Arkansas leaders weigh in on proposed Charleston prison [Video]

CHARLESTON, Ark. — On Oct. 31 Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced the purchase of land in Franklin County to serve as the site of a future state prison.

In a press release and radio interview, Sanders explained that the project boasts around 3,000 beds, hoping to alleviate the state’s prison bed shortage.

In the wake of the announcement, 5NEWS spoke to county leaders from Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley to gauge their thoughts on the prison’s potential to ease the prison bed shortage in the state and how it may affect their counties.

Crowding in jails is a statewide issue, due to a backlog of inmates waiting for a bed in state prisons. Washington County Judge Patrick Deakins said the county has hundreds of people in their jail sleeping on the floor. 

“We’re really concerned about who we have in that facility, but also who we don’t have in the facility, who …