Arkansas Board Approves New Prison Despite Public Opposition

The Arkansas Board of Corrections has approved a 815-acre site for a new prison that will hold 3,000 inmates in Charleston, despite public opposition from residents.
The board voted on Friday to accept the land that the state had purchased for nearly $3 million to build a prison that will hold 3,000 inmates.
The approval comes as part of Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ initiative to alleviate the backlog of state prisoners housed in county jails.
However, officials have not said how much the prison will cost or given a timeline for its construction.
Despite public outcry over the state’s nearly $3 million purchase, made without prior community consultation, corrections officials maintain that expanding prison capacity is critical.
Sanders, a Republican, cited a need to end what she calls a “catch-and-early-release” pattern of violent offenders and has championed this prison project as a long-overdue reform.
“We kicked this can down the road for far too long—it’s time to make the first investment in our prison system in two decades and finally address our failed system of catch-and-early-release of violent offenders,” Sanders said in a statement.
She has called for 3,000 new prison beds and lawmakers set aside $330 million for that last year. An additional $75 million that was originally intended for the expansion of a prison unit is also available for the project.
“This vote today, it starts a lot of studies and a lot of thought processes,” Chairman Benny Magness said during the meeting, which was held via Zoom with nearly 300 people, alluding to a slim chance the site might be deemed unsuitable. He emphasized that moving forward with the site selection allows for the exploration of key logistical concerns.
What Have Critics Said?
The approval comes after the state last week announced it had purchased the land in Charleston, located about 106 miles northwest of Little Rock.
The purchase, however, left Charleston residents and local officials feeling blindsided, prompting complaints as many reported learning of the state’s purchase only days before Friday’s announcement.
Rosemary Underwood, a local resident, voiced community frustration at a town hall on Thursday, saying: “A formal public hearing should have been held before the state committed millions of dollars to a project in Franklin County.”
In addition, one member of the board, Lee Watson, abstained from voting on the measure stating he believed there needed to be more public discussion about the purchase and the site.
“Given the magnitude of the decision that we have at hand, I don’t feel like I’ve had sufficient time to make a decision,” Watson said.
Meanwhile, Sanders expressed her gratitude to the board on Friday while pledging to collaborate with the community throughout the construction phase.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.