Arkansas has 41 jails in 75 counties and 20 state prison facilities. The jail population in 2020 was 9,460. As of 2020, the prison system has 16,094 prisoners under the jurisdiction of the correctional authorities located in 20 state prisons, private prisons, or local jails.

The Arkansas Department of Corrections is a public safety resource for Arkansas citizens and provides professional management solutions and evidence-based rehabilitative programs.

The death penalty was practiced in the state long before the state was admitted to the Union in 1836. The Arkansas criminal code allows for the death penalty or life without parole upon conviction of capital murder or treason. The state adopted lethal injection as the method of excitation in 1983. All capital murder charges are tried in Circuit Court with mandatory review by the Arkansas Supreme Court. Juries must vote unanimously to impose the death penalty.

On April 27, 2017, Kenneth Williams violently died on the gurney under lethal injection. He was the fourth prisoner to be put to death in an eleven-day execution spree before Arkansas’ supply of execution drugs expired. The state has not executed anyone else since that date.

As an interesting note, Ledell Lee was executed in Arkansas in 2017, and posthumous forensic testing of evidence has found DNA from an unidentified male on a blood club used to kill the victim 29 years ago. Questions are raised about Lee’s conviction and subsequent execution.

Inmate Search

The doc.arkansas.gov correction website offers an inmate population information search tool for locating an offender. You can search by criminal history, offense category, county, facility, or full name. On the Arkansas Department of Corrections webpage, the Inmate Search will return information after you enter any combination of the following options. You can also download the full inmate database.
Fill in the form, and the following information populates:

Mugshot (front only)

ACD # 12345: Jones, David D.
Race: Caucasian
Sex: Male
Hair Color: Grey
Eye Color: Brown
Height: 70 inches
Weight: 200 lbs
Birth Date: 12/28/1975
Initial Receipt Date: 07/25/2023
Facility: Grimes Unit
Facility Address 200 Corrections Drive Newport
AR 72112 (Map)
Mailing Address: 300 Corrections Drive Newport, AR 72112
Custody Classification: C#
Good Time Class: I-C
PE/TE date: 02/27/2025
Total Sentence: 15 years
ADC Incarcerations: 2
Aliases: None
Description: Sexual Assault
Offense: 2nd degree – Habitual
Sentence Date: 07/13/2022
County: Marion
Case #: 12345

Court Orders

Program Achievement
Probation/SI
Prior Probation/SIS History
For more information, contact DOC.FSMA/@arkansas.gov

Visitation Guidelines

The Arkansas Division of Corrections aims to provide firm, fair, consistent, and superior correctional services. The Arkansas Division of Correction’s policy permits offenders to have visits with family, friends, attorneys, and spiritual advisors under conditions consistent with the security of departmental operations.
Inmates are responsible for notifying family and friends if they are approved or denied visiting privileges or if privileges are suspended or terminated.

Visitor Applications:

Visitors must complete visitation applications and return them to the address listed on the form, attention: Unit Visitation Clerk. Applications are approved or denied by the Warden. The application process can take up to seven days or longer. A criminal background check is done on all prospective visitors.

Minor children Under 18) may not be allowed to visit unless accompanied by an approved adult or proof of emancipation.
Visitors aged 12 and older must provide a state-issued photo ID to enter a correctional facility.
Approved visitors may not be listed on more than one inmate’s visitation list unless approved by the Warden. You cannot visit an inmate if you are not on an approved list.

Inmates are entitled to visits under the following schedule:

• Saturdays and Sundays are visitation days for routine visits.
• No visitation on holidays unless the holiday falls on a visitation day.
• Hours for the visitation are from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm and 2:00 to 4:00 pm except as authorized by the Directors. All Class I inmates are permitted one visit weekly for four or five visits a month.
• Class II, III, and IV inmates are permitted two monthly visits. In cases where inmates of the same family are housed at the same center, the Warden may approve requests from those inmates for visits on the same day per the schedule of the lower-class inmate.
• Four visitors are allowed during one visit, including children.
• The spouse of an inmate and all children, regardless of number, may visit. Only two approved adult visitors may accompany the minor children when the limit of four is exceeded.
• Visitors are responsible for keeping children under control. Failure to supervise children is grounds for termination of the visit.

If visitors live more than 300 miles from the unit, the Waren or Center Supervisor may approve more visits during the week and regular visiting hours. Requests need to be requested 24 hours in advance.

Entering into a correctional institution also has procedures and rules. Anyone or a vehicle entering a correctional facility can be searched for contraband. Visitors in wheelchairs or wearing wigs or religious headgear are subject to search. Entrance will only be allowed if a visitor submits to a search. Visitors must pass through a metal detector, and an Ion Scanner may do random drug testing. A positive scan will lead to a search of the visitor and their vehicle.

Visitors cannot bring cameras, papers, cell phones, pocketknives, or food into a facility.

You must also bring in a photo ID.

Video Visitation can be made by people on the inmate’s approved phone or visitor list. All appointments for video visitation must be scheduled at least 48 hours before start time. Visits are 30 minutes and begin promptly. Kiosks are provided for video visitation during set hours of use. All visitation rules regarding dress code are applied to video visitation. Officers monitor all video visits and can terminate an active visit at anytime. No recording of a video visit. The cost of a video visit is $12.99 for 30 minutes. An attorney may not use the ADC video visitation system. Contact Securus Customer Service 15 877-578-3658 for any questions.

Inmate Communication

Phone calls can be made with a coinless telephone during set hours. Inmates can only make collect calls to pre-approved numbers. Inmates are not allowed cell phones or calling cards. Privileges will be restricted due to disciplinary reasons. Every unit has its own phone policies. Inmates need to check with the unit where they are housed for specific hours of use.

