Arkansas To Emphasize Rehabilitation In Drive To Curb Crowding, Cut Costs

Sep 29, 2026

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Arkansas has approved prison budgets prioritizing rehabilitation to relieve overcrowding while reducing costs. The state is operating above capacity for both male and female offenders, and emergency actions earlier in the year expanded releases and increased spending to secure jail beds for more inmates. The new plan leans on drug courts and community facilities for parole violators and adds support for a new facility for sex offenders, with concerns that funding expansions may be difficult next year.

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Arkansas To Emphasize Rehabilitation In Drive To Curb Crowding, Cut Costs

FLORIDA Enagts HIVTEST, EDUCATION LAW

MASSACHUSETTS EYES $10 FEE AS SUBSIDY

July 12,2002 Vol.33,No.28 IN THIS ISSUE Massachusetts Weighs $10Fee To Subsidize Prisons……2Connecticut Budget CutsClose All Drug Courts……2Nebraska Contract With INSSave Prison From Closing...3Indiana Bars Contact WithInmates As Probe Widen....3Drug Crimes Boost MainePrison Population 9%………3 IN THE COURTS 4th Circuit Upholds SingleCells For Homosexuals………4California On Waivers……4California Rules Trading ChildPorn Enhances Sentence……4California Blocks Lower CourtFrom Setting Precedent……5Florida Delay Of ExecutionsWins U.S.Suppor…………5New Jersey Allows CivilConfinement OfPredators..5 ACROSS THE STATES Colorado,Massachusetts……6Minnesota,Nevada,Ohio….6Tennessee,Texas………………6Utah,Virginia……………7 FUNDING Drug Abuse,Mental Health.7Child Sexual Abuse…………7 M.L.King Service Grants ...7Substance Abuse Policies.…7 CorrectionS DIGEST ,The only independent news service for.the corrections professional # Arkansas To Emphasize RehabilitationIn Drive To Curb Crowding,Cut Costs The Arkansas Board of Correc-tion has unanimously approved budgets with heavy emphasis on re-habilitation to help ease overcrowd-ing and cut costs. The Corrections Department is5 percent over its 10,550 capacityfor male offenders and 13 percentover its 662 capacity for females. In emergency moves earlier thisyear,Arkansas released more than500 low-level offenders and paidmore than $8 million to county jailsto provide beds for more than 1,000state prisoners. The new plan relies heavily ondrug courts and community facili-ties for 1,000 parole violators. The rehabilitation programwould also provide funding for anew 300-bed facility for sex offend-ers. Gov.Mike Huckabee said theproposals fit his vision for slowingthe growth of prison construction,although funding new or expandedprograms could be tough next year. "This is consistent with whatI've been proposing for a longtime,"the governor said. The Arkansas Board of Correc-tion earlier this year voted to accel-erate paroles including the releaseof 552 inmates to free beds in pris-ons and jails holding a record high 12,500 inmates. Arkansas is housing more than 1,000 state prisoners in county jailsbecause of insufficient space,whichhas spurred sheriffs into filing com-plaints that the delays in transfersare impactingjail operations. The department is also convert-ing some maximum-security beds atthe Varner unit into medium secu-rity,which require fewer officers tosupervise.Arkansas has more than200 officer vacancies. The changes in policy are de-signed to deal with an average of 90new convictions each month and arealization that the state cannotbuild itself out of its housing prob-lem for prisoners,the governor said. ## FLORIDA ENAGTS HIVTEST,EDUCATION LAW Florida Gov.Jeb Bush signed abill that would require correctionalfacilities to test all offenders forHIV before release and provideeducation for those testing positive. The new testing measure wouldgo into effect in September.Cur-rently,inmate testing is voluntary. Florida,which has the nation'ssecond highest HIV rate amongprisoners,expects to release 26,000offenders over the next 12 months. The AIDS infection rate in stateprisons is 12 times higher than that Page 2 of the general population.Amongfemale prisoners,the rate is 60times that of women on the outside. The new law requires testing ofoffenders 60 days before their re-lease. For those testing positive,au-thorities would provide 30 days'worth of medication and connectthem with healthcare and serviceproviders in the communities theyare returning to. The results of positive testswould be given only to the inmate,the Florida Department of Healthand the county health departmentwhere the offender will live.Testresults would also be included in theoffender's medical records. The legislature provided nearly$800,000 for medical costs forHIV/AIDS testing and related carein correctional facilities in the nextfiscal year. ## MASSACHUSETTS EYES$10 FEE AS SUBSI

FAQs

How will Florida’s new law change HIV testing in correctional facilities?

It requires testing all offenders for HIV before release and provides education and medication for those who test positive, with details handled through health and medical records.

Sep 29, 2026

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