NCJ Number
113402
Date Published
1986
Length
155 pages
Annotation
This book details the history of the Arkansas prison system from 1836 to 1986.
Abstract
Written by a former inmate in the Arkansas prison system, the book begins with a study of prison reform in the American colonies and examines changes proposed by Quakers in Pennsylvania. The first penitentiary in Arkansas was modeled on the proposed Pennsylvania system and was destroyed in a convict revolt in 1846. After the Civil War, Arkansas, like many other States, contracted with private business interests for the management of its prisons. These lease holders then took charge of the convicts and used their labor to make a profit. There was little State supervision of lease holders and their methods of managing prison conditions. After many abuses, the lease system was eventually abolished in Arkansas in 1893, and a State penitentiary under the control of a prison board composed of the governor, the secretary of state, and the attorney general was established. The book discusses how the Great Depression and New Deal legislation affected prison policy in Arkansas. Additionally, it details the largest prison break in Arkansas history, which occurred in 1940. Serious prison practices -- considered cruel and unusual punishment -- are detailed. The book concludes with a discussion of the present-day prison system in Arkansas. 246 footnotes