LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas has purchased land for $2.95 million to build a new prison that officials hope will ease a backlog of state inmates in county jails, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and corrections officials announced Thursday.
The state announced it had purchased 815 acres (330 hectares) in Charleston, located about 106 miles (170 kilometers) northwest of Little Rock. The state Board of Corrections must approve the prison site before construction can begin.
Prison officials have not given a total estimate on how much the new prison will cost or when they hope to begin construction. Sanders, a Republican, 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.
About 2,500 state inmates are currently housed in county jails.
Corrections officials said that once the new prison is build, it will employ nearly 800 people at an average salary of more than $46,600.
