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Why does Craighead County need a new jail?

The Craighead County jail holds anyone arrested within the county. That includes anyone arrested by the Bay, Bono, Brookland, Cash, Jonesboro, Lake City, Monette, or Caraway police departments, as well as the Arkansas State Police.

Our jail is over 35 years old and hasn’t had a new bed added in over 20 years.

In those 35 years, the population of Craighead County has more than doubled while and our jail has not kept up.

The current jail is set up to hold 385 inmates, but we consistently have over 400, opening the county up to potential lawsuits.

The proposed jail would have over 700 beds. Our existing jail would then be remodeled/repurposed to help ensure we are able to operate the jail with current revenues.

Because our jail is overcrowded, Judges have no where they can put criminals. This has led to misdemeanor criminals being set free.

These criminals are staying on our streets and encourage more crime because they know they can get away with it.

How much will my taxes go up?

The county is asking for a half cent sales tax, which is 50 cents for every $100 you spend in the county.

This is a temporary tax that goes away in eight years. If the jail bonds are paid off quicker than that, the tax goes away.

The half-cent sales tax is only allowed to be used to pay off the bonds used for jail construction.

The county will use existing revenue to continue paying for jail maintenance and operating expenses. The temporary tax will not be used for these purposes.

Unlike a majority of counties across the country, Craighead County has been financially responsible, however we do run on a tight budget. While the county does have money in the bank, it is all in the middle of cash flow and has been budgeted for various projects, grants, and public safety measures.

This temporary tax ensures we remain financially responsible and will only be used to fund the construction of the new jail, which will have enough capacity to serve the county for over the next 20 years.

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