Ark. Prisons Cutting Spending

LITTLE ROCK, Ark - Arkansas prison officials say spending will be trimmed so the system can afford to keep using a recently completed addition to a unit at Malvern that can house up to 360 inmates.

The state Corrections Board was told at a meeting Tuesday that spending on maintenance and operations at other prisons would be cut, and service bonuses for employees would be eliminated. The prison officials said that would to provide funds to pay guards at the Ouachita River Unit in Malvern.

The cuts, plus $5.8 million in one-time money from Gov. Mike Beebe's contingency fund, were included in a $301 million budget that the Corrections Board approved Tuesday for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins Thursday.

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Information from: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, http://www.arkansasonline.com

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