# Arkansas Arkansas splits corrections staff standards. County and city jailers must finish a basic jail course within 9 months of hire under state jail standards, Division of Correction officers train at the Division’s own academy, and the Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (CLEST) certifies sworn officers. Since 2023 the State has moved the jail standards office to the Department of Public Safety and then into CLEST, restructured parole as post-release supervision, required probation conditions tailored to risk and needs, and required state prisons and local jails to designate shared spaces by sex. Source: https://uscli.org/corrections-tracker/arkansas ## At a glance - **Certifying body:** Split. CLEST, in the Department of Public Safety, certifies law enforcement officers, including “specialized” personnel whose duties are limited to a facility; its rule notes that an agency “may require additional specialized training for job assignments such as jailers, parole, probation, etc.” ([12 CAR 1-117](https://codeofarrules.arkansas.gov/Rules/Rule?levelType=section&titleID=12&chapterID=162&subChapterID=205&partID=747&subPartID=4738§ionID=29626)). County and city jail staff are not CLEST-certified as such; the jail standards require a basic jail course (12 CAR 50-302(e)). Department of Corrections, Division of Correction staff train at the Division’s Willis H. Sargent Training Academy (12 CAR 70-304). Since August 5, 2025, the jail standards office has sat within CLEST. See the [Arkansas Officer Ledger page](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/arkansas) for CLEST certification. - **Statute:** Ark. Code Title 12, ch. 9 (CLEST); ch. 26 (criminal detention facility standards and review committees, 12-26-101 et seq.); chs. 27 to 29 (Department of Corrections, Board of Corrections, Division of Correction; 12-28-110 sex-designated spaces; 12-29-901 et seq. Recidivism Reduction System); Title 16, ch. 93 (parole, post-release supervision, Division of Community Correction). Rules: 12 CAR pt. 50 (Minimum Standards for Adult Criminal Detention Facilities), 12 CAR pts. 60 and 70 (Board of Corrections and Division of Correction), 16 CAR ch. IV (Division of Community Correction), and 12 CAR ch. I (CLEST). - **Minimum standards:** County and city jail staff: a background investigation on the CLEST form or an equivalent; high school education or equivalent; no felony conviction at hire (sealed, expunged, or pardoned records are not considered); at least 18 on the date of hire; any CLEST medical and psychological standards for staff who have contact with detainees; a health examination; and a probationary period of at least 1 year ([12 CAR 50-302](https://codeofarrules.arkansas.gov/Rules/Rule?levelType=section&titleID=12&chapterID=243&subChapterID=300&partID=1147&subPartID=6516§ionID=42451)). CLEST-certified officers, including specialized personnel, must meet 12 CAR 1-106, which the Officer Ledger page covers. - **Basic training:** Jail staff who care for and control detainees must complete “training equivalent to the basic jail course which is offered or approved by the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy or the Division of Correction (for counties or cities participating in the Act 309 Program) within nine (9) months of being hired.” Extensions of up to 3 months at a time may be granted, but training may never be deferred beyond 2 years. Certified law enforcement officers and Department of Corrections correctional officers are exempt if the chief executive certifies they know the standards (12 CAR 50-302(e)). Division of Correction: new employees receive 1 hour of preservice restraint training (12 CAR 60-309(e)(2)); total academy hours were not found in statute or rule. - **In-service training:** Jail staff: “The chief executive shall require all employees to complete sixteen (16) hours of continuing education per year,” which may include suicide prevention, PREA, CPR, AED and first aid, use of force and duty to intervene, and personnel policies (12 CAR 50-302(f)). Division of Correction: in-service restraint classes “should be held at least twice a year,” and officers take at least one refresher course a year ([12 CAR 60-309](https://codeofarrules.arkansas.gov/Rules/Rule?levelType=section&titleID=12&chapterID=290&subChapterID=410&partID=1424&subPartID=8648§ionID=56881)). CLEST-certified officers: at least 24 hours a year (12 CAR 1-106(c)(12)). - **Decertification:** For CLEST-certified officers, CLEST “shall review” certification when an agency reports a separation for failing standards, dismissal for violating law or agency rules, resignation during an internal investigation, excessive force, or dishonesty, and by rule “may revoke” after notice and hearing on listed grounds (Ark. Code 12-9-602, 12-9-603; [12 CAR 1-138](https://codeofarrules.arkansas.gov/Rules/Rule?levelType=section&titleID=12&chapterID=162&subChapterID=205&partID=747&subPartID=4738§ionID=29647)). County jail staff who are not CLEST-certified hold no state certificate to revoke, and no state decertification process for them was found. The [Officer Ledger page](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/arkansas) covers CLEST revocation and its public record. - **Jail standards:** Yes. The Office of Criminal Detention Facilities Review Coordinator, with the Secretary of Public Safety’s approval, sets “minimum standards for the construction, maintenance, and operation of local, county, regional, or state criminal detention facilities and juvenile detention facilities,” and regional criminal detention facility review committees