LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The final bills from this legislative session have been making their way to Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders' desk, and on Tuesday she signed off on a plan to lock up repeat violent offenders in the state, expand prisons, and create tougher punishments for drug crimes.
More specifically, part of the Protect Arkansas Act that was signed on Tuesday afternoon limits parole.
Starting in 2025— those that have been found guilty of serious crimes including second-degree murder and first-degree sexual assault will have to serve 85% of their sentence before they're eligible for supervised release
Beginning next year, in 2024— people who are found guilty of especially violent crimes like capital murder or rape will no longer be eligible for parole at all.
"It's no mistake that Arkansas has one of the highest violent crime rates in America. The legislation I sign will put an end to that failed status quo," Governor Sanders said. "No more revolving door in our prisons, and no more weak sentencing and no more unsafe streets."
Bryant Police Chief Carl Minden said that he's hoping this will limit the number of repeat arrests they are currently seeing.
"It's just a repetitious process of just catching the same person just let them go," Minden explained.
He added that some of this frustration comes from the overcrowding of state prisoners filling up local jails.
"Anytime one of the officers makes an arrest for low-level misdemeanor crimes, they're not taken to jail," he described.
To address that, the administration also plans to add 3,000 more prison beds, and Governor Sanders has asked for $470 million to make that possible.
Saline County Sheriff, Rodney Wright, hopes this expansion will help law enforcement do their jobs.
"Right now there's overcrowding in all of our local jails. The additional 3,000 coming down the line, again, it helps us get back to misdemeanor justice," Wright said.
Governor Sanders also shared that the act will offer millions of dollars in incentives to bring more correctional staff to Arkansas.
Though it's not clear exactly when new prison construction will start, the state's Secretary of Corrections, Joe Profiri said he hopes to open 500 new beds at current facilities soon.
On Tuesday, the governor also signed what's called the "death by delivery" bill into law, which will allow the state to charge people who traffic fentanyl with murder and impose a life sentence.