Arkansas Prisons

Rep. Jimmy Gazaway, R-Paragould, says he hopes to eliminate parole entirely for certain violent offenses.

Attorney General Tim Griffin is calling on lawmakers to increase prison bed space in Arkansas.

The “Truth in Sentencing and Parole Reform Act" would change existing laws on sentencing and parole in Arkansas. The legislature will convene in January.

Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde says more prison bed space is needed to help curb a rise in violent crime in central Arkansas.

Authorities say Samuel Hartman, 38, escaped from a work detail on Friday at the East Arkansas Regional Unit at Brickeys. He and an accomplice reportedly fired at officers.

A $738,000 federal grant will go toward upgrading telemedicine equipment at 36 hospitals and prisons in rural parts of the state.

“The First Step” is being screened Friday at 6 p.m. at the Ron Robinson Theater in Little Rock.

The $2 million project was necessitated by locks failing. Sheriff Eric Higgins says additional work is needed for the aging facility.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Tuesday that Health Secretary Dr. José Romero has accepted a position with the CDC. The governor also announced an effort to combat violent crime.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed two bills related to police funding on Tuesday as lawmakers gave final approval to a roughly $6 billion state budget.