Arkansas purchases 815 acres of land for nearly $3 million to build new prison

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- 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.

“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,” Sanders said in a news release. "For Charleston, Franklin County, and the River Valley, it will offer hundreds of permanent, recession-proof jobs and millions of dollars in investment.”

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.

“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,” Arkansas Board of Corrections Chairman Benny Magness said in a statement. “This facility demonstrates all our commitment to building a better prison system and a safer state.”

Sanders last year signed changes to the state's sentencing laws that eliminated parole eligibility for certain violent offenses. Critics have said the changes could further burden an already overcrowded prison system.

The prison project is moving forward a year after Sanders tangled publicly with the Board of Corrections over control of the state prison system. An Arkansas judge last year blocked a law that took away the board's authority over the state corrections secretary and other top officials. The board had challenged the law, arguing that it violated the state constitution.

The state has appealed the ruling against the law, and the case is pending before the Arkansas Supreme Court.