Home detention, step by step.
Pima County runs a Home Detention Electronic Monitoring Program (HDEMP) that lets some people serve part of a jail sentence at home instead of in custody. It is run by the Sheriff's Department, not by the court, and it has its own screening process, its own waitlist, and its own rules.
The single most important thing on this page: call 520-351-8192 as soon as you know you are going to accept a plea. Screening takes two to three weeks and dates are limited. Waiting until after sentencing is the most common reason people lose the option.
The judge decides eligibility. At sentencing I will ask the court to make you home detention eligible. If the judge agrees, that goes on your commitment order.
The jail decides approval. Every home detention sentence is subject to approval by the Pima County Jail. Being marked eligible by a judge does not mean the program will clear you, and it does not reserve you a date.
Your timeline
Almost every home detention problem I see comes from doing these in the wrong order. Work through them from the top.
Before you take the plea
If you expect a sentence with jail time, call the coordinator before your sentencing date and ask whether the dates you are considering will work. Home detention dates are limited, and the calendar — not your preference — often decides your report date.
The HDEMP coordinator is Ms. M. Encinas.
At sentencing
I will ask the court to permit home detention. If the judge orders you eligible, the courtroom clerk gives you the screening instructions right there. Keep that paperwork — you will need a copy of the commitment order to be screened.
Call immediately after your hearing
Do not go home and call tomorrow. Call 520-351-8192 right after the hearing to find out your eligibility status and get on the schedule. Delay pushes back your report date and can cost you the option entirely.
Pre-screening and orientation
Pre-screenings are done by the corrections department at Superior Court, 110 W. Congress, 7th floor — Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., excluding holidays. They used to be held at the jail; they are not anymore.
Bring a government-issued photo ID and a copy of your Pima County commitment order. You must also attend an orientation before your report date.
Report, serve your 20%, then go home
Everyone starting a jail sentence books in at the Pima County Adult Detention Complex, 1270 W. Silverlake Road. You serve your 20% in custody first, then transition to home detention.
Home detention has to begin and end on a weekday between 9 and 5, so your 20% has to finish on a weekday. That single rule shifts a lot of report dates — work it out before you pick one.
Who qualifies, and what it looks like
Not every offense and not every person is eligible. These are the standard criteria — the program makes the final call on your specific case.
Eligibility
- ✓A sentence of five or more days. Shorter sentences do not qualify.
- ✓Twenty percent served in jail first. This has been the rule since October 2023. On a five-day sentence, that is 24 hours in custody.
- ✓No violent history, and no recent or pending assault or weapons charges. These are disqualifying.
- ✓Not on supervised probation in another case. If you are, you are likely ineligible.
- ✓You must live in Pima County. A rented Airbnb has been approved before. Hotels have not.
While you are on it
- ✓Blood alcohol testing four times a day. Every day, on their schedule.
- ✓You must have a smartphone. The program relies on it.
- ✓You can work up to 12 hours a day away from home as long as you are receiving an actual paycheck. Cash pay does not count.
- ✓You must show up to home detention sober. Reporting under the influence ends the conversation.
- ✓The program can be terminated. If you violate the conditions, you finish the rest of the sentence in custody.
Booking in
Even if you have been approved for home detention, you start at the jail. How that morning goes affects your release time and your housing classification.
Be on time. Be sober. Bring nothing.
Booking is slow and procedural, and it has to be done correctly for you to get proper credit for time served. Arriving late affects when you get out. Arriving under the influence gets reported to the court, can extend or modify your commitment, and will affect your HDEMP eligibility.
There is no parking at the detention complex — arrange a ride and plan the drop-off in advance.
Pima County Adult Detention Complex
Everyone initially reporting to serve a jail sentence books in here, including people approved for home detention.
- Address 1270 W. Silverlake Road, Tucson, AZ 85713
- Main line 520-351-8111
- Parking None available — plan a ride
What to have with you
Keep it to documents and identification. Everything else stays home.
- Bring Government-issued photo ID and a copy of your commitment order
- Leave at home Tobacco, vapes, e-cigarettes, lighters, personal items, extra clothing, jewelry, valuables
- Never bring Weapons of any kind, including pocket knives and nail clippers or files
Prescription medications
Handle this before your report date. Do not bring medications with you — they will not be accepted without prior approval.
