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Arkansas Board of Corrections
votes to rename prison, ban
outside reading materials for
inmates
December 19, 2025 by Nathan Ansell | Updated December 19, 2025 at 7:40
p.m.

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The Arkansas Board of Corrections unanimously voted Friday to rename the
North Central Unit in Calico Rock in honor of outgoing Chairman Benny
Magness and to ban externally purchased books, magazines and newspapers
for inmates.
Magness, a member of the board since 1999, said the meeting “probably will be
the last” for him of his 23-year tenure as chairman. He is both the longestserving member and chair of any corrections board in the United States,
according to Department of Corrections spokesperson Rand Champion.
Magness’ term is set to formally expire Dec. 31.
Vice Chairman William “Dubs” Byers moved to suspend the meeting’s rules,
as the renaming was not part of the agenda, and followed it with a motion to
rename the prison the Benny Magness Unit. Byers said he had not discussed
the topic with other board members before addressing the room.
“Mr. Chair, if I may, I think this is very appropriate, and I think that you’ve
earned it,” Byers said. “I think everybody recognizes what this means and the
legacy that it leaves.”
On multiple occasions, Magness has clashed with Gov. Sarah Huckabee
Sanders, the daughter of former Gov. Mike Huckabee, who first appointed
Magness to the board.

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Arkansas Board of Corrections votes to rename prison, ban outside reading materials for inmates | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazett…

In 2023, Sanders called on Magness to resign after he asked that she deploy
National Guard members to help with staffing at state prisons — a request that
she labeled a political ploy in response to her demand that the board open
more prison beds.
The board had earlier filed a lawsuit contending that two laws passed by the
legislature in 2023 violated the state Constitution by attempting to shift
supervisory authority from the board to the governor.
It also suspended Sanders’ pick for secretary of the Corrections Department,
Joe Profiri, then fired him in January 2024. Sanders quickly hired Profiri as a
senior adviser in her office.
Pulaski County Circuit Judge Patricia James entered an order last month
voiding the challenged portions of the two laws. State Attorney General Tim
Griffin, representing the defendants, is appealing the ruling.
Asked if the governor had any comment on renaming the North Central Unit
after Magness, Sanders spokesperson Sam Dubke said he “(didn’t) have
anything to provide.”
The move to bar inmates from ordering books, magazines and newspapers
from retailers came in response to concerns about the materials being laced
with drugs or used to smuggle in other contraband.
The department stopped providing original copies of mailed letters and
pictures for similar reasons several months ago, instead sending inmates
scanned copies.

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Arkansas Board of Corrections votes to rename prison, ban outside reading materials for inmates | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazett…

Even before Friday’s action, the Corrections Department had restricted how
books and periodicals could be sent into prisons, requiring them to be sent
from a bookseller approved by the department.
But Division of Corrections Director Dexter Payne said that hadn’t stopped
contraband from getting in.
“You can go to a bookstore in Little Rock, a Barnes & Noble, take a book off the
shelves, spray it, do whatever you want, carry it to the counter and say, ‘I want
this mailed to … inmate John Smith,’” Payne said.
He said inmates already have access to over 50,000 books on their approved
personal tablets, as well as a library at each facility with other options.
Board member Lona McCastlain, chairwoman of the state Post Prison
Transfer Board, said she agreed with others prioritizing safety concerns but
added that the department should ensure inmates have broad access to books.
“The newspapers? Today’s news is old tomorrow, that’s different,” McCastlain
said. “But the books, they have a lot of time on their hands. I really think they
should be able to get the book they want.”
Payne said the board was trying secure a “communication contract” to order
such books, comparing the system to making purchases on an Amazon
Kindle.
“I am so for this. Our drug problem right now, the most is K2, it’s K2 that’s
killing inmates,” Magness said, referring to synthetic marijuana. “Arkansas is
first in a lot of things. We need to be first in this, and I guarantee other states
will follow soon.”
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Arkansas Board of Corrections votes to rename prison, ban outside reading materials for inmates | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazett…

Magness, who closed the meeting with a speech encouraging support for the
board’s programs and staff members, was also presented with the board’s
gavel by fellow board member Alonza Jiles, who called Magness “a leader of
integrity (and) transparency.”
Byers said he intended for a ceremony for the renaming to be held within two
or three months.
This story has been updated. It was originally published at 4:15 p.m. under the
headline "State Board of Corrections votes to rename prison in Calico Rock in
honor of outgoing chairman."

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