Prisons in Arkansas – Our Overview of 20 Local Facilities

The state of Arkansas has a significant number of correctional facilities, including prisons, jails, and detention centers, which house individuals who have been convicted of crimes or are awaiting trial.

The Arkansas Department of Corrections manages several prisons in the state, ranging from minimum to maximum security facilities. In this article, we will provide a comprehensive list of prisons in Arkansas, along with a brief overview of each facility’s location and capacity.

Whether you’re interested in the criminal justice system or are searching for information about a specific Arkansas prison, this article will serve as a useful resource.

Arkansas Prison Map

Use the Arkansas prison map below to locate any facility. Click on the map markers to read our detailed guide of that facility.

State Prisons

Prison Name	Location	Inmate Capacity	Security Level	Gender	Operator/ Manager
Barbara Ester Unit	Pine Bluff, Arkansas	580	Minimum	Female	Arkansas Department of Correction
Benton Unit	Benton, Arkansas	325	Medium	Male	Arkansas Department of Correction
Cummins Unit	Lincoln County, Arkansas	1,725	Maximum	Male	Arkansas Department of Correction
Delta Regional Unit	Arkansas	599	Medium	Male	Arkansas Department of Correction
East Arkansas Regional Unit	Brickeys, Arkansas	1,432	Maximum	Male	Arkansas Department of Correction
Grimes Unit	Newport, Arkansas	1,012	Medium/Maximum	Male	Arkansas Department of Correction
J. Aaron Hawkins Sr. Center	Arkansas	212	Minimum	Male	Arkansas Department of Correction
Maximum Security Unit	Arkansas	532	Maximum	Male	Arkansas Department of Correction
McPherson Unit	Newport, Arkansas	N/A	Maximum	Female	Arkansas Department of Correction
Mississippi County Work Release Ctr	Arkansas	121	Maximum	N/A	Arkansas Department of Correction
North Central Unit	Calico Rock, Arkansas	408	Maximum	Male	Arkansas Department of Correction
Ouachita River Unit	Malvern, Arkansas	1,000	Maximum	Male	Arkansas Department of Correction
Pine Bluff Unit	Pine Bluff, Arkansas	430	Maximum	N/A	Arkansas Department of Correction
Randall L. Williams Corr. Facility	Pine Bluff, Arkansas	562	Maximum	N/A	Arkansas Department of Correction
Texarkana Reg. Correctional Center	Arkansas	128	Maximum	N/A	Bi-State Justice Center Commission
Tucker Unit	Dudley Lake Township	1,806	Maximum	Male	Arkansas Department of Correction
Varner Unit	Varner, Choctaw Township, Lincoln County	Over 1,600	High-Security	Male	Arkansas Department of Correction
Wrightsville Unit	Wrightsville, Arkansas	N/A	N/A	N/A	Arkansas Department of Correction

Barbara Ester Unit

Barbara A. Ester Unit is a correctional facility in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, that is dedicated to the re-entry of prisoners into society. It has a capacity of 580 prisoners and is the first prison in the Arkansas Department of Correction to focus on re-entry.

The facility houses prisoners who are scheduled to be released within six months and those who violated their parole. The prison is named after Barbara Ester, a corporal prison guard at the East Arkansas Unit, who was killed by a prisoner in 2012.

The facility’s mission is to provide a safe environment for prisoners to learn new skills, receive education and vocational training, and access resources to help them transition back into society.

Benton Unit

Benton Unit is a correctional facility located in Benton, Arkansas. Established in 1974, the unit has a capacity of 325 and is ACA accredited. The facility offers various programs aimed at rehabilitating inmates, including a GED program, job placement opportunities, and work release.

Inmates can gain valuable skills through the job placement program, which includes welding, painting, shipping and receiving, mechanics, hydraulics, cooking, equipment operation, and automobile repair.

Additionally, the facility provides regional maintenance services. Benton Unit focuses on the rehabilitation of inmates to ensure they can successfully reintegrate into society upon release.

