The Arkansas Department of Corrections (DOC) has voted to move forward with plans to build a new state prison in Franklin County, despite significant opposition from local residents and legislators.
The decision was made during a Board of Corrections meeting on Friday, November 8, where members voted 5-1 to approve the purchase of land for the new facility. The 815 acres cost the state $2.9 million
The announcement comes just over a week after Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders revealed that the state had purchased 815 acres of land near Charleston for $2.95 million.
The new prison is expected to alleviate overcrowding in the state's prison system by adding 3,000 beds.
During the town hall meeting held the night before the vote, residents expressed concerns about the lack of transparency in the decision-making process and the potential impact on local infrastructure, water supplies, and property values. State Sen. Gary Stubblefield voiced his frustration, saying, "The biggest mistake of this meeting is that it wasn’t held a month ago. Everything was kept a secret because you didn’t want the cost of land to go up? What about the loss to the people here in property values?"
State Senator Bryan King voiced his concerns about the lack of transparency surrounding the project.
"Unfortunately, this is something you see in a Communist country," King told Today in Fort Smith. "You can understand a private business not knowing but the government shouldn't work this way...we were told this prison would be 3000 beds built at a cost of $470 million, that's what they sold the people of Arkansas, and they need to know they basically lied about that."
"I've asked for details and they lied about that from the start," said King. "The prison that have proposed will cost $1 billion to build. They need to do something about crime at it's source and not keep building prisons in communities that don't want them to house prisoners coming basically from just eight counties in the state."
DOC officials either dodged questions or outright refused to provide answers. For example, on one occasion, moderator Jon Eubanks asked if land on Fort Chaffee had been considered and officials went into a long diatribe about the selection process of the site and never addressed the Fort Chaffee question.
At one point, Joe Profiri, senior advisor to the governor, explained that the governor’s office did not inform legislators earlier to avoid driving up the land price and to be responsible with state funds. The crowd booed profusely until Eubanks threatened to have law enforcement in attendance maintain control
Profiri also raised his voice at one point and guaranteed that "six months after this prison is built you or members of your family will be working there" while pointing angrily to the crowd of spectators.
Profiri was fired by the Arkansas Board of Corrections earlier this year when the board voted 5-2 to remove him from his position during a special meeting on January 10, 2024. This decision came after a series of disputes between Profiri and the board, including disagreements over the expansion of prison beds and the board's authority over the secretary position.
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders then appointed Profiri as a senior advisor to the governor, who seemingly is determined to allow him to run the prison system regardless.
Despite these concerns, DOC officials emphasized the need for additional prison beds and the economic benefits the project could bring to the area. Profiri, assured that the state would address infrastructure needs and provide its own water and sewer plants for the prison.
The DOC's decision has sparked a commitment from community members to continue fighting the project. Marilyn Moore, a Charleston resident, announced plans during the townhall meeting on Thursday she plans to start a fundraising campaign to hire a lawyer to help the community oppose the prison.
Today in Fort Smith approached Franklin County Sheriff Johnny Crocker during the meeting Thursday, who gave a stern "no comment" when asked if he approved or disapproved of the faculty being built in Franklin County.
Also, Franklin County Prosecutor Jeff Phillips released a lengthy statement Friday saying, despite the citation of Arkansas state law and the question of the legality of proceeding with the purchase of the land without notifying the legislators or citizens in advance, he could not find legal justification to file an injunction that may have delayed or halted Friday morning's vote in Little Rock.
