Department of Correction
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION Enabling Laws Act 266 of 2016 A.C.A. §12-27-101 et seq. History and Organization In 1838, Governor James S. Conway signed legislation establishing the State Penitentiary. Today, the Department of Correction’s Mission statement is to: Provide public safety by carrying out the mandates of the courts; Provide a safe, humane environment for staff and inmates; Provide programs to strengthen the work ethic; and Provide opportunities for spiritual, mental, and physical growth. The Board of Corrections has constitutional and supervisory power and control over the Arkansas Department of Correction. The Board has seven voting members including the Parole Board Chair, five citizen members and one criminal justice faculty member employed at a four- year Arkansas university. Each member is appointed by the Governor and serves a seven-year term. The Department’s Director reports directly to the Board as the agency’s chief executive, administrative and fiscal officer. The Director is responsible for the agency’s philosophy, mission and operations. The Department has six Deputy or Assistant Directors that oversee various areas: . Institutions (Correctional Facilities) are divided between the Chief Deputy Director who is responsible for Varner/Supermax, Cummins, East Arkansas Regional Unit, the Wrightsville Complex, the Pine Bluff Complex, and the Tucker Unit along with the ADC Farm Program, Emergency Preparedness and the K-9 Units; and the Deputy Director for Institutions who is responsible for the Ouachita River Unit, the Newport Complex (Grimes and McPherson), the North Central Unit, the Delta Unit, and the four work release units: Benton, North West (Springdale), Mississippi County, and Texarkana.
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