The Arkansas Department of Corrections is looking to ease the overcrowding issue in the state’s prison system, a local facility could be affected. During last week’s meeting, the Board of Corrections decided it would ask the state government to approve an expansion of 576 beds to the North Central Unit in Calico Rock.
This is part of a capital funding request from the Department of Corrections for fiscal years 2018 and 2019, and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports the expansion could cost $39.2 million. Public Information Officer Solomon Graves says the next move is to send the request to the office of Governor Asa Hutchinson.
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Graves adds the current expansion, if approved, would not completely alleviate the overcrowding issue, but it is a step in the right direction.
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Graves reiterated the Department of Corrections is currently the early stages of what could be a long process, and annoucing a timetable would be pure conjecture at this point.
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