike a prison, most inmates in jail have yet to be adjudicated and are still undergoing the legal process. Some inmates are sentenced to short stays, such as in the case of many DUIs, but the majority of inmates have yet to be found guilty on the charge(s) that brought them there.
“We house them, and having said that, you know, I mean, we do all we can to help them and assist them,” Allred said. “One of the things is the electronic mail. We don’t even have to touch their legal mail or anything like that at all. It goes from their attorney to them.”
