Arkansas Inmate Search

Arkansas state prisons, with an operational capacity of 15,431, are home to about 17,129 inmates. Similarly, county jails across the state accommodate up to 9,928 inmates annually. Pilaski, Sebastian, and Fau;ker counties have the highest inmate admissions annually at 471, 436, and 290, respectively.

Inmate searches in Arkansas are essential for families and friends wishing to locate and keep in touch with incarcerated loved ones. Conducting an inmate search helps them know the facility of incarceration to visit or to send mail. Likewise, legal professionals conduct inmate searches to locate their clients within the state's correctional system. Inmate searches also help law enforcement officers with information, such as inmates' status and location, when building their case.

What is Arkansas Inmate Lookup?

Arkansas Inmate Lookup is an online tool provided by the Arkansas Department of Corrections (ADC) that allows people to search for and get information about individuals in state prisons or correctional facilities. The ADC allows inmate lookup using the Inmate Search tool. Additionally, record seekers may look up inmate records from the state using VINELink.

Arkansas inmate lookup tool allows families, friends, legal practitioners, and the public to access essential inmate information. Families and friends may conduct inmate searches to know the facility where their loved one is incarcerated so they may visit or send mail. Also, legal practitioners look up inmate information to check their client's status or location to manage legal proceedings effectively. Generally, Arkansas inmate lookup is essential for providing transparency and accountability in the state's legal system.

What Information Can You Find in an Arkansas Inmate Search?

When you conduct inmate searches in Arkansas, you gain access to essential information about individuals housed in state correctional facilities. This information is useful to family members, legal professionals, and anyone in need of accurate updates about an inmate's status. You can find the following information when you conduct inmate searches:

• Personal details, including the inmate's full name, aliases, date of birth, gender, race, and other personal identifiers
• ADC number
• Facility location
• Current and prior prison sentence history
• Program achievements
• Parole or Transfer eligibility date

How Are Inmate Records in Arkansas Created and Stored?

Arkansas inmate records are created when someone is arrested by local law enforcement. The first document filled out is a RAP sheet which includes personal details like name, address, and phone number and then information about the crime(s). From there, anything that happens to the prisoner, such as moving to a new location, the file is updated. These files are computerized and kept in a central database for all law enforcement to share, update, and review.

The Arkansas Department of Correction (ADC) is the entity in charge of these records. Inmate records in Arkansas are updated daily and are available for anyone who may utilize the inmate lookup tool to perform inmate searches.

What Does Arkansas's Prison System Look Like?

Arkansas operates multiple state prison facilities, varying in size, security level, and inmate capacity. There are seventeen correctional facilities in Arkansas with capacity to accommodate 15,497 beds. In addition, Arkansas counties each have a county jail that operates within their local jurisdiction. The county jails have an operational capacity of 15,216 beds.

The ADC has a workforce of 4,520 officers, with 74% as security personnel and 26% as non-security staff. County jails in Arkansas serve state prison inmates due to overcrowding issues. Therefore, Arkansas state prisons have 1,743 inmates housed across county jails. The ADC classifies inmates based on 4 security levels.

Class I inmates are minimum security facilities that house inmates with the lowest risk. Class II inmates are housed in medium security facilities and require a moderate level of supervision with some restrictions. Class III facilities are maximum security facilities, accommodating inmates who pose a higher risk and require strict supervision. Class IV correctional facilities house supermax inmates who need the highest level of security due to extreme behavior issues.

Prison records provide information on incarcerated persons within the state's correctional system. You may access Arkansas prison records using the online inmate lookup tool on the ADC website. Likewise, prison records for inmates held in county jails are accessible at the local sheriff's offices.

Types of Correctional Facilities in Arkansas

Arkansas has an abundance of state prisons that house inmates of all types. Some facilities are specifically designed to hold dangerous criminals in need of supermax security, while others hold white-collar criminals. Some units are just for women. Arkansas has only one federal prison, but it has two sections/buildings; one for low security and one for medium security inmates. The state also has quite a few juvenile detention centers aimed at getting delinquents back on track. Each of Arkansas's 75 state counties has a county jail. Arkansas also has two work release centers to help prisoners stay busy and re-enter society more smoothly. All inmate records are kept consolidated in one database making it easy to look up an Arkansas inmate.

Arkansas State Prisons

Arkansas has quite a few state prisons, each with different demographics and a specific purpose in mind. They have varying levels of custody and a center for women inmates only. The list is as follows:

• Barbara Ester Unit - continuing education unit for inmates
• Benton Unit
• Cummins Unit
• Delta Regional Unit
• East Arkansas Regional Unit
• Grimes Unit
• J. Aaron Hawkins, Sr. Center - women's only prison
• Larry B. Norris Unit (formerly Maximum Security Unit)
• McPherson Unit
• North Central Unit
• Ouachita River Correctional Unit
• Pine Bluff Unit
• Randall L. Williams Correctional Facility
• Texarkana Regional Correction Center
• Tucker Unit
• Varner/Varner Supermax Unit
• Wrightsville Unit

Arkansas is highly committed to treatment programs for inmates with addiction problems and continuing education while incarcerated.

