CHARLESTON, Ark. — A proposed 3,000-bed state prison in Franklin County is facing backlash from a newly formed non-profit group.
Gravel & Grit, an organization created in March 2025 to oppose the project, submitted a formal complaint on July 23 to the Arkansas Joint Performance Review committee. The group is requesting a full investigation into how the state approved the plan to build the facility in Charleston.
The group says it obtained internal government communications through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and claims those findings paint a very different picture from what the state has publicly shared…