inspect for compliance (Ark. Code 12-26-103 et seq.). The standards include 24-hour awake staffing, yearly committee approval of staffing patterns, cell checks at irregular intervals of no more than 60 minutes (30 minutes for juveniles and for suicidal or behavioral-problem detainees), and mixed-sex staffing when both sexes are held (12 CAR 50-801). - **Probation and parole officers:** Adult probation and post-release supervision, formerly parole, are run by the Department of Corrections’ Division of Community Correction. Since January 1, 2024, the Protect Arkansas Act calls the Parole Board the Post-Prison Transfer Board and treats release as transfer to post-release supervision (Act 659 of 2023). Whether Community Correction officers must hold CLEST certification was not confirmed from an official source. - **Restrictive housing:** No statutory limit on solitary confinement or restrictive housing was found. By Division of Correction rule, an inmate may be placed in punitive segregation only after an impartial due process hearing and is released after completing the sentence or when no longer a threat; no maximum duration is stated, and operating procedures are left to administrative directives (12 CAR 70-106). Protective custody is covered separately (12 CAR 70-104). - **Corrections use of force:** By Division of Correction rule, force is authorized “only to the extent necessary” to keep order and discipline and ensure safety and security. Employees “shall use the minimum amount of force necessary,” force “shall never be used as a means of punishment,” and only staff trained by the Willis H. Sargent Training Academy may use chemical agents or control devices ([12 CAR 70-304](https://codeofarrules.arkansas.gov/Rules/Rule?levelType=section&titleID=12&chapterID=229&subChapterID=285&partID=1053&subPartID=8306§ionID=54682)). Restraints may be used only to protect people or prevent escape, never as punishment, never about the neck, and never so as to inflict pain or restrict circulation or breathing (12 CAR 60-309). No statute or rule specific to restraining pregnant prisoners was found; the pregnancy rule (12 CAR 60-203) covers health care and custody planning only. ## Changes, 2023 to 2026 - Aug 5, 2025 — **State prisons, county and city jails, and juvenile detention facilities must designate restrooms, changing rooms, and sleeping quarters by sex** — Act 955 of 2025 (SB 486), adding Ark. Code 12-28-110, 12-41-111, 9-6-113, and 22-3-2201 · Approved April 21, 2025; effective August 5, 2025 (general effective date) — A state correctional facility (Division of Correction or Division of Community Correction, but not a temporary municipal holding facility), a local correctional facility such as a county or city jail (new 12-41-111), and a juvenile detention facility must follow this rule: “A facility shall designate each multi-occupancy restroom, changing room, and sleeping quarter for the exclusive use of females or males.” Those spaces may be used only by members of the designated sex. Section 12-41-111 applies the same rule to local correctional facilities, 9-6-113 applies a parallel rule to shelters, and 22-3-2201 et seq. covers public buildings. — **For corrections staff:** In state prisons and in county and city jails, assign shared restrooms, changing areas, and sleeping quarters by sex as the act defines it. — [Act 955 of 2025](https://arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FACT955.pdf) - Aug 5, 2025 — **Jail standards office placed within CLEST** — Act 953 of 2025 (HB 1842), amending Ark. Code 12-26-103 · Approved April 21, 2025; effective August 5, 2025 (general effective date) — “There is established the Office of Criminal Detention Facilities Review Coordinator within the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training of the Department of Public Safety.” The office still sets, with the Secretary of Public Safety’s approval, minimum standards for local, county, regional, and state criminal detention facilities and juvenile detention facilities. The coordinator now takes assigned duties from the Director of the Division of Law Enforcement Standards and Training. The [Officer Ledger page](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/arkansas) has the same entry. — **For corrections staff:** The body that certifies police now also houses the office that writes and enforces jail standards. — [Act 953 of 2025](https://arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FACT953.pdf) - Aug 5, 2025 — **Probation conditions must be tailored to criminogenic risks and needs** — Act 670 of 2025 (SB 485), amending Ark. Code Title 5, ch. 4 and Title 16, ch. 93 · Approved April 16, 2025; effective August 5, 2025 (general effective date) — The act defines “criminogenic.” “Conditions attached by the court shall be narrowly tailored” to the defendant’s rehabilitation, public safety, and criminogenic risks and needs, taking the presentence investigation into account, for probation and suspended sentences. It also amends supervision provisions in Titles 12 and 16. — **For corrections staff:** Community Correction officers should see fewer blanket conditions and more conditions tied to assessed risks and needs. — [Act 670 of 2025](https://arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FACT670.pdf) - Aug 5, 2025 — **One combined annual report on Correction and Community Correction** — Act 358 of 2025 (HB 1593), amending Ark. Code 12-27-104(h), 12-27-107(d), 12-27-140 · Approved March 20, 2025; effective August 5, 2025 (general effective date) — Separate reports are replaced by one annual Board of Corrections