Cummins Unit

The Cummins Unit, located in Lincoln County, Arkansas, is a correctional facility managed by the Arkansas Department of Corrections. Covering an area of 16,500 acres, it is one of the largest prison farms in the United States.

The facility, which opened in 1902, has a capacity of 1,725 inmates and is one of the state’s parent units for male prisoners. Cummins previously housed Arkansas’s male death row until 1986 when it was transferred to the Tucker Maximum Security Unit.

The prison is located along U.S. Route 65, near Grady, Gould, and Varner, 28 miles south of Pine Bluff, and 60 miles southeast of Little Rock. The State of Arkansas execution chamber is located in the Cummins Unit, adjacent to the location of the male death row, the Varner Unit.

Delta Regional Unit

Delta Regional Unit is a correctional facility located in Arkansas that was established in 1990. This unit has a capacity of 599 and is accredited by the ACA. The facility offers various programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Thread of Hope Recovery Program, Anger Management, and Faith-Based Principles and Applications for Life (PAL) Program.

Additionally, Delta Regional Unit provides educational opportunities for its inmates through GED Program. The facility also offers industry programs like Janitorial Supply, Jail Operation, Regional Maintenance, Think Legacy Program, and Workforce Alliance for Growth in the Economy (WAGE) Program.

Delta Regional Unit is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for its inmates while also offering them opportunities for rehabilitation and personal growth.

East Arkansas Regional Unit

The East Arkansas Regional Unit is a prison facility located in Brickeys, St. Francis Township, unincorporated Lee County, Arkansas. It is one of the state’s parent units for processed male inmates and serves as an initial assignment facility.

The prison was established in 1992 and has 379 employees. It is ACA Accredited and has a capacity of 1,432 inmates. The facility offers various operations such as jail operations, education, substance abuse treatment programs, a canine unit, field crops, and regional maintenance.

The East Arkansas Regional Unit is situated approximately 17 miles southeast of Forrest City.

Grimes Unit

The Grimes Unit is a medium- and maximum-security state prison for men located in Newport, Jackson County, Arkansas. Owned and operated by the Arkansas Department of Corrections, the facility was opened in 1998 and has a capacity of 1,012 inmates held at medium and maximum security.

The prison provides housing, medical care, and educational and vocational programs to its inmates. The facility also offers a variety of rehabilitation programs to help inmates successfully reintegrate into society upon their release.

The Grimes Unit is staffed by a team of dedicated professionals who work tirelessly to maintain safety and security within the prison. Overall, the Grimes Unit plays a vital role in the criminal justice system of Arkansas by providing a secure and controlled environment for the incarceration of convicted felons.

J. Aaron Hawkins Sr. Center

The J. Aaron Hawkins Sr. Center is a correctional facility located in Arkansas that was established in 2006. It is an ACA-accredited unit with a capacity of 212 inmates.

The center offers various programs such as Advanced Principles and Applications for Life (APAL), Dance 2B Free, Even Start Family Literacy Program, Mental Health Classes, MIWATCH, Pathway to Freedom, Paws in Prison Program, Think Legacy Program, and Work Release.

These programs aim to provide inmates with skills and knowledge that will help them successfully reintegrate into society upon their release. The center’s focus on rehabilitation and education reflects the state’s efforts to reduce recidivism rates and promote public safety.

Maximum Security Unit

The Maximum Security Unit in Arkansas was established in 1983 and is an ACA-accredited facility with a capacity of 532 inmates.

The facility offers a range of programs to aid in inmate rehabilitation, including agriculture field crops and vegetable garden operations, education, faith-based principles and applications for life (PAL) program, Paws in Prison program, substance abuse program, Think Legacy program, and UNITY program.

The facility is designed to house inmates who have exhibited behavioral issues and require a higher level of security. While the facility is not open to the public, it serves an important role in the Arkansas Department of Corrections system, providing a secure environment for inmates and staff.

