It's been two decades since Arkansas made significant investments in its prison infrastructure. That's two decades of chronic prison bed shortages, two decades of releasing violent offenders back into society because of lack of space, and two decades of worst-in-the-nation crime rates.

Enough is enough.

Arkansas has a chance to address this crisis head-on and help end our state's prison bed shortage, but we need to act now. The Legislature must appropriate the funds our state needs to build a new prison.

Government has no greater responsibility than protecting its citizens' safety. Not long ago, some left-wing states listened to "defund the police" activists and cut funding to law enforcement and prisons, with predictably disastrous results. I was elected in part because of my promise to do the opposite by supporting law enforcement and cracking down on violent crime.

That's why I worked with the Legislature to pass the Protect Act, ensuring violent criminals do their time before they re-enter society, and why we've already opened up........

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