Arkansas

Arkansas Board of Corrections chairman: Northwest Arkansas Community Correction Center in Fayetteville closing soon | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Published

3 months ago

August 23, 2024

Arkansas Board of Corrections chairman: Northwest Arkansas Community Correction Center in Fayetteville closing soon | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

FAYETTEVILLE — The inmate population at the Northwest Arkansas Community Correction Center is down to about 15, according to Correction Board Chairman Benny Magness.

The facility will be returned to Washington County once those women are relocated or released, he said.

“We’re still having to find beds for those inmates,” Magness said. “Some of them may be close to their release date and could be released. The others will be transferred to another unit.

“It won’t be much longer,” Magness said.

The Community Correction Center is housed in the former Washington County Jail at 114 College Ave. The building was leased to the Corrections Department for $1 per year for use as a women’s unit after the County Detention Center on Clydesdale Drive opened in 2005.

Washington County Judge Patrick Deakins sent a letter to the Corrections Department in March giving notice the county would be terminating the lease. Deakins said the county needed to either renegotiate the lease for an amount that would cover the cost to the county of holding prisoners who have been sentenced to terms in the state prison system or take over the facility for county use.

The state reimburses counties at a rate of $40 per day for housing its inmates, and many counties’ daily costs are greater than that, according to reports compiled by the Association of Arkansas Counties and verified by the state Division of Legislative Audit. The daily cost to Washington County of housing state inmates was put at $94.68 in the most recent report that included the county, based on 2020 information.

Deakins said in an email to the state in April the lease payments should make up the difference between the state reimbursement of $40 per day and the county’s cost of $94.58. The cost to the state for 2023 would have been more than $3 million, according to a formula that calculates that cost multiplied by the number of state inmate bed days in the Detention Center.

Magness said the Corrections Department did not have the money to pay a higher lease payment in its budget and said any such funding would be a matter for the state Legislature.

The Arkansas Community Correction centers are licensed treatment facilities, which provide a wide range of education, training, counseling and treatment services to eligible inmates, according to information from the Corrections Department. The centers house inmates who were sentenced for nonviolent and nonsexual offenses.

Magness said the department has expanded its West Memphis unit to provide space for inmates transferred from Fayetteville. The Northwest Arkansas unit had a capacity of 114 inmates, and the West Memphis unit, housed in a former hospital building, is listed as having a capacity of 350 inmates.

Both Magness and Deakins said there were never any substantive talks about renegotiating the lease. Magness said he visited Deakins and other Washington County officials once, but the brief meeting was mainly a discussion of the unit’s history and place in the prison system. Deakins said he had one other brief meeting with state officials, but there was never an offer or counter offer from the state.

‘ABSOLUTELY IRREPLACEABLE’

The programs at the Northwest Arkansas Unit grew over the years with the help of several hundred community volunteers.

Lowell Grisham is a former rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fayetteville who worked with the church to offer programs to women in the community center since shortly after it opened. Grisham called the closing of the facility a tragedy that was unnecessarily shutting down the most effective rehabilitation program in the state prison system.

“We’ve lost the healthiest correctional facility in the state of Arkansas,” Grisham said. “In my opinion, this was a stupid decision.”

“This facility did something unique in this state and did it exquisitely well,” Grisham said. “It provided healthy, restorative incarceration. Those women left so much better than when they came there. It is absolutely irreplaceable. So much of the community was involved with the center, and that didn’t happen anywhere else in the state.”

FACILITY’S FUTURE UNCERTAIN

Deakins said the county has inspected the building and is currently replacing the roof. He said other work that will be needed has been noted, but no plans have been developed since the future use of the old jail is yet to be determined.

Deakins said he doesn’t envision the county simply using the building for “the traditional lock ’em up all day” jail space, but as a facility that would provide more options for a range of programs. He said he wants to have people with expertise in corrections, with the legal system, in mental health and substance abuse treatment work with county officials in repurposing the facility.

“What we’re doing in traditional incarceration isn’t working,” Deakins said. “There are some people who need to be incarcerated, no question, and we’re going to need more space to house those people. But there are others who, while they may have committed crimes, just locking them up isn’t the best solution.”

“I don’t think the general public has the appetite to support building a facility that’s just an expansion of what we have now,” Deakins said.

Sheriff Jay Cantrell said his staff and other county officials have done some preliminary planning on what will be needed to make the transition, but much will depend on the use of the facility. He said the county also has to find some way to hire staff to operate the old jail in whatever configuration it may be reopened.

