Washington County Detention Center experiencing overcrowding; detainees sleeping on floor

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A local detention center is working to manage an overcrowding issue that has left many detained individuals forced to sleep on the ground.

The Washington County Detention Center says it comfortably operates at 80% capacity or about 580 people. However, today the jail reported a high count of more than 800.

Sheriff Jay Cantrell says that cell blocks that typically house 30 people are now at times holding more than 50. He says trying to find a solution to the issue is something that keeps him awake at night.

Cantrell began his career at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office more than 40 years ago, and chronic overcrowding is something he’s seen for many years, especially with an increasing population.

“Our numbers are growing, and more and more people are coming to jail and staying longer,” said Cantrell.

The jail has 710 beds in total, but Cantrell says they like to leave room to maintain safety. However, now that the detention center is housing more than 800 people, there’s little room for comfort.

“How many people are actually sleeping on the floor today? And that number runs from 130 to 260 typically people sleeping on the floor,” said Cantrell.

Cantrell says he orders the release of many nonviolent offenders and people facing misdemeanor charges each month. In August, Cantrell released 405 people on “sheriff’s order,” but there is still not enough to relieve the crowding, and the problem is statewide.

“The state is obviously overcrowded too in their prison system. So, we have people backed up waiting to go to prison. About 2,000 on any given day across the state of Arkansas, are waiting in county jails to get down to the state prison,” said Cantrell.

In November 2022, a proposed jail expansion hit the ballot. However, residents voted down the measures. Sarah Moore, Executive Director of Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition, says she voted “no” herself, and believes expansion is not the correct answer.

“The county should invest in pretrial services for $600,000 a year. We would have been able to get a couple hundred or more individuals safely out of the jail and into more appropriate levels of care,” said Moore.

She says it’s discouraging to see hundreds of jailed people living in bad conditions, but it’s also not helpful to the community.

“It’s incredibly disheartening that we have over a hundred of our community members that are sleeping on the floor because it’s unnecessary. It’s not improving community safety. It is not helping that individual or their family to have the stability that they need. And it’s costing us a lot of money,” said Moore.

Cantrell says additional measures are being taken to help reduce the crowding, including things like an electronic monitoring system, GED programs to give individuals the tools to succeed, as well as a soon-to-be mental health court that will help up to 20 people.

Cantrell also says there is a discussion taking place about a potential jail expansion.

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