Mail

Addressing mail to an inmate is very specific. Any deviations from these rules will be considered contraband. For example:
There must be a return address:
John Doe
123 Second Street
Anywhere, USA 54213

Address to:
William Smith #123455
(name of) Unit
PO Box 123
Town in, AR 71644

• Inmates can receive books, magazines, newspapers, and catalogs, but they must be mailed directly from publishers, educational stores, bookstores, or a recognized commercial or charitable outlet.
• No food or care packages can be mailed to an inmate.
• Incoming and outgoing inmate mail can be read except for privileged correspondence from the inmate’s attorney.
• If properly marked as privileged, correspondence will be opened before the inmate.

Because of security issues at the correctional facility and the increased use of illegal drugs, the need to limit incoming paper correspondence is being enforced. Inmates can only receive two sheets of 81/2 x 11 inches of paper. Letters and correspondence from family and friends will be copied, and only black and white copies will be made. No cards can be received, and no larger-sized paper or anything else will be allowed. General correspondence that exceeds the limits and rules will be considered contraband. The inmate must also pay for return postage and write or receive letters in blue or black ink.

Friends and family of inmates cannot send money to inmates via Cash App, Chime, Google Pay, PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, or any other money transfer system not provided by the department. Mone to inmates can be sent through three methods:

Mail sent to:
Arkansas Division of Corrections
Trust Fund Centralized Banking
PO Box 8908
Pine Bluff, AR 71611

Money orders must be payable to the inmate’s name and ADC number. A money order deposit slip must accompany every money order.
Money can be sent through the ONLINE INMATE DEPOSIT SERVICE. You will need a credit card and pay a small fee. To find this service, go to doc.arkansas.gov/corrections.

Money can be sent by phone at 1-866-250-7697. You will need a credit card and pay a small fee.

Inmate Records

Arkansas prisons and jails maintain a database of criminal records. These records include detailed information about the people who committed crimes, their arrests, and convictions. To find the information on a particular inmate, you can contact the institution where they are incarcerated, request information in writing, or do an online search through any third-party companies. You can also search Arkansas inmate records that are considered public records. You can inspect the records, make copies, and use them for information.

Listed on the Division of Corrections website is information about death row inmates, an escapee list, executions, inmate handbooks, and inmate programs. Click on the information you want and fill out the provided form. Information that populates is:

ADC Number 12345
Name: Jones, Bill R.
Race Caucasian
Sex Male
Hair Color Gray
Eye Color Blue
Height 79 inches
Weight 184 lbs
Birth Date 11/20/1981
Initial Receipt Date 11/30/2016
Facility Varner Unit
Facility Address 320 Hwy. 388, Gould, AR
71643 Map
Mailing Address PO Box 600 Grady, AR
71655-0600
Custody Classification C4
Good Time Classification I-C
PE/TE Date Life WO
Total Time
ADC Incarcerations 1
Aliases
Current Prison Sentence History
Offense Sentence Date County Case # Sentence Length
Capital Murder 11/30/206 Sebastian 1234-134 Life W0

Other available information is prior prison sentence history, detainers, major guilty disciplinary violations, risk score/level court orders (order of protection, no contact order), program achievements, probation/SIS, and prior probation SIS History.

Booking Procedures

All offenders go through a diagnostic process officially called intake. During the booking or intake process, inmates are given medical, mental health, and academic examinations, court papers are received and reviewed, and counselors gather information through interviews. Program recommendations can be made, and a risk score may be provided.

You will be photographed during the booking process and have an inmate identification ID card containing your picture and inmate ADC number made. If your appearance changes during your incarceration or arrest, a new photograph or mugshot will be taken.
During the booking process, you will also have fingerprints taken, a check for warrants, and procedures. You can pay bail based on a schedule of common crimes or you may wait in jail or a holding cell until a court hearing is held.

During the intake process, you will undergo classification. There are three classifications: custody classification, good-time classification, and medical classification. Custody classification is the result of scoring established during the booking process. Criteria include crime, sentence length, disciplinary records, prior violence, escape history, and other factors. Custody classification is used to determine where you will be assigned.

Mugshots

Mugshots are used for identification purposes. Most mugshots in Arkansas booking procedures include name, crime, booking #, height, weight, and other identifying marks.

Release

Offenders can be released from Arkansas correctional institutions by paying bail, finishing their sentences, or being paroled. If you are arrested, you can also be released on your recognizance with a promise to return to court on an appointment schedule. If you want to be released after an arrest, employing an attorney is a good idea.

Information about Arkansas

Arkansas is in the south-central region of the United States and is landlocked. The name “Arkansas” comes from the Osage Indian language. The topography of Arkansas ranges from mountainous regions of the Ozarks to the Arkansas timberlands to the eastern lowlands along the Mississippi River and the Arkansas Delta. The state is the 29th largest by area and the 34th most populous state. Arkansas has just over 3 million people as of the 2020 census. The capital is Little Rock, located in the state’s central part.

Arkansas was part of the Louisiana Purchase, and Arkansas’s territory was admitted to the Union as the 25th state in 1836. Arkansas was a Confederate State during the Civil War, and after the war, it suffered economically due to its overreliance on the plantation economy. Little Rock and Arkansas were major battlegrounds for civil rights and the efforts to integrate schools.

In the 1960s, Arkansas became the base of Walmart, and now Arkansas’s economy is based on service industries, poultry, aircraft, steel, and tourism, in addition to cotton, rice, and soybeans. Arkansas has usually been Republican and conservative except for Bill Clinton, who was elected as a Democratic governor.

Arkansas has the fifth-highest incarceration rate in the U.S. and a per capita rate of 942 arrests per 100,000 people.