Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced the appointment of Brandon Tollett, a resident of Hot Springs Village, to the Arkansas Board of Corrections last week, December 29.
Tollett has taken over as the organization’s leader in place of outgoing member Whitney Gass, who has been critical of the governor and her plans to increase the number of jail beds in the state.
Tollett said that he was honored that Governor Sanders had chosen to appoint him to the Arkansas Board of Corrections. He also expressed his anticipation of collaborating with the board and fulfilling their duty to the people of Arkansas.
On the subject of who has the last word on the addition of prison beds, this plan is at the core of lawsuits that are being filed between the board and Governor Sanders.
Today, the related cases will have their subsequent hearing.
In December, the Sanders administration reportedly circumvented the board’s decision and added hundreds of new beds, as stated in an Associated Press report. Alexa Henning, a spokesperson for Sanders, explained that the move followed the board’s approval of 124 beds at one prison while rejecting the addition of 368 beds at two other prisons.
The board has maintained that they have been hesitant to add the requested beds because of staffing issues and overcrowding. In addition, the board has emphasized the importance of employee and inmate safety.
More than 1,600 more state inmates are currently being housed in county jails in Arkansas. The state’s prisons are currently operating at or near capacity.
The most recent position that Brandon Tollett has held is that of director of safety at Ouachita Baptist University of Arkansas. His term on the Board of Corrections will expire in the year 2030, on December 31st.
Source: https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/gov-sanders-appoints-tollett-to-board-of-corrections/91-91e9f5c7-b828-4504-bbf3-35e2644953b8