McPherson Unit

McPherson Unit is a prison for women located in Newport, Arkansas. It was established in 1998 and is currently managed by the Arkansas Department of Correction. The prison is situated off Arkansas Highway 384, 4 miles east of central Newport.

McPherson Unit is the state’s only prison that houses women on death row. The unit also has a campus of the Riverside Vocational Technical School.

The prison was originally managed by the Wackenhut Corrections Corp. (now GEO Group), but in 2001, the company decided not to renew its contract due to operational losses incurred by managing McPherson Unit and the nearby Grimes Unit.

Mississippi County Work Release Center

The Mississippi County Work Release Center is a correctional facility located in Arkansas that was established in 1975. The facility is accredited by the American Correctional Association and has a capacity of 121 inmates.

The center offers a variety of programs to help inmates rehabilitate and prepare for reentry into society, including Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) programs, a GED program, regional maintenance, substance abuse education, and work release opportunities.

The work release program allows eligible inmates to work in the community while still serving their sentence, providing them with valuable job skills and experience. Overall, the Mississippi County Work Release Center plays an important role in the Arkansas criminal justice system by offering inmates the opportunity to better themselves and successfully reintegrate into society.

North Central Unit

The North Central Unit is a correctional facility situated in Calico Rock, Arkansas, and is administered by the Arkansas Department of Corrections.

Initially established as a way to create employment opportunities for the locals and set up a correctional facility in the northern part of the state, the North Central Unit was met with resistance from the residents.

Over the years, the prison has undergone several developments, including the addition of 100 more beds in 2010. The facility is currently designed to house adult male inmates, and its staff is responsible for providing security, healthcare, education, and vocational training services to the inmates.

The North Central Unit is one of the many correctional facilities in Arkansas, dedicated to rehabilitating offenders and ensuring public safety.

Ouachita River Unit

The Ouachita River Unit is a correctional facility located in Malvern, Arkansas, operated by the Arkansas Department of Correction. It was established in 2003 and is home to over 1,000 inmates.

The unit also has a special needs unit that was opened in 2012, which includes a hospital with 72 beds and a special services area with 40 beds for elderly, chronically ill, and acute-illness inmates. The facility offers a variety of programs to inmates, including GED education, substance abuse education, and a reduction of sexual victimization program.

It also has vocational programs such as garment processing, livestock and forage production education, and gravel harvesting. Additionally, the prison offers chaplaincy services and a Paws in Prison program. Each May, the Ouachita River Unit holds a graduation ceremony for prisoners who have earned their GED.

Pine Bluff Unit

Pine Bluff Unit is a correctional facility located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. It was established in 1976 and has a capacity of 430 inmates.

The facility is accredited by the American Correctional Association (ACA) and offers various programs such as a Canine Unit, Construction, Gardening, GED Program, Grounds Maintenance, Mental Health, Reentry Program, Think Legacy Program, Warehouse, and Work Release.

These programs aim to help inmates develop skills that can assist them in reintegrating into society upon their release. The facility is operated by the Arkansas Department of Corrections and maintains a strict security protocol to ensure the safety of both inmates and staff.

Randall L. Williams Correctional Facility

Randall L. Williams Correctional Facility is a correctional facility located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Established in 1990, it has a unit capacity of 562 and is ACA accredited.

The facility offers various programs for inmates such as the GED program, Juvenile Inmate Program, Paws in Prison Program, Principles and Applications for Life (PAL) Program, Regional Maintenance, Substance Abuse Treatment Program, Think Legacy Program, and Workforce Alliance for Growth in the Economy (WAGE) Program.

These programs aim to provide inmates with education, job skills, and personal development to aid in their rehabilitation. The facility is dedicated to ensuring safety and security for both inmates and staff while also striving to reduce recidivism rates.

