HELENA-WEST HELENA, Ark. (AP) – A county in eastern Arkansas has begun
construction on a new 100-bed jail about five years after the county jail
shuttered due to deficient locks, overflowing drains and other unsafe
conditions.The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports Phillips County officials broke ground on the jail last week and aim to have it completed within a couple of years. The county is repurposing a facility on land that will serve as a sheriff’s office, courtroom and morgue.
County judge Clark Hall says the new facility will have 80 beds for men and 20
beds for women, in addition to creating 15 jobs. Hall says the county will no
longer need to pay other jails to house its inmates. He says the move will also
reduce the cost of transporting inmates across county lines for court hearings.
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