List of Arkansas state prisons
Encyclopedia
The Arkansas Department of Correction (ADC) is a state agency that operates state prisons. The agency has its headquarters in the Pine Bluff Complex in Pine Bluff
, Arkansas
.
Arkansas Correctional School
provides educational services to ADC prisoners.
. From 1849 to 1893 the State of Arkansas leased its convicted felons to private individuals. After abuses became publicized, the state assumed direct control of felons. The state continued to have prison labor be hired to contractors, manufacturers, and planters until 1913. In 1899 the state signed legislation that lead to the move of the penitentiary to a new 15 acres (6.1 ha) site southwest of Little Rock. The prison, called "The Walls," opened in 1910. In 1902 the state purchased land that became the Cummins Unit
. In 1913 act 55, signed into law, lead to the establishment of a permanent execution chamber
in the state prison system. In 1916 the state purchased the land which became the Tucker Unit
. In 1933 Junius Marion Futrell
, then the governor, closed the penitentiary in Little Rock and transferred the prisoners to Cummins and Tucker, and the execution chamber was moved to Tucker.
In 1943 the state established the State Penitentiary Board through Act 1. In 1951 the state established the State Reformatory for Women through act 351. The state moved the functions of the Arkansas State Training School for Girls to the state prison system. In 1968 the state reorganized the penitentiary system into the Arkansas Department of Correction through Act 50.
In 1975, the Texas A&M University
historian
, Garland E. Bayliss
published "The Arkansas State Penitentiary Under Democratic Control, 1874–1896," in the Arkansas Historical Quarterly.
Jefferson County
, Arkansas
, near Pine Bluff
and women go to the McPherson Unit
in Newport
. After the intake process, most inmates go to a "parent unit" for their initial assignment. The male parent units are Cummins
, East Arkansas, Grimes, Tucker
, and Varner
. The McPherson Unit is the female parent unit. The exceptions to the parent unit process are made for prisoners going to boot camp (the boot camp is in the Wrightsville Unit
, unincorporated Pulaski County), health reasons, and security reasons. The initial assignments last for at least 60 days. Inmates may be moved to other units based on behavior, institutional needs, job availability, and available space.
. The ADC headquarters moved to the Pine Bluff Complex in 1979. Previously they were located in the State Office Building in Little Rock
.
's Supermax
, while the executions are performed at the Cummins Unit
, adjacent to Varner. The female death row is located at the McPherson Unit
. In 1999 the female death row was newly inaugurated.
In 1974 male death row inmates, previously at the Tucker Unit
, were moved to the Cummins Unit. In 1986 male death row inmates were moved to the Maximum Security Unit. On Friday August 22, 2003, all 39 Arkansas death row inmates, all of them male, were moved to the Supermax
at the Varner Unit.
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Pine Bluff is the largest city and county seat of Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. It is also the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Arkansas Combined Statistical Area...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
.
Arkansas Correctional School
Arkansas Correctional School
Arkansas Correctional School is the education system serving the Arkansas Department of Correction prisons and the Arkansas Department of Community Correction facilities. The district opened in 1973 when Act 279 was passed by the Arkansas General Assembly...
provides educational services to ADC prisoners.
History
In 1838 Governor of Arkansas James S. Conway signed legislation that permitted the establishment of the state's first penitentiary, the Arkansas State Penitentiary. In 1839 the State of Arkansas purchased a 92.41 acres (37.4 ha) tract in Little Rock where the first penitentiary was built; now the site houses the Arkansas State CapitolArkansas State Capitol
The Arkansas State Capitol Building, located in Little Rock, is the main house of government of the state of Arkansas.-History:In 1899, the St. Louis architect George R. Mann visited the governor of Arkansas Daniel W. Jones, and presented his drawings of his winning competition design for the...
. From 1849 to 1893 the State of Arkansas leased its convicted felons to private individuals. After abuses became publicized, the state assumed direct control of felons. The state continued to have prison labor be hired to contractors, manufacturers, and planters until 1913. In 1899 the state signed legislation that lead to the move of the penitentiary to a new 15 acres (6.1 ha) site southwest of Little Rock. The prison, called "The Walls," opened in 1910. In 1902 the state purchased land that became the Cummins Unit
Cummins Unit
The Cummins Unit is an Arkansas Department of Correction prison in unincorporated Lincoln County, Arkansas, United States. It is located along U.S. Route 65, near Grady, Gould, and Varner, south of Pine Bluff, and southeast of Little Rock.This prison farm is a correctional facility...
