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Overcrowding at the Pulaski County, Arkansas Jail
1985-2006
By Raymond D. Screws
UALR History Department
On the evening of February 23, 1989, Felton Singleton had just been convicted of murder
in a trial that took place at the courthouse in Little Rock. About an hour later, this convicted
murder was released because as was increasingly the case, the county jail was full and the
sheriff’s office refused to transport Singleton to be locked up. Circuit Judge Jack Lessenberry
could not reach the sheriff of Pulaski County, Carrol Gravett, nor was the judge able to find
county attorney David Henry. What would the judge do with Singleton? After all, he was a
convicted murderer who could not, nor should not, walk the streets. What about the Little Rock
City jail? Well, just like the Pulaski County jail, the city jail was full. Plus, a city jail spokesman
indicated that they could not house convicted felons. But what could be done? Singleton was
convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison. He was ordered to the
county jail to await an opening at a state prison – standard procedure. But there was another
alternative. The holding cell at the county courthouse could hold Singleton! – no, it was not
guarded after 4:30 PM, and Singleton was convicted around 7:30 in the evening. So, without
any other option, he unthinkable happened – convicted murderer Felton Singleton was released
to roam the streets.
Oh, there was uproar about Singleton’s release, and much blame to go around. Lloyd
King, the Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney who tried the case said that if Singleton “kills
somebody today before they catch him, I wouldn’t want to be the responsible party to look that
victim’s family in the eye.” King also lamented: “It’s a travesty for our community to have”
Singleton “walking our streets because the sheriff wouldn’t come and get him.” The mother of
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the murder victim Darreld Jackson said that “I am grieving enough for my child’s death as it is.”
The chief probation officer from Judge Lessenberry’s court called the county jail in the afternoon
to explain that Singleton might be convicted shortly and apparently was told there would be a
bed for him. But, of course, that is not how it transpired that evening. The sheriff was caught
between a rock and a hard place. Gravett had to comply with a federal court order to not run an
overcrowded jail. But the sheriff could not send convicted inmates to the state prisons from the
county jail because they were full as well. But he was still ordered to take prisoners into the full
county jail. King said that “I understand that the sheriff is under a federal court order. But I also
know that the sheriff routinely houses prisoners elsewhere and sends the county the bill.” The
court order limited the number of beds at 200 and around 25 percent of the county jail inmates
were waiting to be transferred to a state prison or the State Hospital. What to do? The county
had a major problem – the jail was usually full.
The overcrowding problem at the Pulaski County jail did not vanish, and in fact, it got
worse. Even after the new county jail was constructed during the 1990s, which expanded the bed
space to over 800, overcrowding remained a major issue, as did funding problems. But even
before the 1989 Singleton controversy jail overcrowding had been an increasing provocation in
Pulaski County. Even as far back as the nineteenth century Pulaski County faced an
overcrowding issue in its jail. It was reported in the Arkansas Gazette in 1858 that “The present
jail of Pulaski County is too small for the comfortable keeping of the prisoners who have to be
confined in it, and too old and worn out for their safe keeping.” This was not the last time a worn
out, too-small county jail was debated. But more than 120 years later during the 1980s, the
overcrowding controversy in the Pulaski County jail became interesting and entertaining.
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In 1981, with prisoners escaping from the Pulaski Count jail on a regular basis, the
sheriff, Tommy Robinson, decided to do something about the overcrowding problems. Several
prisoners were suppose to go to the state penitentiary but were refused because of overcrowding.
So Sheriff Robinson took some of these prisoners and chained them outside of the state prison
during a scorching day. When Robinson reappeared at the Pulaski County jail, he gave the order
to shoot state troopers if there was an attempt to bring the inmates back. Robinson became a
hero and eventually ended up in Congress. In 1986, Sheriff Gravett turned back prisoners
ordered to be delivered from the city of Little Rock jail to the Pulaski County jail by Municipal
Judge Allan Dishough. The problem was that the city jail was full, but so was the county jail,
because the Sheriff’s office could not send state prisoners from the county jail to state
penitentiaries because they to were also full. This caused what the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
called a “standoff” between Gravett and Dishough. Because of a federal court order, the State
Penitentiary system could not receive prisoners if they were full and unsafe. And, of course,
they were full.
