LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders today announced that the State has opened 1,485 beds since she took office.
“Arkansas’ prison bed shortage has gone on for decades, and under my leadership we have stopped kicking the can down the road,” said Governor Sanders. “While we continue to make progress on the new prison we are building these 1,500 beds go a long way toward alleviating the burden on county jails and getting violent offenders off our streets.”
“It’s our job to keep violent offenders off our streets and these additional beds will help us end our state’s longstanding bed shortage,” said Arkansas Secretary of Corrections Lindsay Wallace. “I’m proud to work with Governor Sanders to improve our prison system and keep our state safe.”
“The Board has worked closely with Governor Sanders to open these beds while also paving the way for a new prison. It is critical – for our inmates and for public safety – that we work to end the prison bed shortage in Arkansas,” said Arkansas Board of Corrections Chairman Benny Magness.
“I’ve been proud to work with Governor Sanders to fight Arkansas’ prison bed shortage and finally address the failed system of catch and early release,” said Senator Ben Gilmore. “Governor Sanders has shown her commitment to this issue time and again, and today’s announcement cements her leadership on public safety.”
“Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ dedication to addressing the persistent issue of county jail overcrowding caused by insufficient prison capacity demonstrates her steadfast leadership and determination to move beyond the status quo to achieve meaningful reform. By making this issue a priority, she has upheld her commitment to strengthening public safety and creating a more effective system of justice in Arkansas,” said Representative Jimmy Gazaway.
In 2023, Governor Sanders signed the Safer, Stronger Arkansas legislative package, which included the Protect Act and paved the way for Arkansas’ first major investment in its prison system in two decades. In October, Governor Sanders announced the state had purchased land in Franklin County for a new prison, employing nearly 800 workers with an average full-time salary of $46,000.
As the state works to construct a new prison, these additional prison beds address the critical bed shortage county jails are facing. This will help remove the burden of long-term incarceration from county governments and create safer communities across the state.
The total number of beds opened in each facility is listed below:
- Cummins Unit – Grady, 12 beds
- East Arkansas Regional Unit – Brickeys, 48 beds
- Ester Unit – Pine Bluff, 124 beds
- Grimes Unit – Newport, 16 beds
- McPherson Unit – Newport, 244 beds
- Mississippi County Work Release Center – Luxora, 58 beds
- North Central Unit – Calico Rock, 100 beds
- Ouachita River Unit – Malvern, 60 beds
- Phillips County Detention Center – Helena, 80 beds
- Pine Bluff Unit – Pine Bluff, 6 beds
- Randall L Williams Unit – Pine Bluff, 8 beds
- Texarkana Work Release – Texarkana, 6 beds
- Tucker Unit – Tucker, 394 beds
- Tucker Work Release – Tucker, 124 beds
- Varner Unit – Grady, 32 beds
- White River Correctional Center – Batesville, 173 beds
