Attorney Joey McCutchen (front) and Adam Watson, a member of the Franklin County and River Valley Coalition, leave the Arkansas Department of Corrections headquarters in North Little Rock on Jan. 7, 2025, after being escorted out of a meeting. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate)
On Jan. 7, Arkansas Department of Corrections officials met with representatives of the firm hired to oversee the design and construction of a proposed 3,000-bed prison.
The meeting, the first of two days of discussions between the state agency and the construction manager, wasn’t unusual in the ordinary course of state business. In any given week, employees of state agencies routinely meet with employees of consultants and contractors hired to perform some task the agency isn’t equipped to handle on its own…