Arkansas Department of Correction

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.^[1]

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-acre (37.40 ha) tract in Little Rock where the first penitentiary was built; now the site houses the Arkansas State Capitol.^[2] 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.^[3] In 1899 the state signed legislation that lead to the move of the penitentiary to a new 15-acre (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.^[2]

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.^[2]

In 2014 the state made a call for cities to submit bids to host a new maximum security prison.^[4]

Operations

Varner Unit, one of the ADC parent units

For the diagnostic process, male inmates go to the Diagnostic Unit in the Pine Bluff Complex in unincorporated Jefferson County, Arkansas, near Pine Bluff and women go to the McPherson Unit in Newport. Male prisoners with death sentences are received at what the ADC refers to as "a designated maximum security facility" while women with death sentences are received at McPherson.^[5]

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.^[5]

The ADC operates the Willis H. Sargent Training Academy in England, Arkansas.^[6]

Headquarters

The headquarters are in Pine Bluff.^[7][8] The ADC headquarters moved to the Pine Bluff Complex in 1979.^[9] Previously they were located in the State Office Building in Little Rock.^[10]

Death row

Cummins Unit serves as a parent unit for male prisoners and houses the State of Arkansas execution chamber

Death row inmates are located at the Varner Unit's Supermax, while the executions are performed at the Cummins Unit, adjacent to Varner.^[11] The female death row is located at the McPherson Unit. In 1999 the female death row was newly inaugurated.^[12]

In 1974 male death row inmates, previously at the Tucker Unit, were moved to the Cummins Unit.^[9] In 1986 male death row inmates were moved to the Maximum Security Unit.^[9] On Friday August 22, 2003, all 39 Arkansas death row inmates, all of them male, were moved to the Supermax at the Varner Unit.^[13]

Prisons

Prisons include:^[14]

Gallery

• 

  Maximum Security Unit

See also

• List of law enforcement agencies in Arkansas
• List of U.S. state prisons
• List of United States state correction agencies
• Prison
• Charles Laverne Singleton
• Factor 8: The Arkansas Prison Blood Scandal
• Arkansas Department of Human Services (operates juvenile correctional facilities)

References

External links

• Arkansas Department of Correction

Arkansas Department of Correction prisons State prisons Benton Boot Camp Program♂♀ Cummins Delta Regional Diagnostic East Arkansas Regional Grimes Hawkins♀ Maximum Security McPherson♀ North Central Ouachita River Pine Bluff Texarkana Regional Tucker Varner Williams Wrightsville Work release centers Mississippi County Northwest Arkansas Above facilities are male-only unless noted by ♀ (female only) or ♂♀ (both sexes)

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