Paul O'Connell

Paul O'Connell, Assistant Director (Retired)

Community Supervision Division                                                              

Arizona Department of Corrections Rehabilitation and Reentry

Phoenix, Arizona

Mr. O’Connell’s career spanned forty-two years of criminal justice experience, beginning as a Probation Officer with the Maricopa County Adult Probation Department and ending with his last position as Assistant Director of Community Supervision for the Arizona Department of Corrections Rehabilitation and Reentry (ADCRR).  In this capacity, Mr. O’Connell had direct oversight of statewide Community Supervision and Parole services and Reentry efforts as well as various support services to include Warrants and Hearing, Sex Offender Coordination, Inmate Release responsibilities that included transitioning offenders release from prison to community supervision and Interstate Compact as well as staffing the Arizona Executive Board of Executive Clemency (BOEC).

Before coming to the ADCRR, Mr. O’Connell served in several executive and Director level positions to include Administrative Director of the Superior Court in Pinal County Arizona, overseeing and coordinating administrative and management activities of the court and its departments to include Justice Courts, Conciliation Services and Adult and Juvenile probation services.  The Superior Court in Pinal County is the third largest trial court in Arizona.

He also served as Executive Director of the Oklahoma Sentencing Commission and Director of the Oklahoma Criminal Justice Resource Center which coordinated an array of services to criminal justice agencies throughout Oklahoma. The Center was the state’s repository for criminal justice data and research and provided administrative support to the Oklahoma Sentencing Commission, the Oklahoma Council on Violence Prevention, Crime Stoppers Inc., and the Oklahoma Criminal Justice Systems Task Force. Responsibilities included the development of criminal justice reform efforts for the state of Oklahoma and the development of the Commission’s Truth-in-Sentencing reform legislation.

In his career, Mr. O’Connell has worked extensively with public policy makers, judicial and law enforcement officials and other stakeholders dedicated to developing and promoting sound state criminal justice policy and practice.  Mr. O’Connell has completed numerous local and national leadership training programs and has served on various state and local boards and commissions throughout his career.  He is the recipient of three Arizona Supreme Court Justice Achievement Awards, three National Association of Counties (NaCo) Achievement Awards, and two Arizona Governor Commendation Awards and has published articles for national corrections publications and journals.