Arkansas House: Governor presents solutions for overcrowded jails

Arkansas House: Governor presents solutions for overcrowded jails

By the time the members of the Arkansas House of Representatives gathered, none were ignorant regarding the urgency of acting on the issue of overcrowded prisons. Presently, county jails are holding as many as 2,500 prisoners while they wait for their place in a state prison, however state correctional facilities are already working over capacity, harboring hundreds and sometimes a thousand more than they were built for.

So far, a few suggestions for possible solutions have been put forth, from building a new prison to reforming existing ones. The former did not become very popular as it required an investment of up to one hundred million dollars. With the latter, on the other hand, 46th Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson presented a cheaper yet multifaceted option which not only aims to create more prison space but also reform parole and reentry guidelines, and develop new and innovative sentencing programs.Governor Hutchinson’s three-part proposal implies an investment of sixty-four million (a forty-six million difference in regards to the first proposition), payable within two years.

In order to face and reduce the forty-three percent recidivism rate, two bills were recently passed: SB198, which focuses on integrating inmates in private sector companies with specific programs for that end, and SB200, which will facilitates inmates’ participation in reentry programs within eighteen months of their release date. Given the complexity of these issues, House Representatives are expected to keep working on solutions over the course of the next few weeks.

Although weather conditions have hindered the legislative agenda, another two bills were passed in order to address the issue of missed school days due to severe snow. One of them makes it possible for schools to delay classes by a couple of hours or release students after 1p.m., while the other allows for missed days to be counted in sixty minute increments by adding a minimum of one hour to the beginning or end of the school day.

Furthermore, a bill that holds the foundations for the Building Better Futures Program is on its way to the Senate. Once passed, this bill will allow high school graduates with intellectual disability to experience college in one of the many higher education institutions.

One other approved measure enables entities that own or control a water system (governmental or otherwise) the ability to regulate the amount of fluoride dispensed by said water system.

As the sixth session week comes to an end, the amount of bills signed by the governor add up to one hundred and thirty, including some that dealt with polemic issues such as the mandatory presence of a doctor whenever a patient is subjected to a medication-induced abortion.

More updates will be made available over the course of the next sessions. You can also go to arkansashouse.org and watch all House Committee meetings and House floor sessions there.