Can Arkansas Fix Prison Overcrowding?

Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Wednesday unveiled a plan to address prison overcrowding that involves adding prison beds, hiring new parole and probation officers and investing in re-entry and alternative sentencing programs. Hutchinson said he is not proposing building a new prison but is proposing to spend $33 million over the next two years on his multi-faceted approach to the problem.

“This is a significant, significant opportunity for the state of Arkansas and a very substantial investment that taxpayers will make to increase public safety but also to change behavior and increase accountability so that we can make sure that we’re not just simply building more and bigger prisons over the next decade,” he said.

Hutchinson’s plan calls for adding 790 beds at various facilities, including 288 in Bowie County, Texas, at a cost to Arkansas of $36 per day.