Texarkana Regional Correctional Center

The Texarkana Regional Correctional Center is a correctional facility located in Arkansas that was established in 1983. It is an ACA Accredited Unit with a unit capacity of 128. The facility offers several operations, including work release, regional maintenance, and a GED program for inmates.

The work release program provides inmates with an opportunity to work outside of the facility while serving their sentence. Regional maintenance involves maintaining the facility and its surroundings.

The GED program helps inmates earn their high school equivalency diploma. The Texarkana Regional Correctional Center is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for inmates while helping them acquire skills and education that will help them successfully re-enter society.

Tucker Unit

The Tucker Unit is a correctional facility located in Dudley Lake Township, Arkansas. It is run by the Arkansas Department of Correction and serves as one of the state’s primary prisons for male inmates.

The facility is approximately 25 miles northeast of Pine Bluff and is one of several units used for processing new inmates. Though it is close to the Tucker census-designated place, it is not located within it.

As a prison, the Tucker Unit is a place for punishment and rehabilitation for individuals who have been convicted of crimes. While not a place for casual visitation, it is an important part of the state’s correctional system.

Varner Unit

The Varner Unit is a high-security state prison for men of the Arkansas Department of Correction. Located in Varner, Choctaw Township, unincorporated Lincoln County, Arkansas, it can house over 1,600 prisoners and includes a 468-bed supermax facility.

The supermax and non-supermax facilities are separate from one another. The Varner Unit Supermax houses male inmates scheduled for execution in Arkansas, currently performed by lethal injection. The actual executions take place at the nearby Cummins Unit.

Varner is one of the state of Arkansas’s parent units for male prisoners, serving as one of several units of initial assignment for processed male prisoners. It is located along U.S. Highway 65, near Grady, and 28 miles south of Pine Bluff.

Wrightsville Unit

The Wrightsville Unit is a correctional facility in Wrightsville, Arkansas, operated by the Arkansas Department of Correction. The facility covers over 5,000 acres of land, which is primarily used for cattle ranching and hay production.

The site was previously home to the Negro Boys Industrial School, and for many years there was no official recognition of the school’s existence or the tragedy of the fire that occurred there. However, in 2019, a monument was erected at the Wrightsville Unit to commemorate those who died in the fire.

While the Wrightsville Unit is primarily known as a correctional facility, its history as a site of education and tragedy underscores the complex history of the Arkansas criminal justice system.

Federal Prisons

Prison Name	Location	Inmate Capacity	Security Level	Gender	Operator/ Manager
Federal Correctional Institution, Forrest City Low	Eastern Arkansas	2,100	Low	Male	Federal Bureau of Prisons
Federal Correctional Institution, Forrest City Medium	Forrest City, Arkansas	1,026	Low	Female	Federal Bureau of Prisons

Federal Correctional Institution, Forrest City Low

The Federal Correctional Institution, Forrest City Low, is a federal prison located in Arkansas that houses male inmates. It is part of the Forrest City Federal Correctional Complex and is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

The facility is situated in eastern Arkansas, approximately 85 miles east of Little Rock and 45 miles west of Memphis, Tennessee. It is classified as a low-security prison and currently has a total inmate population of 2,100.

Of these, 301 are housed at the FCI, while the remaining 1,799 are at the Camp. The institution aims to provide a safe and secure environment for offenders while also offering various programs and services to help them transition back into society.

Federal Correctional Institution, Forrest City Medium

The Federal Correctional Institution, Forrest City Medium is a low-security prison located in Forrest City, Arkansas. The facility is designated for female offenders and has a total capacity of 1,026 inmates.

As of May 7, 2018, the prison’s population was 974. The prison provides a variety of programs and services to help inmates prepare for reentry into society, including education and vocational training.

The prison also offers drug treatment and mental health services to help inmates address underlying issues that may have led to their incarceration.

The staff at the Federal Correctional Institution, Forrest City Medium is dedicated to maintaining a safe and secure environment for both inmates and staff.

Sources: