Pulaski County jail reopens to all offenders

The Pulaski County jail reopened to all offenders Monday after having been closed to low-level offenders since April 29, deputies said.

Sheriff Doc Holladay and other jail officials in April determined that crowding at the facility had reached a critical state and closed it to nonviolent, nonfelony offenders. It reopened at 8 a.m. after the population dipped to 1,126, shy of the 1,210 intended capacity, sheriff’s office Lt. Carl Minden said in a statement.

Law enforcement agencies in the county are being notified, Minden added

It was the second time in the past three years that the jail has “closed” because of crowding.

The Arkansas Sheriffs' Association has asked Gov. Mike Beebe to call a special legislative session to address jail crowding issues statewide. The group wants a cap on the number of state inmates allowed at county jails, as well as funding for private facilities outside Arkansas to house state inmates through the next fiscal year.

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