Arkansas lawmakers raised concerns Tuesday over the site selection for a proposed Franklin County prison after a motion to subpoena former Corrections Secretary Joe Profiri failed during a Joint Performance Review Committee hearing.
Profiri, fired in 2024 but later hired by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders as an adviser, was invited but did not attend. Opponents Adam Watson and Natalie Cadena argued he remains involved in department decisions and that the state purchased the 810-acre site without proper due diligence.
Several legislators criticized the lack of preliminary testing, water access and community input. Rep. Jim Wooten, R-Beebe, called the location “the wrong one, while Sen. Jimmy Hickey Jr., R-Texarkana, said the concerns only pushed him further from supporting prison funding.
Sanders’ office said it has provided experts and held a town hall in Franklin County, but local opposition remains strong.
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