Arkansas women's center eases jail overcrowding

By The Associated Press

FAYETTEVILLE — Northwest Arkansas' new residential treatment center for women is freeing up jail beds and helping rehabilitate nonviolent offenders, officials say.

The Northwest Arkansas Community Correction Center opened this spring, making it the second residential treatment center for women in Arkansas. Washington County Sheriff Tim Helder says the new center - housed in the former Washington County jail - has been a win-win situation for the county.

"It's been a real positive for the community," Helder said. "The facility really gave us a boost right off the bat. Prior to the opening, we had about 70 or 80 females at the jail. We've seen a steady decline with 58 women at the jail today."

The community correction department has similar centers in Texarkana, Osceola, North Little Rock and Pine Bluff, though only the Pine Bluff center is for women. The centers focus on behavior modification and provide an alternative to a traditional prison sentence, often to those convicted of drug sentences.

Before the Fayetteville center opened, women sentenced in the community correction program had to wait months in jail for a spot at a treatment center, Helder said.

"We had no choice before but to turn them loose when the jail was full," Helder said.

Center supervisor Maggie Capel says the families can visit relatives more often at the treatment center.

"A lot of these women are mothers," Capel said. "The family can't be expected to drive three or four hours to see them."

Officials say the average stay at the center is nine months, though some women stay for up to two years.

A typical day for the inmates starts at 4:30 a.m. with breakfast, followed by a morning meeting at 6:30 a.m. and three or four hours of group therapy in addition to their normal chores. Classes on criminal thinking, substance abuse, anger management and life skills are offered, Capel said. For those inmates without a high school diploma, GED classes are mandatory, Capel said.

"We're very strict about abiding by the rules," Capel said. "We're very high on discipline and structure, but we also need to teach them how to have fun the right way. The way they used to have fun just wasn't working for them."