By REMINGTON MILLER & MICHAEL HIBBLEN
Arkansas ranks near the top of other states and countries in the percentage of people in prisons, according to a report released this month by the Prison Policy Initiative. The organization also said the United States incarcerates more citizens per capita than any other country. The report says “every U.S. state relies too heavily on prisons and jails to respond to crime.”
Wanda Bertram, communications strategist for the Prison Policy Initiative, said this year’s report found Arkansas is incarcerating the fifth most people per capita of any U.S. state.
Arkansas has an incarceration rate of 942 per 100,000 people, the report said.
Cummins Prison in southeast Arkansas is one of the state's maximum security facilities. A new report ranked Arkansas fifth compared to other states and countries in the percentage of people in prisons.
CREDIT MICHAEL HIBBLEN / KUAR NEWS