During the mid-1980s, it was becoming increasing apparent that the Pulaski County jail,
which was built in 1975, was not adequate to hold enough inmates to alleviate the overcrowding
problems. Although only eleven years old and considered state-of-the-art when constructed, the
county jail was settling and revealed many cracks. After touring the jail, Wilton Treadway, the
director of the county general services office, said that “I thought they had an earthquake.” But
this county jail, on South Woodrow Street in Little Rock, was still much better than the old jail
located just north of the courthouse on the bank of the Arkansas River, which “had been
condemned by a federal judge.” This helped instigate the debate and push for a much larger
county jail than the 200-bed facility.
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In 1985, Sheriff Gravett had a lawsuit filled against him by the Public Defender’s office.
The lawsuit, which was filed on “behalf of seven men charge in Circuit Court with felonies, but
who [were] being held in the Little Rock” jail, attempted to have Gravett serve felony warrants.
There was an attempt to settle out of court to help solve the overcrowding problem in the county
jail. But the sheriff said he could not serve the seven felony warrants on these men in the city
jail because the county jail was full. The sheriff’s office attempted to reduce the jail population
so convicted felons and violent criminals could be locked up – but it was not easy. Gravett said
that “we’re probably doing as much as we can.” And he might have been correct because
overcrowding continued at the county jail.
The move to fund the construction of a new county jail began to take shape by 1989. But
also that year, a temporary solution to the overcrowding problem was debated. Officials wanted
to build a new prefabricated structure that would hold 48 prisoners. The belief was that if money
was secured the new structure could be built in ten days, and construction could begin almost
immediately. The cost estimate was $60,000 for the structure and an additional $200,000
annually to pay ten new jailers to work at the facility. But this plan never addressed the real
issue, so a new modern county jail plan soon dominated the headlines.
In an editorial found in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette during the summer of 1989, it
was stated that “The problem of overcrowding in Pulaski County jails seems to drive officials
mad, or at least put them in a serious pout.” And this did not end when the new jail was finished.
Beginning during the summer months of 1989, the impetus for a new county jail quickly
accelerated. The Democrat-Gazette stated that the 1975 jail “was a disaster. The county [in
1989] is still paying the price.” In order for a new county jail to be successful, it was
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conspicuous that Pulaski County and the cities within the county had to cooperate and to develop
an agreement to share the jail costs.
A study indicated that the county needed 567 jail beds by the year 2010. But, of course,
this projection proved well short of reality, as Jim McKenzie, the executive director of Metroplan
told the Quorum Court. Although the study was conducted by Metroplan, McKenzie said the
plan should be taken in stride, and that in his opinion, by the year 2000, Pulaski County would
need 1400 beds. Eventually, a special county vote to fund the new jail was set for February 20,
1990. The vote was for a one-cent sales tax increase, for one year, in which about $33 million
would be raised to build the new jail. But before the vote, there was controversy. The most
pressing problem was that the county was unsure where to build the jail and voters would go the
polls without knowing the location.
Those campaigning for a new jail, such as Prosecuting Attorney Chris Piazza, expressed
the opinion that because the jail was full, criminals were wandering the streets. Piazza said that
“We need to take the streets back.” The slogan developed for a new Pulaski County jail was
“Fight Back.” In early February 1990, the county jail began to double bunk cells to relieve the
overcrowding in the Little Rock city jail. Previously, the county had instituted double-bunking
to bring back prisoners to the county jail that had been farmed out to other county jails. Of
course, whether it was inadvertent or not, double-bunking demonstrated on the eve of the
election that the jail was overcrowded and new jail was essential.
It was decided that the new Pulaski County jail would be 800 beds. There were groups
that opposed the new jail. The Little Rock chapter of the National Organization for the Reform
of Marijuana Laws (NORML) along with the Central Arkansas Labor Council, fought against the
one-year, one-cent sales tax increase. NORML president Glen Schwarz said that his
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organization could not support a new jail as long as marijuana was a crime in which those found
guilty had to spend time in jail. Regardless of the campaign against the sales tax increase,
Pulaski County voters approved the construction of the new jail.
