The Arkansas Board of Corrections voted 4-3 to settle a multi-year lawsuit with the state Monday. The settlement involved two separate but intertwined legal disputes between the board and the state.
In 2023, former Corrections Secretary Joe Profiri attempted to add beds to a prison without board approval. As previously reported by the Arkansas Advocate, an internal audit said the prisons did not have the staff or facilities to accommodate the new beds.
The same year, Profiri was suspended by the board. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders wanted to reinstate Profiri, prompting a legal fight over differing interpretations of state law…