The Arkansas Board of Corrections has released a statement on where they stand in fulfilling the governor’s request to make more space.
They say they have several expansion projects in progress to increase capacity:
- 170 beds at the reconstructed White River Correctional Center located in Batesville.
- 70 additional beds at the Southeast Community Correction Center located in Texarkana
- and 244 beds at the McPherson Unit located in Newport.
The Arkansas Board of Corrections stated that notable expansions began on August 17 by moving inmates into thevacant Tucker Work Release Facility.
The facility will house 124 inmates, most of whom are assigned to the work-release program, and will also include other minimum-security inmates.
The statement goes on to say Board of Corrections Chairman Benny Magness and Secretary Lindsay Wallace are currently working with Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders to select an Owner’s Representative, someone to provide advice and consultation, for the construction of a new 3,000-bed facility.