After voters approved the one-cent sales tax for one year, a jail site had to be determined.
At first eleven potential sites were submitted, but this list was quickly narrowed. By early April
1990, just as the new sales tax commenced, the site of the 1975 county jail became the
frontrunner. An advantage to this site was that the county already owned the property, plus the
new jail could be attached to the old jail to utilize the gymnasium and much of the structure. By
June 1990, the property where the old jail was located was selected as the site for the new county
jail. But as might be expected there was controversy with this site selection. Little Rock attorney
Darrell Brown sued the county and County Judge Rita Brown to discontinue the sales tax. His
reasoning: “The ballot wording…gave the impressionthat (sic) the estimated $33 million
generated by the tax would be used to buy land and build the jail. The county is moving toward
building an 800 bed jail on land it already owns…” But Brown lost this round. Chancellor John
Earl, who dismissed the suit, said that “The purpose of this tax was to obtain dentition facilities
for Pulaski County.”
During the next four plus years before the new Pulaski County jail opened, the old jail
continued to experience overcrowding. The sheriff’s department maintained double bunking
with mixed results. But on August 1, 1994, the old county jail was closed, and the new, greatly
expanded county jail quickly exceeded its capacity. It was soon obvious that the modern 624-bed
facility (which was less than the 800 bed facility the county was promised) did not solve the
overcrowding issue. As the Democrat-Gazette reported, “Sheriff’s officials responded by
putting mattresses in holding cells and on the floor of the jail’s book-in lobby.”
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Because of the overcrowding problems in the new Pulaski County jail, a temporary
barracks was constructed to house 175 inmates. The cost was over $200 thousand, which was
twice as much as the original estimate. The new “Warehouse jail barracks” opened in early
April 1995. The first night roughly one-third of the beds were used for non-violent offenders.
Sheriff Randy Johnson did not think the facility would become overcrowded. Johnson said that
“We are just not going to overnight put 175 people in there.”
A year after the $36 million facility opened on August 1, 1994, the new Pulaski County
jail still experienced major overcrowding. Although they thought the new jail would eventually
become full, county officials were surprised it happened so soon. By mid 1995, the Pulaski
County jail had a capacity of 798 beds and officials were in the process of adding 200 more. But
county official’s wanted the cities within the county to pay more for the jail than they were
contributing at the time. The city jails had been closed when the 1995 agreement between the
cities and the county was activated. And Little Rock and North Little Rock had spent about $1
million each to maintain their city jails. It was estimated that Little Rock used the jail at a rate
of 41 percent, which county officials said would cost the city $4.9 million. Instead, Little Rock
was paying $750,000 for the regional jail, as county officials were calling the facility.
Combined, the cities paid under $1.3 million annually. The five cities contributed about 10
percent of the total jail budget. The cities had closed their jails at different times, and Sherwood’s
small 13 bed jail was being used by the county as a booking center for the county north of the
Arkansas River. Maumelle and Jacksonville were using their jails as temporary holding areas for
inmates before they were taken to the Sherwood center or to court. In other words, some of the
city jails, although officially closed, remained operational on a limited and specialized basis.
The original agreement between the cities and the county was negotiated in 1990.
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By the winter of 1996, the Pulaski County jail had a capacity of 904. On one particular
Saturday morning in February 1996, the interim jail chief Danny Bradley arrived at his office to
do some paperwork, but found the jail population at a new high of 1,016 inmates. Instead of
catching up on his paperwork, Bradley worked at easing the population strain. Some nonviolent
misdemeanor offenders, for example, who arrived at the jail for the weekend, were told they
would serve their time later. By Sunday, Bradley had the jail population down to 990, and on
Monday it stood at 967, which was still over-full. The county began to explore options to fund
the still fairly new jail and how much the five cities could contribute. These issues continued to
be debated and argued for the next decade.
Besides the growing funding problem, Pulaski County jail officials were investigating
ways to ease the overcrowding problem. In June 1996, the new jail chief, Michael Barkhurst
revealed some of his plans. First, Barkhurst found the book-in area a complete mess, so he
decided that the employees should have “assembly-line procedures” that would fix the problem.
