State picks 3,000 bed prison site in Charleston

Gov. Sarah Sanders, Arkansas Department of Corrections Secretary Lindsay Wallace, Arkansas Board of Corrections Chairman Benny Magness, and other state and local officials announced Thursday (Oct. 31) that the state has purchased land in Charleston to build a 3,000 bed prison.

The state purchased the 815-acre property for $2,950,000 after a months-long search. According to the governor’s office, this parcel offers the infrastructure needed for a new prison, including cell phone reception, water lines, electricity, and a nearby fire department. The owners of the property were not disclosed by government officials.

The prison will be the first state prison built since the early 2000’s when the Ouachita River facility was built in Malvern.

Officials also said it is close to more than 100,000 workers who could staff the new facility. The property is large enough to offer privacy to both neighbors and inmates, it added.

One of the reasons for the western Arkansas site selection was to avoid placing the prison in an area where additional prisons already exist, which could affect potential workforce options.

Once the prison is complete, it will employ nearly 800 individuals at an average salary of more than $46,600, based on estimates, and is expected to enhance Charleston’s roads, utilities, and infrastructure.

“I promised the people of Arkansas we would address our state’s prison bed shortage and today, I’m announcing the first major investment in our state’s prison capacity since my dad was governor,” said Gov. Sanders. “This new facility will help end our failed system of catch-and-early-release, and protect our communities by keeping violent offenders off our streets. For Charleston, Franklin County, and the River Valley, it will offer hundreds of permanent, recession-proof jobs and millions of dollars in investment.”

Details of the final cost of the project are unknown at this time, but it will cost hundreds of millions of dollars to construct and operate. A schedule for the start and completion of the prison construction is also not available, but the goal is to start “as soon as possible,” according to state prison officials.

“The Department of Corrections’ mission is to provide safety and hope for Arkansans, but we won’t accomplish that effectively without adequate bed capacity,” said Arkansas Secretary of Corrections Lindsay Wallace. “Working with Governor Sanders, our department has opened more than 1,100 prison beds to alleviate our state’s longstanding bed shortage and we plan to open hundreds more soon. With this new facility, we will add even more beds and deliver on our promises to the people of Arkansas.”

Currently, there is a backlog of nearly 2,500 state prisoners in county jails throughout Arkansas.

“I have been proud to work with Governor Sanders to address the longstanding issues facing our corrections system and am grateful for her bold action to tackle Arkansas’ prison bed shortage with this new facility,” said Arkansas Board of Corrections Chairman Benny Magness. “This facility demonstrates all our commitment to building a better prison system and a safer state.”

The Arkansas Legislature has set aside nearly $330 million for prison construction already. Another $75 million remains available from Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s administration, according to prison officials.

That money is likely to be enough to move forward on the project over the next two years, but more funding is expected to be needed for completion and operations.

Former Corrections Secretary Joe Profiri, who is now and advisor to the governor, will oversee aspects of the construction, prison officials said. They cited his previous work in Arizona as helpful to the project.

“Governor Sanders is committed to ending Arkansas’ failed system of catch-and-early-release and this new facility will be a major step toward solving that problem,” said Profiri. “I look forward to working with our state and local partners to ensure this facility delivers safety to the people of Arkansas and economic growth to the city of Charleston.”

The Board of Corrections must vote to approve the prison site before construction begins.