Arkansas corrections director: critical-incident report complete; two employees terminated, others disciplined

The Arkansas Department of Correction has completed a critical-incident review of a prisoner escape at the North Central Unit and submitted the report to the governor's office, the department's director told a legislative committee.

"That report has been completed and was delivered to the governor's office," Joan Shipley, chief of staff for the Arkansas Department of Public Safety, told the committee, confirming the report had been forwarded for review. Director Dexter Payne told lawmakers he received the department's review in full the morning of the hearing.

The report led to immediate personnel actions: Payne said two employees were terminated and additional staff were disciplined for violating protocols. "We terminated 2 employees based off of their failure to perform their duties," he said. Payne added other staff who allowed inmates onto a back dock or who failed to follow the warden's instructions “have been disciplined,” including suspensions and one demotion.

The review also found problems with inmate classification. Payne told the committee the electronic offender-management system failed to calculate one inmate's custody score correctly; the inmate should have had a C5 custody rating and, absent an override, "he should not have been there." The director said the department is auditing classification records at the facility and has notified Marquis, the vendor that operates the offender-management system, to help identify and correct miscalculations.

Lawmakers pressed Payne on scope and remedies. Senator Tyler Deese, Representative Justin Gonzales and others asked whether the misclassification was isolated. Payne said the classification issue was "an overall issue" at the facility and that classification officers will be retrained; he could not give the committee an immediate count of misclassified inmates but agreed to provide numbers.

Representative Rose and others pressed the director to provide previous internal and security reports for Calico Rock that the committee had requested earlier; Payne said he will supply those reports and check whether internal-affairs interviews of the terminated employees are in the administrative record. Payne also said the department sends completed investigative reports to the Arkansas State Police for possible prosecution when warranted.

The department described operational changes made since the escape. Payne said gate-control procedures were altered to require master-control key checkout and a two-person process for opening paired gates. The department also increased searches of outside areas — maintenance shops, back docks and sally ports — and plans to increase camera coverage in blind spots.

Committee members asked for an audit of custody scores across facilities and whether the department will conduct annual verification of automated custody scores. Payne said the classification administrator and his chief deputy are reviewing custody scores and the director agreed to provide the committee with a count and a plan for verification.

Why it matters: The committee sought details after the escape revealed both human and system failures. Lawmakers repeatedly asked whether the incident reflected isolated misconduct or broader supervision and verification gaps. The department's responses will determine whether the state pursues additional disciplinary, procedural or criminal actions.

What comes next: Payne told the committee he will provide the completed critical-incident report to the committee in the coming days, produce the prior security/inspection reports for Calico Rock, and provide a count of inmates whose custody scores merit correction. He also said the department has notified the vendor that operates the offender-management system to correct calculation errors.