Then by July 5, he planned to open a second pod in the annex to help the pressure of
overcrowding. These were Barkhurst’s short-term solutions. In what was called phase II
Barkhurst said that in mid-August and running into February 1997, the jail would implement
new programs including work-release for those convicted of misdemeanors. Phase III was
planned to run between February and August 1997, and would include emergency response
teams to help with problems such as major crises and minor disturbances. But despite his plans,
the Barkhurst run jail continued to be overcrowded. Throughout the second half of 1996, the jail
population exceeded 1,000 inmates, especially on the weekends. In late August, in response to a
then record high of 1,032 prisoners, Barkhurst said that “I expect that number to drop. But from
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now on, I expect we’ll maintain a population in the 990 to 1,000 range.” The jail chief also said:
“we’re not at a crisis, but I can see us easily getting to that point.”
But the overcrowding problem continued for Barkhurst. The annex, or the old county
jail, had pod “B” opened to house 52 inmates. Pod “A” had been open since September 1995.
But the overcrowding continued. By late September the county jail had 960 beds. The jail’s real
capacity was 1,100 but it was not funded or staffed for that many beds. Barkhurst decided to ask
the county for a $1 million increase in the Pulaski County jail budget for 1997. With
overcrowding, some prisoners were sleeping on the floor, so the jail chief believed the extra
million dollars was needed to properly run the jail. County Judge Buddy Villines said that
“With growth in population they’re going to need some more [money]. But we’re probably not
going to have that much.” Barkhurst also claimed that Little Rock and North Little Rock were
not contributing enough for the county jail. This was an argument that would just not go away.
Vice-mayor Joan Adcock vehemently disagreed with Barkhurst. She said: “I take offence to his
statement that Little Rock and North Little Rock are not paying their fair share. We’re paying
what was agreed upon for us to pay several years ago under contract.” The North Little Rock
mayor claimed that his city gave the county $250,000 above the required amount for the fiscal
year.
Through 1997, county officials and the Quorum Court investigated ways to help the
overcrowding problems at the county jail as well as funding issues. For example, in February the
Quorum Court voted to begin charging convicted inmates at the jail $2.40 a day for their meals.
Quaorum Court member Tim Cain said that “People are just tired of having to pick up the tab.”
In addition, the idea of having some nonviolent inmates wearing ankle-bracelets so they could be
released out of the jail facility was talked about. But the overcrowding continued. In April
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Sheriff Johnson said: “I think we’re fast approaching a crisis.” And Barkhurst added: “We’re at
the breaking point.” But shortly thereafter, a new booking center in North Little Rock opened
and it was hoped that it would ease pressure off the county jail on the south side of the Arkansas
River. But it did not help alleviate the overcrowding problems. By May 1997, the Pulaski
County jail maintained 1,060 beds, which was considerably more than the 624 beds it had when
it opened in 1994. But as the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported, “Since February 1996, the
jail has maintained a ‘population alert’ status. That means certain low-risk misdemeanor
offenders are automatically cited out from the jail when conditions are overcrowded.” Despite
more beds and inmates, the jail’s services such as food, laundry and medical attention were the
same as they had been when he jail’s capacity was 624 beds. Regardless of the issues, the
county jail problems outlasted jail chief Michael Barkhurst, who resigned in August 1997 to
return to Georgia.
The new chief of the Pulaski County jail, Randy Morgan, came from the Tucker
Maximum Security Unit, where he was the warden. By November 1997, the jail began
experimenting with electronic monitoring through the use of ankle bracelets. But the most
exciting prospect for dealing with overcrowding and inadequate funding was the quarter-cent
sales tax increase county voters would have the opportunity to approve. Before he left as chief,
Barkhurst said that “If the public supports the jail and votes for the quarter-cent sales tax, it will
significantly increase the jail’s effectiveness.” Barkhurst may have been correct, but the tax was
soundly defeated in November. As the Democrat-Gazette explained, “The tax would have
created permanent funding of operate the 1,043-bed jail, freeing current operating money to
allow the county to expand the lockup by 580 beds between 1998 and 2002.” This vote failed at
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about a two-to-one rate, but Pulaski county voters would have a couple more chances through
2006, to turn down a sales tax increase to help fund the jail.
