The Prison Policy Initiative said rates continue to increase nationwide, pointing to some policy choices enacted by state legislatures like the Protect Arkansas Act.
ARKANSAS, USA — The Prison Policy Initiative, a national advocacy group and nonprofit organization, ranked Arkansas third highest in the U.S. for incarceration rates amid major jail expansion projects in the state.
According to the organization, Arkansas has an incarceration rate of 912 per 100,000 people, which is the highest rate in the United States behind Louisiana and Mississippi. Meanwhile, Oklahoma is ranked 4th in the nation with a rate of 905 per 100,000 people.
Around 27,000 Arkansans are incarcerated in federal and state prisons and local jails, the report says. The organization found that state prisons see the most incarcerated individuals out of any facility.
The group said Arkansas’s incarceration rates stand out with the national average being 614 per 100,000 people.
In a previous report from January 2024, the Prison Policy Initiative said prison and jail populations continue to increase nationwide, pointing to some policy choices enacted by state legislatures like the Protect Arkansas Act — a plan to lock up repeat violent offenders in the state, expand prisons, and create tougher punishments for drug crimes.
In the coming days, the amended legislation will not allow early release for inmates convicted of severe violent crimes after 2024. Lawmakers and Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said this part of the Protect Arkansas Act aims to keep criminals convicted of severe crimes in custody for public safety.
Gov. Sanders also recently announced that 1,500 new beds will be added to Arkansas prisons to address overcrowding issues. This comes after the state announced plans to construct a new 3,000-bed prison on 815 acres in Franklin County, a proposal that has sparked opposition from nearby communities.
“As the state works to construct a new prison, these additional prison beds address the critical bed shortage county jails are facing,” a press release from Sanders’ office said. “This will help remove the burden of long-term incarceration from county governments and create safer communities across the state.”
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