Attorney General Mayes Announces Nearly 97% Success Rate Defending Criminal Convictions on Appeal

PHOENIX — Attorney General Kris Mayes announced today that her Office's Criminal Appeals Section successfully defended the overwhelming majority of criminal convictions challenged on appeal or in federal habeas proceedings over the last two fiscal years, maintaining a 96.5% success rate.

“Among the most important work of the Attorney General’s Office is defending convictions obtained by prosecutors around our state on appeal – including for crimes like homicide and rape,” said Attorney General Mayes. “I am proud that my office has successfully defended those convictions in nearly every case and kept violent offenders behind bars.”

Over the last two fiscal years, the Attorney General’s Criminal Appeals Section defended 687 cases involving 2,287 individual convictions, including 197 homicide convictions and 697 sex crime convictions. Of those convictions, the Office successfully defended 2,207 — a success rate of 96.5%.

The convictions defended span a wide range of offenses, including homicide, sex crimes, crimes against persons such as assault, kidnapping, and robbery, property crimes, fraud, drug offenses, and other criminal offenses.