The Overview

People in Arizona charged with a felony domestic violence crime that hurt someone must now wear an electronic monitor, where one is available, and stay away from the victim if a judge releases them before trial. The rule took effect Saturday, Sept. 12, under a law that also lets courts order some defendants to tell victims where they live, work and drive. ​

Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) signed Senate Bill 1723 on June 22, the same day she signed a separate family court overhaul. Sen. J.D. Mesnard (R) sponsored the bill.

What The Law Does

Arizona’s pretrial release law already required judges to order monitoring and no contact for people released while facing certain felony sex crime and child sex trafficking charges. The law adds anyone charged with a felony domestic violence offense that caused physical harm, whether released on bail or on their own recognizance.

Under the state’s order of protection law, a judge can now require a defendant to give the victim their home address, workplace or vehicle information, but only after a hearing. The victim must show a prior history of harm and reasonable cause to believe physical harm would result without that information. A family court may also change an order of protection only for a shared child named in it, and only to carry out parenting time orders in the child’s best interest.

The Demo

Eighty-four people died from domestic violence in Arizona in 2023, according to the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, ABC15 reported. The coalition’s 2022 report found 23% of intimate partner homicides involved known prior abuse reports or orders of protection, AZFamily reported.

The Debate

The Senate passed the bill 26-3 on March 10. The House amended it, passed it 51-0 on June 10, and the Senate gave final approval 29-0 on June 12.

Hobbs tied the bill to Alec and Lydia, two young children killed by their father in 2024 after a judge granted him unsupervised custody. “Honoring the memories of Alec and Lydia, we are taking decisive action to transform Arizona’s domestic violence statutes, prioritize child safety in family courts, and protect survivors across our state,” she wrote on X.

What’s Next

The law moves protection to the earliest point in a criminal case, the release hearing, and takes the monitoring decision out of judges’ hands when a felony domestic violence charge involves injury. Its reach has limits: monitoring applies only where it is available, and a victim must win a hearing before learning where a defendant lives or works.

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