Members of the Franklin County and River Valley Coalition speak against the proposed prison in Franklin County during a press conference in Little Rock on Jan. 14, 2025. Left to right: Leah Acoach, Natalie Cadena, Adam Watson. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate)
Opponents of the planned prison in Franklin County told a bipartisan gathering of lawmakers Tuesday that the expected penitentiary is not just a bad deal for locals, but for all taxpayers.
“Fundamentally, what we want to talk about is that this is a whole state issue. It’s not unique to any one place; it’s about honesty, transparency and fiscal responsibility,” Leah Acoach said. “What we have not received is honesty, transparency, and we have no plans for fiscal responsibility as it deals with this prison project.”
Opponents of prison plan barred from meeting, say Arkansas officials operate in secret
Acoach is a volunteer with the Franklin County and River Valley Coalition, a group that formed shortly after Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced on Oct. 31 that the state intended to purchase 815 acres in Franklin County for the site of a 3,000-bed prison. The Board of Corrections later approved the land purchase and a lease agreement.
Officials have said the prison would relieve the pressure from county jails that are crowded with state inmates. As of Jan. 8, more than 1,600 state inmates were being held in county jails, according to data from the Department of Corrections.
The Protect Act, an overhaul of the state’s parole system passed in 2023, requires the most serious offenders to serve most or all of their sentence, another case officials have made for the prison.
Lawmakers have set aside about $400 million for the project, but the coalition anticipates construction costs will exceed $1 billion.
Natalie Cadena, who leads the coalition’s research and education efforts, said the planned prison will affect every Arkansan and every state budget.
“It just doesn’t make any sense to us who know the site and know that it’s not a good place to build a prison,” she said. “If you want it to be successful and actually be able to staff it, you have to move it. There’s no way that it’s ever going to happen where it’s at.”
The coalition and others have been harsh critics of the state’s prison plan and what they say was a lack of transparency throughout the planning process. According to documents the coalition obtained through public records requests, state officials ignored workforce and site pitfalls.
“Everything we have compiled, as far as statistics and information goes, points to the fact that it’s just going to bankrupt the state,” Cadena said.
Area lawmakers, namely Republican Sens. Bryan King of Green Forest and Gary Stubblefield of Branch, have also been vocal about concerns.
Both King and Stubblefield attended Tuesday’s press conference, which was held on the second day of the 95th General Assembly. While remarks were brief, Stubblefield said there was “no way” the county could afford a deputy to patrol the area.
“It’s going to make my part in the country … even more dangerous,” Stubblefield said.
Other attendees Tuesday included Republican Sens. Ricky Hill, Jimmy Hickey and Terry Rice. Democrats Sen. Greg Leding and Rep. Clarke Tucker were also present.
Afterward Leding, who represents Fayetteville, said he is opposed to building a prison at the Franklin County site. He also said he had issues with the lack of transparency, but options moving forward against the project are limited.
“We obviously know there’s gonna need to be a lot more money than what we’ve already committed, but blocking an appropriation is exceedingly difficult,” he said.
Arkansas lawmaker pitches alternative to state’s prison plan
While a group of lawmakers banding together to “pump the brakes” on the project could help slow appropriations, Leding said it’s unlikely that there are enough lawmakers who would revisit the prison plan and block funding altogether.
Leding said he was open to being a co-sponsor of legislation that offered an alternative to the prison. Last week, King proposed a plan that would redirect the allocated prison funds to renovations, expansion and new construction at county jails.
Cadena and Acoach also recommended that officials invest in programs that have proven to be successful in the past.
During Sanders’ State of the State Address before the Legislature Tuesday morning, Sanders received boisterous applause when she mentioned the 3,000-bed prison. From the upstairs galleries where members of the public gathered, at least one person shouted “no” in opposition.
Tuesday afternoon, a group of Democrats noted elements of the prison planning they disagreed with in a response to Sanders’ address.
“We have been pushing state prisoners into county jails, and then failing to reimburse counties for the full cost of keeping those additional prisoners,” said Sen. Fred Love, D-Mabelvale. “This pushes the state obligation onto the local taxpayers, which is not right.”
Love also said the selection of the Franklin County prison site was “made behind closed doors” and “sprung on the entire state with no notice.”
“Arkansans, we deserve better than this,” Love said. “Public safety is paramount to Democrats, but budgeting responsibly and being transparent through the process is also. Folks, people in this administration are not being straight with you. You should expect better. You deserve better.”
The members of the Franklin County coalition on Tuesday said they were not opposed to the general idea of a prison, but rather were against the “deception and dishonesty” that accompanied the announcement and planning.
“We want what’s best for Arkansas as a whole,” Cadena said. “If our legislators decide they need a prison, there are much more suitable sites in Franklin County and in the River Valley.”
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