McPherson Unit is a prison for women of the Arkansas Department of Corrections, located in Newport, Arkansas, off Arkansas Highway 384, 4 miles (6.4 km) east of central Newport. Established in 1998,[1] the prison houses the state's death row for women.[2]
 | |
| Location | Newport, Arkansas |
|---|---|
| Status | open |
| Security class | mixed |
| Capacity | 971 |
| Opened | 1998 |
| Managed by | Arkansas Department of Correction |
The unit houses a campus of the Riverside Vocational Technical School.[3]
Originally it was managed by the Wackenhut Corrections Corp. (now GEO Group), with the management contract beginning in July 1997. In 2001, after operating the McPherson Unit and the nearby Grimes Unit at losses, Wackenhut stated that it would not renew the contract.[4]
Notable prisoners
editDeath Row
- Christina Marie Riggs – Executed May 2, 2000.
References
edit- ^ "McPherson Unit." Arkansas Department of Correction. Retrieved on November 22, 2010.
- ^ Haddigan, Michael. "They Kill Women, Don't They?" Arkansas Times. April 9, 1999. Retrieved on August 15, 2010.
- ^ "Campuses Archived 2011-07-27 at the Wayback Machine." Riverside Vocational Technical School. Retrieved on March 6, 2011.
- ^ "WACKENHUT TO GET OUT OF PRISON CONTRACTS." Miami Herald. February 17, 2001. 1C Business. Retrieved on March 7, 2011.
