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Arkansas profile
Arkansas has an incarceration rate of 912 per 100,000 people (including prisons, jails, immigration detention, and juvenile justice facilities), meaning that it locks up a higher percentage of its people than any independent democratic country on earth. Read on to learn more about who is incarcerated in Arkansas and why.
27,000 people from Arkansas are behind bars
Additionally, the number of people impacted by county and city jails in Arkansas is much larger than the graph above would suggest, because people cycle through local jails relatively quickly. Each year, at least 45,000 different people are booked into local jails in Arkansas.
Rates of imprisonment have grown dramatically in the last 40 years
More than third of the people held in jails in Arkansas are held for federal or state agencies, primarily the state prison system. To avoid counting them twice, this population is not included in the yellow jails line. For annual counts of people in jails held for federal or state authorizes in Arkansas, see our table "Jail and prison incarcerated populations by state over time."
Also see these Arkansas graphs:
- total numbers rather than rates.
- Women’s prisons: Incarceration Rates | Total Population
- Men’s prisons: Incarceration Rates | Total Population
This graph excludes people held for state or federal authorities from the total count of people held in Arkansas jails. Because a significant proportion (39%) of the population in Arkansas’s jails is held for the state prison system, this graph likely overstates the convicted population and understates the pre-trial population.
Today, Arkansas’s incarceration rates stand out internationally
People of color are overrepresented in prisons and jails
Arkansas's criminal justice system is more than just its prisons and jails
Reports and briefings about Arkansas's criminal legal system:
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- People on probation in Arkansas are saddled with onerous rules and conditions they must follow every day or risk incarceration.
- Prisons in Arkansas have tablets, but they may be being used to restrict incarcerated people’s access to books and sap them of the little money they have.
- With an incarceration rate of 912 per 100,000 residents, Arkansas locks up a higher percentage of its people than any independent democratic country on earth.
- After the Dobbs’ decision, striking down Roe v. Wade, Arkansas totally banned abortion, putting access to the service effectively out of reach for the 17,400 women on probation or parole in the state who also face travel restrictions.
- Prisons in Arkansas force incarcerated people and their families — some of the most vulnerable members of society — to subsidize mass incarceration.
- 67% of people in Arkansas jails have not been convicted of a crime, meaning they're legally innocent. There are simple steps the state can take to reduce this number. Why isn't it?
- Arkansas releases roughly 132,988 men and 47,413 women from its prisons and jails each year. What is it doing to support them upon reentry?
- Arkansas is home to one of the worst prison gerrymanders in the nation.
- Arkansas is one of a handful of states passing "tough on crime" laws straight out of the '90s
- People on parole in Arkansas can be sent back to prison for "associating" with anyone who has a felony conviction — even loved ones who are trying to support them
- Black people in Arkansas are incarcerated at a rate 3.3 times higher than white people.
- Arkansas's choice to criminalize "failure to appear" may be hurting public safety
- The cost of incarcerating older people is incredibly high, and their risk of reincarceration is incredibly low, yet 13% of people in Arkansas prisons are over the age of 55. Why is the state keeping so many older people locked up?
- Arkansas is one of four states that provides privacy protections for incarcerated people communicating with members of the press.
- In Arkansas, 27,000 people are incarcerated and another 64,000 are on probation or parole.
- Arkansas charges up to 50¢ for an e-message to or from prison, among the highest rates in the nation.
- Jails in Arkansas charge up to $5.25 for a 15-minute phone call, reaping profits for companies, while prisons charge $2.10 for a 15-minute call.
- Arkansas prisons are replacing incarcerated people's personal mail with scans, stifling family contact
- Bail companies in Arkansas have a track record of avoiding accountability, our report All Profit, No Risk and review of state-by-state evidence show
- How the end of Roe v. Wade will impact the 13,577 women on probation and parole in Arkansas
- Arkansas prisons charge people a $5 medical copay to see a health care provider.
- If a person in Arkansas prisons has more than $10 in their commissary account, they may not qualify for assistance to purchase essentials like hygiene items and postage.
- Arkansas prisons charge families up to a 10% fee to transfer money to an incarcerated loved one.
- We gave Arkansas a failing grade in September 2021 for its response to the coronavirus in prisons.
- Arkansas hurts jury diversity by excluding people with felony records
- How many COVID-19 cases in Arkansas communities can be linked to outbreaks in correctional facilities? (data from our report Mass Incarceration, COVID-19, and Community Spread)
- We graded the parole release systems of all 50 states - Arkansas gets an F
- Arkansas incarcerates women at a rate of 198 per 100,000 residents — higher than any democratic country on earth.
- People in Arkansas prisons earn nothing for their work.
- Arkansas is 1 of only 8 states still suspending driver's licenses for drug offenses unrelated to driving
Other resources
- Research on Arkansas in our Research Library