When the county moved out of the old jail, according to the final state inspection report done in 2004, the detention staff included 82 officers and supervisors to oversee 240 inmates. Cantrell said a smaller inmate population will still probably require 30 to 40 detention officers. The county Detention Center currently has 31 vacancies for detention officers, Cantrell said, and he is planning to ask for higher pay as part of an effort to attract new employees and retain them. Cantrell said a base pay of $50,000 to $60,000 per year is typical in areas of the county comparable to Northwest Arkansas.

“We need five people to cover one 24-hour shift,” Cantrell said. “There are eight shifts in a week. That means with vacation, training and other demands, we would probably need around 40 people to monitor the inmates.”

Cantrell said he has hired some of the former employees of the Community Correction Center and hopes to hire more.

ADVOCATING FOR OTHER USES

Sarah Moore with the Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition said the closing of the community center will have an “unfortunate” impact on the community by ending a valuable service. Moore also pointed out the effectiveness of the facility and its place in the community.

“It’s sort of ironic that the county judge is causing the unit with the lowest recidivism rate to close,” Moore said. “The community embraced and enveloped them. They got healing.”

Moore said she would advocate for the county to consider other uses for the building, saying other areas have repurposed old correctional facilities for programs to deal with issues like housing and food insecurity.

“We need to think about these opportunities that exist here in Northwest Arkansas and Washington County,” she said. “We don’t need to be stuck in a very myopic view.”

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Arkansas

Arkansas' official depth chart for Missouri game

Published

30 mins ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

Arkansas' official depth chart for Missouri game

FAYETTEVILLE — The Arkansas Razorbacks (6-4, 3-4 SEC) have released the depth chart for Saturday’s regular season finale against the No. 24 Missouri Tigers (8-3, 4-3 SEC) at Razorback Stadium.

Arkansas recovered from a slow start to take down Louisiana Tech, 35-14, over the weekend in Fayetteville. Missouri bounced back from a loss to South Carolina on Sept. 16 with a 39-20 win at Mississippi State on Saturday.

A few changes were made to this week’s depth chart, most notably the absence of junior defensive end Nico Davillier at the defensive end position. The pass-rusher did not play against Louisiana Tech on Saturday due to a knee injury, and senior Anton Juncaj is the lone listed starter in Davillier’s place. Backing up Juncaj is freshman Charlie Collins.

At safety, sophomore TJ Metcalf and junior Miguel Mitchell no longer have an “or” listed between them. Metcalf is the starter with Mitchell backing him up. Finally, redshirt sophomore Brooks Edmonson is listed as the backup center behind Addison Nichols instead of redshirt sophomore Amaury Wiggins, who is no longer listed on the depth chart.

Here is the full Arkansas depth chart ahead of Saturday’s game against Missouri, which is set to kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network at Memorial Stadium.

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Higginbottom key in win vs. old team | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Published

9 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

Higginbottom key in win vs. old team | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

FAYETTEVILLE — Izzy Higginbottom sent a text message to her teammates on the University of Arkansas women’s basketball team Saturday night.

The note contained a list of things she felt the team needed to work on from its 94-71 loss Thursday night to Oral Roberts. First on the list was better energy.

Her message resonated.

Higginbottom played with passion and excelled against her former team as Arkansas found its defense in the second half to defeat Arkansas State 76-60 on Sunday afternoon at Walton Arena.

“I personally knew how much this game meant to her,” Arkansas forward Jenna Lawrence said of Higginbottom. “Obviously, you want to beat the team that you’ve recently been on, so I just think she was really amped up — the most amped I’ve seen her for a game.

“I’m just really proud of how she performed and how she was a leader on and off the court.”

Higginbottom, a 5-7 transfer guard who played two seasons with the Red Wolves, filled the stat sheet with 15 points, a career-high 8 rebounds and 5 assists.

“When the other team shoots threes, they become speed rebounds,” Arkansas Coach Mike Neighbors said. “I thought she dug a bunch of those out, and then that got us going on transition, too. She was out in front of the break leading it, getting to the foul line and created a couple of good catch and shoot looks for (teammates).”

The Razorbacks (4-3) snapped a two-game losing streak and won their second game against an in-state opponent this year. Arkansas won 71-60 in overtime at Arkansas-Little Rock on Nov. 11.

“It stinks to lose any day,” Neighbors said, “but especially if you get on a little bit of a streak, it’s easy to get (down). So, I thought it was important for us to stay above .500. You feel different when you win. I don’t know if we played any better yet. I’ll have to go home and watch, but I think we did.”

After giving up 38 points before halftime, the Razorbacks held the Red Wolves to 22 points on 8-of-36 (22%) shooting in the second half.

Arkansas State (2-3) went seven-plus minutes without a field goal between the third and fourth quarters. That stretch proved decisive as a 38-35 halftime deficit for Arkansas turned into a double-digit lead for most of the final quarter.

