(Photo by Matthew Hendley - CC BY 2.0)

Arizona Department of Corrections office.

Last year around this time, the ACLU and Arizona Department of Corrections settled a lawsuit that was filed in 2012 over inadequacies in medical, mental health and dental care.

As part of that settlement, the DOC agreed to more than 100 specific performance measures it would have to meet starting a year after the deal was signed. The time to gauge those measures is near.

David Fathi, director of the ACLU’s National Prison Project, spoke about the effort. In an email, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Corrections confirmed a mediation hearing next Tuesday, but said the department was not available to discuss.