Newly-elected Board of Corrections Chair Jamie Barker, left, talks to newly elected board Vice-Chair Nathan Lee, right, with newly-elected board secretary Boyce Hamlet in-between on Jan. 23, 2026 in North Little Rock. (Photo by Ainsley Platt/Arkansas Advocate)
Two years ago, the Arkansas Board of Corrections seemed to be one of the few obstacles for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders as she pushed for sweeping changes to how the state’s prison system is run.
But a newfound majority on the panel gives the Republican governor power to flex as she begins a year that’ll continue the fight over her plan to build a 3,000-bed prison…