Arkansas The Un-Natural State

The Foundation of Scandals

In this episode, we are going back in time to the very beginning, 1838, when the first penitentiary was built on the site that is now occupied by the Arkansas State Capitol. The history is marked by a series of transformations from a single state penitentiary to a system of prison farms and eventually a modern department of corrections, including community corrections. We are going to address the challenges our Prison system faces and why our government or Prison System cannot overcome the issues causing our state to have such a high incarceration and recidivism rate. We will get a clear understanding of the problem by talking with those going through it. The inmates, the parolees, and the employees of the Prison system.