Criminal Justice Spotlight

Join Dawn Mertz, Executive Director of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program (HIDTA), as she leads powerful conversations at the intersection of public safety, prevention, and collaboration. With decades of experience working alongside federal, state, local, and tribal partners, Dawn brings a frontline perspective to the evolving challenges of drug trafficking, substance misuse, and co...

Today’s guest is someone who has spent his career giving a voice to the forgotten and answers to the unanswered. Troy Hillman is a veteran cold case detective and accomplished author whose work has helped bring clarity, accountability, and—most importantly—justice to cases long left in the shadows. With decades of investigative experience, Troy has dedicated his career to unraveling complex homici...

Dr. Thaddeus L. Johnson is a nationally recognized criminologist, former law enforcement leader, and expert on policing policy, violence reduction, and criminal justice reform. A Senior Fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ), Dr. Johnson’s research focuses on evidence-based public safety strategies, trends in crime and enforcement, and the impacts of policing practices on communities. Bef...

In this episode of the Criminal Justice Spotlight podcast, media host, Pete Cummings interviews ACJC's New Executive Director, Tony Vidale.

In this episode of the Criminal Justice Spotlight podcast, hosts, Tony Vidale, Deputy Director and media host Pete Cummings at the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission interview John Bauters, Arizona State Director for the Alliance for Safety and Justice.

In this episode of the Criminal Justice Spotlight podcast, Tony Vidale, Deputy Director at the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission, and Heather Bohnet, the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission’s Crime Victim Services Program Manager, are joined by Shawna Michie, Victim Compensation Bureau Chief for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, to discuss the Victim Compensation Program in Arizona. The Vic...

Each episode of Criminal Justice Spotlight will feature interviews with experts in the field, as well as individuals who have been impacted by the justice system. We will explore the successes and challenges of various criminal justice initiatives, and learn about the strategies that are working to create positive change.

Episode Spotlight: Rick Unklesbay — Inside Arizona’s Death Penalty and the Pursuit of Justice In this compelling episode of the Working for Justice Podcast , hosts Molly Edwards and Tony Vidale sit down with Rick Unklesbay , a longtime Pima County prosecutor , University of Arizona law professor , and author of Arbitrary Death: A Prosecutor’s Perspective on the Death Penalty in America. Drawing on...