Lawmaker Proposes Two 500-Bed Northwest Arkansas Prisons
State Rep. Steve Unger suggests redirecting funds from a cancelled Franklin County megaprison to smaller facilities in Washington County.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Criminal Justice
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State Rep. Steve Unger, R-Springdale, proposed building two 500-bed prisons in Northwest Arkansas during a joint Judiciary Committee meeting Tuesday. He suggested using funds set aside for a 3,000-bed megaprison in Franklin County to pay for the smaller facilities.
Why it matters
The proposal comes as the Franklin County prison, announced two years ago by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, has faced political headwinds and is described by Department of Corrections officials as cancelled. The committee's discussion also touched on reducing the number of prison beds needed statewide and better preparing inmates for release.
The proposal is a legislative suggestion from one lawmaker rather than an enacted plan, and the source provides no cost figures or timeline for construction. The three-hour committee session produced no reported decision on funding redirection.
The players
Steve Unger
Unger is a Republican state representative from Springdale who serves in the Arkansas House and proposed the Northwest Arkansas prison plan.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Sanders is the Republican governor of Arkansas who announced the original Franklin County megaprison two years before the current proposal.
The details
Unger told lawmakers that Washington County has the infrastructure and population to host the facilities. The committee spent three hours hearing testimony and discussing ways to reduce the number of prison beds Arkansas needs, as well as how to better prepare inmates for release from custody.
Timeline
Two years before the proposal, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced the 3,000-bed Franklin County prison.
Tuesday, November 10, 2026: Unger proposed the two 500-bed prisons at a joint Judiciary Committee meeting.
Legal Context
The proposal reverses the state's earlier approach of consolidating prison capacity into a single large Franklin County facility announced by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. It instead shifts toward two smaller facilities in Washington County, reflecting ongoing debate over how many prison beds Arkansas needs.
If approved, the Washington County facilities would bring two 500-bed prisons to Northwest Arkansas, which could affect local employment and public services in the area. Residents would have to watch for committee votes and site decisions that determine where the facilities are built.
The takeaway
Prison capacity decisions in Arkansas are increasingly being debated as competing proposals, and a shift from one megaprison to several smaller facilities would change both cost and location. Watching committee follow-up will show whether the idea gains traction.
Further reading
For more on the state's approach, see Criminal Justice coverage across Arkansas.
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Should Arkansas build new prisons rather than reduce how many beds it needs?
