Law professors testify before Arizona House of Representatives

Zig Popko, Director of Post-Conviction Clinic at the College of Law, and Associate Professor Carissa Hessick testified before the state House Judiciary Committee, Feb. 17.

The pair testified on HB 2644, which would create an Arizona State Sentencing Commission, a proposal contained in Hessick’s recent report, “Sentencing in Arizona: Recommendations to Reduce Costs and Crime.” The report was prepared by Hessick and seven law students in The Public Policy Incubator Program.

The bill passed unanimously out of committee.

To read the report, click here.

Hessick teaches criminal procedure, criminal law and a seminar on sentencing law and policy. Her research focuses on aggravation and mitigation in criminal sentencing, relative crime severity, and other political and doctrinal issues associated with sentencing.

Popko teaches legal research and is a member of the board of governors of Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice. He also serves as the editor of AACJ's quarterly publication, The Defender. Popko has been a member of the Legal Writing Institute since 2001 and presently serves on its ABA Standards Education Committee.

Staci McCabe, Staci.McCabe@asu.edu
(480) 965-8702
Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law