FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) – The Washington County jail in northwest Arkansas has temporarily suspended its work-release program to free up more bed space in the facility, which has been plagued by overcrowding.Washington County Sheriff Tim Helder said Tuesday that the move will open up 24 beds, with some detainees being released if eligible and others moved into the jail’s general population.
The sheriff told the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that a recent increase in the number of sex offenders housed at the county jail prompted the decision, because sex offenders must be housed separately from other detainees.
“It recently peaked at 83,” Helder said. “That’s multiple housing blocs.”
The county jail has 710 beds, but because of legal requirements to separate certain detainees it’s considered full when the facility is 80% full, or at 568 detainees, the sheriff’s office said.
On Monday, the number of detainees reached 792, authorities said.
Springdale District Judge Jeff Harper said his court uses the county’s work-release program as a way to sentence low-level offenders when they can’t be sent to jail because of the overcrowding issue.
“If I don’t have community service programs then there would be people who don’t get any punishment for offenses that require jail time under the law,” he said.
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