We Don’t Need a Bigger Jail — We Need a Bigger Imagination

Letter: Better alternatives than a new jail in Penobscot County

"Spending up to $100 million on a new jail when a $2.5 million-per-year alternative could solve the underlying problems is fiscally irresponsible."

We don’t need a bigger jail — We need a bigger imagination

Let’s invest in solutions that strengthen lives, not strategies that shatter them. The only thing more expensive than building a jail is the cost of failing to imagine a better way.

Arkansas prison board member calls for less expensive options to 3,000-bed penitentiary

Arkansas Board of Corrections member Lee Watson, right, answers questions from the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee on Friday, June 6, 2025. (Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate)A member of the Arkansas Board of Corrections challenged legislators about the need for a new 3,000-bed prison and offered less expensive alternatives on Monday. The corrections board “is acutely aware” of the need for a new facility, Lee Watson wrote in an email, but has n…

Guest Opinion: We don't need a bigger jail - we need a bigger imagination

Yellowstone County’s plan to spend up to $469 million—yes, nearly half a billion dollars—on a jail expansion (1,552 beds) is a masterclass in doing the wrong thing more expensively. It’s the civic equivalent of trying to cure a headache by…

Arkansas prison board member calls for less expensive options to 3,000-bed penitentiary - Conduit News Arkansas

Arkansas prison board member calls for less expensive options to 3,000-bed penitentiary by Sonny Albarado, Arkansas AdvocateJuly 23, 2025 A member of the Arkansas Board of Corrections challenged legislators about the need for a new 3,000-bed prison and offered less expensive alternatives on Monday. The corrections board “is acutely aware” of the need for a new facility, Lee Watson wrote in an email, but has never asked for a 3,000-bed prison, an…