report to the Governor and the General Assembly after each fiscal year, covering both divisions. The Division of Correction part must include statistics, farm and inmate-activity income, expenditures, and “A progress report regarding internal issues, including without limitation: (i) Inmate discipline; (ii) Utilization of programming; (iii) Facilities and bed space utilization; (iv) Upkeep issues; and (v) Construction needs.” — **For corrections staff:** Discipline, bed space, and maintenance data from your facility feed a yearly report to the Legislature. — [Act 358 of 2025](https://arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FACT358.pdf) - Apr 17, 2025 — **Community correction centers clarified; 365-day cap on center confinement as a probation condition** — Act 723 of 2025 (SB 539), amending Ark. Code Title 5, 12-27, and related provisions · Approved April 17, 2025; effective on approval (emergency clause) — The act updates the law on the Division of Community Correction and the Division of Correction and clarifies references to community correction centers “operated or contracted by a division of the Department of Corrections.” As a probation condition, local jail confinement stays capped at 120 days for a felony and 30 days for a misdemeanor, and community correction center confinement at 365 days. Sex offender community notification assessments move to the Department of Corrections. — **For corrections staff:** Center and probation staff work under the restated confinement caps, and notification assessments are now a Department of Corrections task. — [Act 723 of 2025](https://arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FACT723.pdf) - Apr 16, 2025 — **Recidivism Reduction System created within the Department of Corrections** — Act 694 of 2025 (HB 1931), adding Ark. Code 12-29-901 et seq. · Approved April 16, 2025; effective on approval (emergency clause) — The act’s findings state: “The recidivism rate for the Department of Corrections for the 2019 cohort was forty-eight and three-tenths percent (48.3%),” with over $140 million a year in reincarceration costs. The findings state an intent that reentry preparation begin on the first day of incarceration. The operative sections require a validated risk and needs assessment at intake, a case plan for each inmate, and programming throughout the term (12-29-903 to 12-29-905). Act 769 of 2025 (SB 590) carries the same title. — **For corrections staff:** Programming and reentry planning are now expected to start at intake, not just before release. — [Act 694 of 2025](https://arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FACT694.pdf) - Jan 1, 2024 — **Protect Arkansas Act: Parole Board becomes the Post-Prison Transfer Board; release restructured** — Act 659 of 2023 (SB 495), amending Ark. Code Titles 12 and 16 · Approved April 11, 2023; sections 1 to 249 and 251 to 254 effective January 1, 2024 — The Parole Board is renamed the Post-Prison Transfer Board, and release is recast as transfer to post-release supervision. The act creates categories of felonies ineligible to earn release credits, so that 100% of the sentence is served, and restricted-release felonies, with new release eligibility rules for felonies committed on or after January 1, 2025. “Sections 1-249 of this act and sections 251-254 of this act are effective on and after January 1, 2024.” — **For corrections staff:** Classification and Community Correction staff must apply the new release-credit categories and post-release supervision terms. — [Act 659 of 2023](https://arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FACT659.pdf) - Jul 1, 2023 — **Jail standards office and review committees move from Corrections to Public Safety** — Act 306 of 2023 (SB 267), amending Ark. Code 12-26-103, 12-26-105, 12-26-107 and transfer provisions in Title 25, ch. 43 · Approved March 16, 2023; effective July 1, 2023 (emergency clause) — The criminal detention facility review committees and the Office of Criminal Detention Facilities Review Coordinator, with their powers, staff, records, and funds, move from the Department of Corrections to the Department of Public Safety. Existing standards stay in force until amended or repealed. The coordinator serves at the pleasure of the Secretary of Public Safety, and changes to inspection methods need that secretary’s approval. The emergency clause states that “this act being necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health, and safety shall become effective on July 1, 2023.” — **For corrections staff:** Jail standards and inspections are run outside the state prison system. — [Act 306 of 2023](https://arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FACT306.pdf) ## Enacted, not yet in force, pending, and bills that did not pass No enacted corrections change awaiting its effective date was found. Failed 2023 to 2025 bills on corrections staffing or restrictive housing were not searched: the Legislature’s advanced act search returned no results to a direct query, so the sweep for acts this page may have missed was also not completed. ## Checked and unchanged - Arkansas Code sections were not read on the official code site; statute text here comes from the enrolled acts and the statute copies CLEST posts, current through the 2023 session. - 12 CAR pt. 50 (jail standards) and the Board of Corrections rules: the Code of Arkansas Rules pages did not show history notes, so 2023 to 2026 rule amendments were not identified. - Not reviewed: 2023 to 2026 pay and retirement acts for correctional officers, which the Legislature lists under Titles 21 and 24.