It was clear voters did not trust their county officials. John R. Starr, the former managing
editor of the Democrat-Gazette, wrote in an editorial that “Our leaders haven’t the foggiest
notion what to do. Pulaski County and Little Rock are run by folks who think raising taxes (or
fees) is the only solution to government problems.” Regardless of trust, the Pulaski County jail
continued to experience a multitude of problems, including overcrowding and funding issues. In
another editorial, John W. Hammons, argued that “the jail crisis was in part a manufactured crisis
by our local officials.”
In December 1997, the Pulaski County Quorum Court set of limit of 1,043 inmates at the
county jail to begin on February 1 1998. The population soon fell under this limit, but it was
believed that the population would soon exceed 1,100, especially by jail Chief Randy Morgan.
By the summer it was clear that the easing overpopulation problem at the jail was aided by the
Quorum Court’s decision. Fewer inmates were sleeping on the floor, for example. But it created
a new problem. Police were unable to leave all those they arrested at the jail and some who were
convicted were released early so the jail would not exceed the 1,043 inmate limit. In 1998, six
public hearings were held to listen to issues related to public safety and the county jail problems.
Only the last meeting was well-attended. A man who had been burglarized and robbed said “I’m
tired to being a victim. If you’ve broken the law, it should be uncomfortable in there. I don’t
care if you sleep on the floor; I don’t care if you don’t have cable TV.” But a man who had
spent time in the county jail said the facility was overcrowded because too many petty criminals
were detained.
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As the Pulaski County jail remained overcrowded or close to it, increased funding for its
operation and maintenance was minimal. At the same time through 1999, the county jail
continued to release convicted non-violent inmates early to contend with overcrowding. But this
caused concern among many. County Judge Buddy Villines said that “What I’m concerned
about and what I think law enforcement officers are concerned about is that there are some
criminal offenders who need to be detained who aren’t.” And the fight between the county and
Little Rock lingered. A proposed sales tax increase that voters would have the chance to
approve, failed to provide money for the county jail. Speaking about Little Rock’s Board of
Directors regarding the sales tax increase proposal, Quorum Court member Bill Rush said that
this “really shows their true colors.” Rush also argued that the Board of Directors “have no care
in the world about helping the jail, and I’m guessing they never will.” But through it all, more
and more inmates were released early and more and more of those arrested were refused at the
jail because of overcrowding.
In late August 1999, overcrowding at the county jail reached “crisis levels.” The jail
population was closing in on 1200 inmates, but the capacity was 1,043. The Pulaski County
sheriff believed he had a plan to fight the overcrowding problem – he wanted to open a section of
the old jail. The problem with the plan was the cost, which the county could not afford. As
more money became available, Sheriff Johnson’s plan called for more areas of the old jail
opened. Regardless of his plan, the jail continued to release inmates early. Jail chief Rand
Morgan said that “I’m afraid we’re flirting with disaster, but we don’t have any choice.” In
November 1999, county jail officials learned that the jail probably would not receive the money
“needed to open 177 new beds.” The Sheriff’s Office needed $1.4 million to add the new beds,
which was planned for the old jail.
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By the year 2000, county jail officials were increasingly blaming the overcrowding
problems on two factors – state inmates not being taken to state penitentiaries and lack of
funding. For example, in March 2000, the Quorum Court decided not to give the jail part of a
$2.2 million budget appropriation, despite the fact that the court said the overcrowding problem
at the county jail was an important issue. The county also was waiting to be paid $217,000 in
late October by the State of Arkansas Correction Department for holding state prisoners. But the
state claimed that it could not pay at that time because of their own budget problems. It was
anticipated that by the end of 2000, the state would owe the county $500,000. By November
2000, talk began to circulate that the county would have to approach county voters again for a
sales tax increase to help fund the overcrowded jail. And the question of how much the cities
should pay for the jail was raised again. Little Rock paid over $1.1 million in 2000, which was
more that the original agreement required. Justice of the Peace Bill Rush said that the cities, and
specifically Little Rock, were “not paying their fair share. And I think they know they aren’t
paying it.” Little Rock city manage Cy Carney argued that they were “paying the biggest
amount, more than any other city. I feel the county should be primarily responsible for those jail
costs, not the cities.” Carney also said that the county jail was “in a box, so I don’t fault then at
all for asking for money” But while the county and Little Rock continued to exchange blows,
the Pulaski County jail was perpetually overcrowded as the twenty-first century appeared.