- Call first Medical Unit, 520-351-8344, before you report
- Send records Have your doctor or pharmacy fax the prescription to 520-351-8142
- Note Narcotics are not allowed. Not every medication is continued — some are substituted. Tell me early if this affects you.
What clients ask me
The judge said I am eligible. Am I approved?
No. Those are two separate decisions by two separate agencies. The judge decides whether home detention is permitted in your case. The Pima County Jail decides whether you are cleared for the program and when a slot is available.
You have to be cleared by the program coordinator regardless of what the judge said. Call right after your hearing and confirm your status — do not assume.
When exactly should I call?
As soon as you know you are going to accept a plea offer. Screening takes two to three weeks, and dates are limited. Calling early confirms you are eligible and lets them help you pick a date that actually exists.
If you anticipate a sentence with jail time, check with the coordinator before you commit to a report date. Ms. Encinas can tell you whether the date will work.
Do I pick my own report date?
Sentences out of Pima County Justice Court are self-report, which means you choose a date and show up at the jail on that date. Most Superior Court judges will allow a self-report as well, but that is not guaranteed.
Whatever date you pick has to satisfy the weekday rule — your 20% has to finish on a weekday between 9 and 5 so home detention can start. Run the date past the coordinator before you lock it in.
How much does it cost?
The Pima County home detention program itself is free. That is separate from any fines, fees, surcharges, or treatment costs the court orders in your case. If the fines are a problem, tell me early →
Can I keep working?
Yes, within limits. You can be away from home up to 12 hours a day for work as long as you are being paid by paycheck. Cash pay does not qualify, because there is no way to verify it.
Work release and work furlough are a different thing, and the Sheriff's Department does not currently support those programs. Segmented sentences — weekenders — are also not currently supported.
What kind of monitoring is involved?
Electronic monitoring plus alcohol testing four times a day. You need a working smartphone. You need to be at your approved Pima County residence except during authorized time away.
If you leave without permission or fail testing, the court can pull you out of the program and make you serve the rest of the sentence in jail.
I am on probation in another case. Does that matter?
It usually does. Being on supervised probation in another matter will likely make you ineligible. Tell me about it early rather than finding out at screening. How probation works in Pima County →
What if I am denied?
Then you serve the sentence in custody, and we plan around that. Knowing early gives us options — report-date scheduling, work and childcare arrangements, and in some cases a conversation with the court. Knowing the week before does not.
Call me as soon as the program tells you anything, good or bad. Reach out →
Quick reference
Home Detention
The Jail
Guides worth reading
Changes to the home detention program
What shifted, and why the 20% rule matters to your report date.
How to prepare for sentencing
What to do in the weeks before you stand in front of the judge.
Plea deal or trial?
How to think about the offer in front of you.
Arizona sentencing guidelines
The framework judges work within, in plain terms.
Why mitigation matters
What actually moves a sentence, and when to start building it.
Treatment as mitigation
Why finishing your hours early can change your outcome.
Probation in Pima County
What supervision involves and how it interacts with jail time.
Accountability in the Pima County Jail
A closer look at the facility you will be reporting to.
Collateral consequences
The effects of a conviction that follow you past the sentence.
Talk to me first.
Report dates, the 20% calculation, and the weekday rule interact in ways that are easy to get wrong, and the program has limited slots. If you are weighing a plea that includes jail time, let's work out the timing together before you commit to anything.
- Firm 520-333-7977
- Home detention 520-351-8192
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Office
177 N. Church Ave., Suite 808
Tucson, AZ
This page is a practical guide for current clients of AJB Law Firm, LLC. It is general information, not legal advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Home detention is administered by the Pima County Sheriff's Department, and all home detention sentences are subject to their approval.
Program rules, eligibility criteria, phone numbers, screening locations, and hours change without notice. Confirm the current requirements with the HDEMP coordinator, and read the paperwork the courtroom clerk gives you at sentencing. If anything here does not match what you were told, contact the firm directly.