An overhaul of Arkansas' sentencing laws was approved by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The legislation will require anyone convicted of certain offenses to serve 100% of their sentence.
approved an overhaul of the state's sentencing laws Tuesday that will eliminate parole eligibility for certain violent offenses.
"No more letting violent offenders back on the street without serious prison time," Sanders said at a bill signing ceremony at State Police headquarters.The sentencing overhaul comes as parts of Arkansas have seen a spike in crime in the past year. Arkansas' capital of Little Rock reported a record number of homicides last year.
Critics of the sentencing changes have cast doubt on whether they will reduce crime and said the measure could further crowd a prison system that is already beyond capacity. More than 2,000 state inmates are being held in local jails to ease the crowding. The state’s prisons are at least 106% above capacity, according to the Department of Corrections.
The Corrections Department plans to open 500 beds at prisons around the state within the next month as a temporary measure, Secretary Joe Profiri said.
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