Throughout 2001 and 2002, the population at the Pulaski County jail regularly exceeded
capacity. The county also continued to ask the cites, especially Little Rock, to contribute more
money for the jail. In March 2001, city of Little Rock directors voted to give the county $77,000
to add 80 beds at the county jail. But this was only considered a “temporary solution.” Chief
Deputy Skipper Polk explained that “It’s not going to fix it. All it’s going to do is give us little
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bit of breathing room.” It was also hoped that when the Pulaski County jail reached capacity,
prisoners could be held temporarily at the old North Little Rock jail to help with overcrowding.
North Little Rock police spokesman Jim Scott said: “It’s by no means a permanent solution, but
is does give us a safer place to keep those prisoners until they can be booked into jail.” These
measures might have helped in some small degree, but the jail was still usually full.
As the overcrowding situation at the Pulaski County jail deteriorated, county voters again
had the opportunity to approve a one-forth sales tax increase to fund the jail. But on November
5, 2002, voters turned down the sales tax increase, which would have brought in an additional
$15 million annually for the jail. By late November the Quorum Court decided to eliminate 160
beds at the Pulaski County jail and cut jobs by January 1, 2003. The Quorum Court wanted to cut
twenty percent from all county departments. The intake office in North Little Rock was on the
cutting block, as were twenty-three deputy and detention positions. In addition beds were to be
eliminated in the old section of the county jail. When finished, the cuts would drop the number
of beds at the county jail to 963 from 1,123. Skipper Polk said that if the state would take the
220 inmates awaiting transport to state prisons and the state hospital, the county jail’s
overcrowding would be eased. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that “Housing and
feeding Pulaski County inmates will cost $18.5 million this year, with most of the money coming
from the county. Cities in Pulaski County contribute about $2 million based on an interlocal
agreement.”
Although Pulaski County jail officials had long learned how to deal with overcrowding,
the situation continued to get worse in 2003 and 2004. The jail had been closed to incoming
prisoners “every other day for months” in 2004. And the sales tax increase debate to fund the
jail refused to die. County Judge Buddy Villines said the best way to deal with overcrowding
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over the long-haul was a sales tax increase. Villines told the Quorum Court that a sales tax was
required to expand the jail. In October 2004, Pulaski County’s city mayors lent their support to a
one-forth sale tax increase to fund expansion for more space at the County jail, proposed by
Judge Villines. Little Rock Mayor Jim Dailey said that “It gives us a long-term permanent
solution for additional jail space.” Under Villines’ plan, the tax would raise around $16.5 million
annually, and Little Rock could discontinue its $1.2 million yearly subsidy. Of course, under
this plan, it is obvious why Dailey approved. But another sales tax vote for jail funding did not
come up again until 2006.
Into 2005, the Pulaski County jail faced what seemed like a quagmire of problems. In
February, chief deputy Skipper Polk told a Quorum Court committee that the roof of the old jail
was dilapidated and that they might have to move 160 inmates. In addition, Polk said that they
would probably have to accept fewer prisoners and lower the capacity if they were forced to
close the old jail. Polk estimated that it would cost $500,000 to fix the roof. However, Polk said
that “Putting $500,000 into that old jail is akin to throwing money on Broadway and letting
people pick it up.” What Polk really wanted the Quorum Court to consider was a metal
industrial building at a cost of around $2 million, which could be finished in nine months.