Arkansas County Jails

The state of Arkansas has seventy-six county jails across 75 total counties. County jails are managed and overseen by the local Sheriff's Offices in the counties where they reside. Due to overcrowding and the need for reform, many counties are working on a plan to expand the jail system to house additional inmates more comfortably. The list of some county jails in Arkansas includes:

• Baxter County Jail
• Benton County Jail
• Catoosa County Jail
• Cobb County Jail
• Columbia County Jail
• Cross County Jail
• Independence County Jail
• Madison County Jail
• Poinsett County Jail
• St. Francis County Jail
• Union County Jail
• Washington County Jail

Jail records are official documents that provide information on persons being held in the county jail. Most sheriff departments offer online search tools to conduct jail inmate searches for persons being held at the county jails. Also, you may access Arkansas jail records by visiting the sheriff's office.

Arkansas Juvenile Detention Centers

Arkansas also has six juvenile detention centers to house youth offenders under the age of 18. These centers are all managed and operated by the Arkansas Department of Human Services, and they fall outside the jurisdiction of the ADOC. The list includes:

• Harrisburg Juvenile Treatment Center - serious offender program for males
• Mansfield Juvenile Treatment Center/ Mansfield Juvenile Treatment Center for Girls - serious female offenders
• Dermott Juvenile Treatment Center - high-tech center for serious offenders
• Dermott Juvenil e Correctional Facility - short-term facility with a capacity of 32, males only
• Lewisville Juvenile Treatment Center - specializes in youths with disruptive issues
• Arkansas Juvenile Assessment & Treatment Center (AJATC) - serves both males and females and has a maximum-security unit for violent offenders. This facility also handles intake for most new juvenile delinquent

Arkansas Community Correctional Facilities

Arkansas has three work release and reentry programs to help inmates adjust to life outside of prison. The three work release facilities are:

• Pine Bluff Re-Entry Center - only has a capacity of 54.
• Mississippi County Work Release Center - with a capacity of 121, this unit includes Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)/Narcotics Anonymous (NA) Programs, a GED Program; Regional Maintenance; Substance Abuse Education; and a Work Release program.
• Northwest Arkansas Work Release Center – with a capacity for 100 inmates this facility offers a GED Program; Life Skills, and Work Release.

These facilities are staffed with professionally trained employees to help inmates create meaningful lives after incarceration.

Why are People Incarcerated in Arkansas?

People are incarcerated in Arkansas for a wide range of offenses, which are categorized into nonviolent crimes and violent crimes. Nonviolent crimes typically involve illegal activities that do not require physically harming others. Some common nonviolent crimes in Arkansas include drug possession, drug distribution, burglary, shoplifting, vandalism, and white-collar offenses such as identity theft, check fraud, and embezzlement.

Violent crimes involve physical harm or threat of harm to another person. Violent offenses are considered serious offenses in Arkansas. Examples include assault and battery, manslaughter, murder, and sexual offenses.

Arkansas encourages rehabilitation programs for nonviolent offenders. These programs typically include drug treatment and educational training aimed at reintegrating offenders into society as productive individuals and reducing the chances of reoffense. However, for violent offenders, incarceration is often required to ensure public safety.

The Arkansas inmate search tool allows the public, legal professionals, and families to find information about individuals in custody. By conducting an inmate search, users can access information such as the inmate's incarceration status, offense details, and estimated release date.

Arkansas's Incarceration Rate and Statistics

Between 2016 and 2022, Arkansas experiences a moderate decline in its incarceration rate. In 2016, Arkansas had an incarceration rate of 583 per 100,000 residents. By 2022, this rate had decreased to about 574 inmates per 100,000 people. Likewise, the number of persons incarcerated in the state decreased by 2% over the 7-year period, from 17,537 to 17,129. The state had its highest incarceration rate in 2020 at 942 inmates per 100,000 residents.

The table below shows Arkansas' year-end incarceration rate over a 7-year period.

Life After Incarceration in Arkansas

It is difficult transitioning back into society after incarceration, as individuals face the challenges of securing a job, finding stable housing, furthering their education, and reconnecting with family. Recidivism, the tendency for an ex-inmate to reoffend, is high in Arkansas. The state ranks 3rd at 57%, implying that over half of those released return to incarceration within three years.

Therefore, to reduce the high recidivism rate, the Arkansas Division of Correction Reentry Services offers resources to help individuals transition back into the community. The program provides assistance that covers substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment, transitional housing, employment, access to healthcare, and educational programs. Furthermore, some local authorities offer reentry programs, such as the City of Little Rock Reentry Program, designed for nonviolent convictions.

How Does Parole Work in Arkansas?

Arkansas defines parole as "early release from state prison to community supervision". They continue to explain that "The parolee must follow strict conditions of release, which are set by the Parole Board and include reporting to a parole officer. A revocation hearing judge determines if a parolee violates their conditions of supervision and if re-incarceration in prison or a community correction center is appropriate". As of December 2022, the state had about 22,780 inmates on parole.

Arkansas Parole Population in 2022

How Does Someone Get Probation in Arkansas?

When someone is convicted of a crime in Arkansas, the judge determining the sentence can offer an alternative of probation rather than send the offender to prison. Probation is usually set for a term longer than one year. However, the offender must agree to required meetings with a parole officer along with other stipulations. If any of the terms of probation are violated, the offender may be sent to prison for the remainder of their sentence. Arkansas had 43,090 individuals on probation in 2022.

Arkansas Probation Population in 2022