“We started getting all the 50-50 balls,” Neighbors said. “Before that, it was about (half). I think it was like 90-10 in that third quarter. The effort was much better. I thought our focus was a lot better.”

Arkansas State entered on a two-game win streak, which included a 100-96 victory at Arizona State. The Red Wolves fell to 3-9 all-time against the Razorbacks, last winning in the 2005 Women’s National Invitation Tournament.

A fast-paced, back-and-forth first quarter saw two lead changes and runs of 6-0 and 5-0 that helped Arkansas State take a 23-19 lead into the second quarter. The Razorbacks committed six turnovers in the period that resulted in 10 points for the Red Wolves.

Arkansas took a 33-27 with 3:32 remaining in the first half before Arkansas State closed with an 11-2 run. Kennedie Montue beat the shot clock with a three-pointer to give Arkansas State a 38-35 lead just before halftime.

Fatigue appeared to play a factor in the first half, in which Arkansas was outscored 26-2 in bench points. Arkansas State Coach Destinee Rogers made mass substitutions throughout the game and had 10 players log minutes.

Arkansas forward Vera Ojenuwa, who put up a double-double with a game-high 20 points and 10 rebounds, scored 12 points before halftime.

The Razorbacks took a 39-38 lead early in the third quarter on a jumper by Kiki Smith, who finished with 15 points. The teams went back and forth for a while before Lawrence connected on her first three-pointer of the game to put Arkansas up for good at 46-43 with 4:01 remaining in the third. Lawrence finished with eight points and 10 rebounds.

Arkansas State ran a full-court press for most of the game and Arkansas fared better against it as time went on. The Razorbacks found Ojenuwa alone under the basket on multiple press breaks.

“For two days straight, we worked on just breaking their press and making sure we see Vera wide open,” Lawrence said. “Because the way their press was, they put all of their players in front and left Vera wide open in the back.”

As the Razorbacks built their double-digit lead in the fourth quarter, Higginbottom drove past defenders for three fast-break layups.

Arkansas finished the game on a 12-4 run, including six unanswered, to close the door.

The Razorbacks shot 30 of 67 (45%), including 7 of 27 (26%) from three-point range, and 9 of 12 (75%) from the free-throw line.

Arkansas State went 23 of 74 (31%), 9 of 35 (26%) and 5 of 7 (71%) in those categories, respectively.

Anna Griffin led the Red Wolves with 16 points and 8 rebounds, followed by Montue, who made 3 three-pointers and scored 13 points. Both Griffin and Montue played off the bench, while Wynter Rogers was Arkansas State’s highest-scoring starter with 8 points to go along with 8 rebounds and 4 blocks.

Arkansas State’s starters outside of Rogers — Crislyn Rose, Zyion Shannon, Kyanna Morgan and Shaunae Brown — combined to go 4 of 36 from the field and scored eight points. Bella Weary and Mimi McCollister provided 7 and 6 points, respectively, off the bench for the Red Wolves.

Arkansas won the rebound battle 48-42 and had a season-high 16 assists.

Six Razorbacks scored at least eight points: Ojenuwa (20), Higginbottom (15), Smith (15), Lawrence (8), Carly Keats (8) and Danika Galea (8). Karley Johnson and Lawrence led the Razorbacks with three steals apiece.

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Arkansas

Hogs Add Another Major Playmaker to Talented 2026 Class

Published

17 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

Hogs Add Another Major Playmaker to Talented 2026 Class

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Razorbacks received good news on the recruiting front with the addition of four-star wide receiver Dequane Prevo, he announced Sunday night on Instagram.

The 5-foot-10, 160 pound speedster committed to Arkansas over offers from Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas, Auburn, Florida, Ole Miss, Oregon and many others. Prevo is the No. 292 ranked prospect in the class of 2026, No. 47 receiver and No. 40 player in the state of Texas.

He ran a 22-second 200-meter dash as a freshman at the football factory known as Liberty-Euylau in Texarkana, Texas. Prevo has shown to be a playmaker at wideout catching 62 passes for 1,355 yards and 20 touchdown receptions.

Arkansas’ current 2026 class is off to an exceptional start ranked in the top ten nationally with four 4-star prospects headlined by Durant, Oklahoma defensive end Colton Yarbrough. 4-star passer Jayvon Gilmore, 4-star safety Adam Auston and 4-star safety and two-time MaxPreps all-American Tay Lockett are also notable commitments for the cycle.

With the addition of Prevo, Arkansas’ 2026 class keeps the Razorbacks firmly in the top 10 of 247sports composite recruiting rankings for next year’s cycle. The Hogs’ 2023 class soared as high as No. 3 early on during the 2023 class but after a few evaluation periods its class ended up a respectable No. 22 including a No. 11 ranked transfer portal haul.