Arkansas GOP Splits as Gov. Sanders Pushes 3,000-Bed Franklin County Prison Plan
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ plan to build a massive 3,000-bed prison in Franklin County has sharply divided Republicans and reshaped local politics across the rural northwest corner of the state.
Supporters argue the facility — planned on an 815-acre site purchased by the state — is needed to alleviate overcrowding in county jails and would generate jobs, but critics say the project lacks basic infrastructure and is fiscally unsound.
The proposed site has become a central issue in GOP politics, with hundreds of local residents suddenly engaging in elections and filing lawsuits after the governor initially scheduled a legislative seat election so late that the district would have been unrepresented for the legislative session in which prison funding is expected to come up.
Franklin County Sheriff Johnny Crocker has gone viral criticizing the plan as “financially irresponsible” and noting there’s “no water, no power, no sewage” at the chosen site, calling into question state due diligence.
The project has already had political ripple effects, with Republican candidates in a special Senate primary agreeing they oppose the plan, despite broader GOP backing of Sanders.
State funding for construction remains unresolved, and lawmakers have balked at releasing the hundreds of millions needed to begin building, citing rising costs and lack of local support.
“We need a facility, but the location and cost are deeply concerning,” one local GOP candidate said at a forum — a rare intra-party critique in conservative Arkansas.
How an already high-profile prison plan fares this legislative session — and whether the Arkansas Legislature will fund or redraw it — will be among the state’s most watched policy debates this year.
What happens next: Lawmakers must decide funding and possibly revisit site selection when the Legislature convenes later this year.
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