. In 1913 act 55, signed into law, lead to the establishment of a permanent execution chamber
Execution chamber
An execution chamber, or death chamber, is a room or chamber in which a legal execution is carried out. Execution chambers are almost always inside the walls of a maximum-security prison, although not always at the same prison where the death row population is housed...
in the state prison system. In 1916 the state purchased the land which became the Tucker Unit
Tucker Unit
The Tucker Unit is a prison in Tucker, unincorporated Jefferson County, Arkansas, northeast of Pine Bluff. It is operated by the Arkansas Department of Correction...
. In 1933 Junius Marion Futrell
Junius Marion Futrell
Junius Marion Futrell was the 30th Governor of Arkansas from 1933 to 1937, and the Acting Governor for a short stint in 1913....
, then the governor, closed the penitentiary in Little Rock and transferred the prisoners to Cummins and Tucker, and the execution chamber was moved to Tucker.
In 1943 the state established the State Penitentiary Board through Act 1. In 1951 the state established the State Reformatory for Women through act 351. The state moved the functions of the Arkansas State Training School for Girls to the state prison system. In 1968 the state reorganized the penitentiary system into the Arkansas Department of Correction through Act 50.
In 1975, the Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, Garland E. Bayliss
Garland E. Bayliss
Garland Erastus Bayliss is a retired historian and director emeritus of academic services at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, whose research was primarily in the history of his native Arkansas and the American South...
published "The Arkansas State Penitentiary Under Democratic Control, 1874–1896," in the Arkansas Historical Quarterly.
Operations
For the diagnostic process, male inmates go to the Diagnostic Unit in the Pine Bluff Complex in unincorporatedUnincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Arkansas
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. Its population was 77,435 at the 2010 United States Census. It is included in the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area. Jefferson County's county seat and largest city is Pine Bluff...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, near Pine Bluff
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Pine Bluff is the largest city and county seat of Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. It is also the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Arkansas Combined Statistical Area...
and women go to the McPherson Unit
McPherson Unit
McPherson Unit is a prison for women of the Arkansas Department of Correction, located in Newport, Arkansas, off of Arkansas Highway 384, east of central Newport. Established in 1998, the prison houses the state's death row for women....
in Newport
Newport, Arkansas
Newport is a city in Jackson County, Arkansas, northeast of Little Rock, on the White River. In 1900, 2,866 people lived in Newport, Arkansas; in 1910, 3,557. The population was 7,811 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Jackson County....
. After the intake process, most inmates go to a "parent unit" for their initial assignment. The male parent units are Cummins
Cummins Unit
The Cummins Unit is an Arkansas Department of Correction prison in unincorporated Lincoln County, Arkansas, United States. It is located along U.S. Route 65, near Grady, Gould, and Varner, south of Pine Bluff, and southeast of Little Rock.This prison farm is a correctional facility...
, East Arkansas, Grimes, Tucker
Tucker Unit
The Tucker Unit is a prison in Tucker, unincorporated Jefferson County, Arkansas, northeast of Pine Bluff. It is operated by the Arkansas Department of Correction...
, and Varner
Varner Unit
The Varner Unit is a high-security state prison of the Arkansas Department of Correction in Varner, unincorporated Lincoln County, Arkansas, United States. It is located along U.S. Highway 65, near Grady, and south of Pine Bluff...
. The McPherson Unit is the female parent unit. The exceptions to the parent unit process are made for prisoners going to boot camp (the boot camp is in the Wrightsville Unit
Wrightsville Unit
The Wrightsville Unit is an Arkansas Department of Correction prison in Wrightsville, Arkansas.Over of land at Wrightsville is dedicated to the raising of cattle and the production of hay....
, unincorporated Pulaski County), health reasons, and security reasons. The initial assignments last for at least 60 days. Inmates may be moved to other units based on behavior, institutional needs, job availability, and available space.
Headquarters
The headquarters are in Pine BluffPine Bluff, Arkansas
Pine Bluff is the largest city and county seat of Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. It is also the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Arkansas Combined Statistical Area...
