LONOKE COUNTY, Ark. — Overcrowding in Arkansas prisons has been a well-documented issue, as have the calls for a solution— Now the Arkansas Department of Corrections has begun asking landowners in the Natural State to help them find the space to address that issue.
Those that run the jails, explained that the solution couldn't come soon enough.
"I've been Sheriff for 10 years, and it's been the same issue since day one," Lonoke County Sheriff, John Staley, said.
"January 1, 2013, until today, it's a chess game," he added.
He also explained that he has been stuck in a tough spot.
"You're moving one person out to put another one in. and the person you moved out, you've got to weigh if this person is worse than this person," Staley said.
His jail, as well as many others in Arkansas, have been overcrowded
Though solutions aren't the easiest thing to find, Staley explained that there is one thing that will work— a new jail.
"We need this," he said. "This isn't something that's a want, but a need."
The Department of Corrections has been actively working to fix that.
On Friday, the D.O.C. put out the call for land that could work as a potential site for a new community correction center and maximum security prison.
The Department has asked for that land to be donated.
Scott Hardin with the Department of Finance and Administration said that it's more of an interesting study to see if there are any areas open to having this in their backyard.
He also explained that if a community requested compensation for the land, he could envision the state paying for it.
As for the facility itself, it has strict restrictions, especially for the maximum security side.
According to the Department of Corrections website about the land donation, the space would need to be on 400 acres of flat land, close to a public road, and not prone to earthquakes or flooding.
Along with that, that area would need to be close to a hospital with an emergency department, ready for utilities, in a populated area that would make hiring easier, and not be within 60 miles of another D.O.C. facility.
Though Staley mentioned that the location doesn't matter. He just needs more space, and soon.
"The real answer is we need more prison space, prison beds for violent criminals," he said.