In 2004, the state opened a parole violator center in Malvern, which helped decrease the
state inmate population at the Pulaski County jail. But by October 2005, the county jail faced
major problems. To help the county eliminate a projected $7 million budget shortfall in 2006,
the county planned to remove 325 beds at the county jail. This would cause the jail’s population
capacity to fall to 800. City mayors were also discussing contributing $900,000 to help fund the
jail, but they knew even if this occurred, it would only be a temporary solution. If the cities
made this contribution, the jail’s capacity would be 880 beds, after the 325 beds were removed.
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Judge Buddy Villines wrote that “Pulaski County can no longer shoulder alone the growth in
[jail] expenses. If we are to operate the [facility] at full capacity, we must receive additional
financial resources from our municipal partners.” The contribution from the cities would open
one pod in the old jail, which consisted of 80 beds. Sherwood’s mayor Bill Harmon said: “I’m
100 percent for permanent funding for the jail, and I don’t think it could be done any other way
than a small sales tax.” It was unclear whether Villines meant 1125 was full capacity, or 800,
880, or even 960 beds, which is what it would be after the initial cuts, and then two pods in the
old jail made operational. On October 25, 2005, the Pulaski County Quorum Court voted to close
325 beds at the jail, which set the capacity at 800.
After the cuts were announced, the county immediately released misdemeanor convicts
from the county jail to reach the new 800-bed capacity. In November the Little Rock Board of
Directors agreed to contribute $582,000 of a $1 million multicity supplement to help fund the
jail. But there was a catch. The one-year pledge was contingent on the jail maintaining a
capacity of 960 beds, which was two pods in the old jail. Other cities followed suit but the
county rejected the proposal of 960-bed capacity. County officials claimed that they could not
maintain 960 bends for $1 million. Judge Villines wanted the cities to contribute $810,000 to
maintain 880 bends. Of course, the $810,000 would be in addition to the $2.1 million the cities
already contributed. Eventually, only 245 beds were cut and the jail’s population was set at 880
beds.
Regardless of these measures, going into 2006, a solution was paramount for the county
jail overcrowding crisis. As the Democrat-Gazette reported, “The jail-bed slashing came after a
decade of searching for a jail-funding formula that would sustain its operation.” But this
measure solved nothing other than saving the county money – the jail still had to deal with
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overcrowding. When the jail opened, its budget in 1995 was $11 million, but by 2005 it was
$22.5 million. At the same time, the cities contributed $2.1 million in 2005, which was an
increase of less than a million dollars from 1995.
In early 2006, County Judge Buddy Villines appointed a task force that consisted of
county residents to look into the jail problems. Villines wrote that the task force now had two
priorities – “How large a detention facility do we need and how do we pay for it?” Besides
Villines and the fifteen or sixteen residents, the mayors of the county’s cities also sat on the task
force. From the beginning, however, there was controversy surrounding the group. But they
developed a proposal to help fund the county jail. They proposed a sales tax increase to the
Quorum Court that would either be one-eighth percent – which would bring in $9 million
annually – or a one-quarter cent tax, which would raise $18 million a year. They finally settled
on the one-fourth percent sales tax and asked for the addition of 488 new jail beds. The Quorum
Court approved the proposal from the task force and set September 12, 2006, as the date of a
special election so citizens of Pulaski County could vote on the sales tax increase. Opposition to
the sales tax increase mounted quickly, while the county jail still dealt with overcrowding. Even
task force member Jim Lynch opposed the sales tax increase. In an editorial against the sales tax
increase, which ran in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the writer wrote: “Some day, the
taxpayer is going to get fed up with the county’s misplaced priorities and its forever crying wolf,
or rather crisis! That day needs to be Tuesday, September 12, when the county is holding this
special election.” Apparently, the opposition campaign worked, because as in 1997 and 2002,
predictably, the one-quarter cent sales tax increase to fund the Pulaski County jail failed at the
polls.
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Meanwhile, the county jail continued to fight overcrowding and the crime rate in Pulaski
County was on the rise. One Little Rock police sergeant said his detectives were seeing many
repeat offenders because there was no room for them in the county jail. And through August
2006, violent crimes were up six percent from the same period in 2005. Clearly, as in the rest of
the United States, Pulaski County over the last three or more decades had not learned to properly
fund the county jail or fix overcrowding problems.