
Arkansas has purchased land for $2.95 million to build a new prison that officials hope will ease a backlog of state inmates in county jails, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and corrections officials announced Thursday.
The state announced it had purchased 815 acres (330 hectares) in Charleston, located about 106 miles (170 kilometers) northwest of Little Rock. The state Board of Corrections must approve the prison site before construction can begin.