. The ADC headquarters moved to the Pine Bluff Complex in 1979. Previously they were located in the State Office Building in Little Rock
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
.
Death row
Death row inmates are located at the Varner UnitVarner Unit
The Varner Unit is a high-security state prison of the Arkansas Department of Correction in Varner, unincorporated Lincoln County, Arkansas, United States. It is located along U.S. Highway 65, near Grady, and south of Pine Bluff...
's Supermax
Supermax
Supermax is the name used to describe "control-unit" prisons, or units within prisons, which represent the most secure levels of custody in the prison systems of certain countries...
, while the executions are performed at the Cummins Unit
Cummins Unit
The Cummins Unit is an Arkansas Department of Correction prison in unincorporated Lincoln County, Arkansas, United States. It is located along U.S. Route 65, near Grady, Gould, and Varner, south of Pine Bluff, and southeast of Little Rock.This prison farm is a correctional facility...
, adjacent to Varner. The female death row is located at the McPherson Unit
McPherson Unit
McPherson Unit is a prison for women of the Arkansas Department of Correction, located in Newport, Arkansas, off of Arkansas Highway 384, east of central Newport. Established in 1998, the prison houses the state's death row for women....
. In 1999 the female death row was newly inaugurated.
In 1974 male death row inmates, previously at the Tucker Unit
Tucker Unit
The Tucker Unit is a prison in Tucker, unincorporated Jefferson County, Arkansas, northeast of Pine Bluff. It is operated by the Arkansas Department of Correction...
, were moved to the Cummins Unit. In 1986 male death row inmates were moved to the Maximum Security Unit. On Friday August 22, 2003, all 39 Arkansas death row inmates, all of them male, were moved to the Supermax
Supermax
Supermax is the name used to describe "control-unit" prisons, or units within prisons, which represent the most secure levels of custody in the prison systems of certain countries...
at the Varner Unit.
Prisons
Prisons include:- Benton Unit
- Boot Camp Program
- Cummins UnitCummins UnitThe Cummins Unit is an Arkansas Department of Correction prison in unincorporated Lincoln County, Arkansas, United States. It is located along U.S. Route 65, near Grady, Gould, and Varner, south of Pine Bluff, and southeast of Little Rock.This prison farm is a correctional facility...
- Delta Regional Unit
- Diagnostic Unit
- East Arkansas Regional UnitEast Arkansas Regional UnitThe East Arkansas Regional Unit is an Arkansas Department of Correction prison in Brickeys, unincorporated Lee County, Arkansas. It is about southeast of Forrest City....
- Grimes Unit
- Hawkins Center for Women
- Jefferson County Jail & Correctional Facility
- Maximum Security Unit
- McPherson UnitMcPherson UnitMcPherson Unit is a prison for women of the Arkansas Department of Correction, located in Newport, Arkansas, off of Arkansas Highway 384, east of central Newport. Established in 1998, the prison houses the state's death row for women....
- Mississippi County Work Release Center
- North Central Unit
- Northwest Arkansas Work Release Center
- Ouachita River Correctional Unit
- Pine Bluff Unit
- Texarkana Regional Correction Center
- Tucker UnitTucker UnitThe Tucker Unit is a prison in Tucker, unincorporated Jefferson County, Arkansas, northeast of Pine Bluff. It is operated by the Arkansas Department of Correction...
- Varner UnitVarner UnitThe Varner Unit is a high-security state prison of the Arkansas Department of Correction in Varner, unincorporated Lincoln County, Arkansas, United States. It is located along U.S. Highway 65, near Grady, and south of Pine Bluff...
- Wrightsville UnitWrightsville UnitThe Wrightsville Unit is an Arkansas Department of Correction prison in Wrightsville, Arkansas.Over of land at Wrightsville is dedicated to the raising of cattle and the production of hay....
See also
- List of law enforcement agencies in Arkansas
- List of U.S. state prisons
- List of United States state correction agencies
- PrisonPrisonA prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
- Charles Laverne SingletonCharles Laverne SingletonCharles Laverne Singleton was a convicted murderer who lived on death row in Arkansas longer than any other state inmate. He was executed by the State in 2004 for the June 1, 1979 murder of Hamburg store owner Mary Lou York.-The murder:Mary Lou York, was attacked in York’s Grocery Store, of which...