In the heart of Arkansas, a lawmaker is advocating for a shift in the traditional approach to crime reduction, seeking to dismantle plans for a fresh penal institution in Franklin County. State Senator Bryan King, a member of the Republican Party, has amplified his dissent to the proposed prison plan, sanctioned by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. King has turned his attention towards introducing a series of legal actions aimed at halting the construction of the prospective 3,000-capacity correctional facility. His focus is on eight specific counties, demonstrating his preference for preventative measures over punitive ones.
Among the sextet of drafted bills, one directly addresses the funding strategy for these prisons, hinting at utilizing $600 million from surplus and pre-allocated channels. This proposal only represents one part of King’s legislative portfolio dedicated to this issue. The other bills touch upon a variety of other relevant themes and seek solutions for these pressing challenges.
Creating strategies for reducing overcrowding in county jails, investing in crime deterrence, and remedying prevention mechanisms form the core of King’s intended reforms. Notably, a potential amendment to the constitution, allowing the funding of programs through revenue from medical marijuana and casino operations, is also on the table. King argues that if steps aren’t taken to hit at the root of the crime problem, the impact on overloaded and undercompensated county enforcement and corrections officials will remain unmitigated, even with the construction of additional prisons.
Despite the emphasis on crime prevention at an earlier stage rather than expanding the prison structure, King and Governor Sanders aren’t on the same page. The governor recently responded to King’s attempts to halt the proposed prison, expressing skepticism about the feasibility of his proposed alternative. In her statement, she acknowledges the lack of support from county officials for King’s anti-prison plan, highlighting their resistance to the idea.
While Governor Sanders demonstrates dismissal, King stands firm in his convictions, maintaining that the new prison will impose a hefty financial burden on taxpayers. He asserts that alternative, more effective solutions are at hand. His reasoning goes beyond the simple metric of arrest rates as an indication of crime management—the true purpose, he believes, lies in fostering safe communities where arrests aren’t the norm.
Speaking on concerns of overcrowded facilities and high incarceration rates, the governor’s office specifies that much progress has already been made under her administration. They proclaim that Governor Sanders has succeeded in clearing much of the backlog and overcrowding issues common to the penal system. Additionally, it’s stated that almost 1,500 beds have been made available within existing penal institutions across the last couple of years under her governance.
Nonetheless, the tension underlying both standpoints remains taut, even as King perseveres in his quest for an in-depth look at the current incarceration system in Arkansas. His recent maneuver was the submission of a request under the Freedom of Information Act to the Board of Corrections. The purpose of this request? To shed light on geographical information about the origins of inmates in the state’s prison system.
King believes the solution should directly address those specific problem areas. His findings reveal that an overwhelming majority of the prisoners—almost two-thirds—come from only eight counties within Arkansas. He contends that any new correctional facilities should be established within these counties, aiming to tackle the problem at its source.
In his Freedom of Information Act request, King detailed the county-specific percentages from where the inmates originally hailed. These were as follows: 8% from Washington, 8.6% from Sebastian, 21% from Pulaski, 5.4% from Jefferson, 5.5% from Saline, 6.5% from Faulkner, 4.5% from Crawford, and 7.1% from Benton.