How much will Arkansas's new Franklin County prison cost? Understanding the $825 million estimate

On March 3, 2025, the Arkansas Department of Corrections announced the estimated maximum cost for the new Franklin County prison: $825 million. That's the DOC's official figure for the project's total cost, and it's the number you'll see in state updates about the facility.

The estimate is large partly because of the project's scale - a facility designed to hold up to 3,000 beds. The project has also moved past the planning stage into real procurement decisions. On May 22, 2025, the Arkansas Board of Corrections approved Nabholz Construction and JE Dunn Construction as a joint venture to serve as general contractor. For families trying to gauge whether the timeline and budget are real, those approvals matter. They show the state is lining up the teams needed to actually build.

An estimate isn't the same as a budget authorization, so the state has been working through formal funding steps. According to DOC project updates, budget chairmen filed companion appropriation bills for $750 million to authorize spending on the prison. Another $75 million had already been approved by the General Assembly as part of Act 95.

Those funding decisions are tied directly to the timeline. The DOC says the project is expected to open in phases - pending funding - with partial operations beginning in 2026 and full completion by 2028. Put simply: the schedule depends on whether the money is authorized and available when the state needs it.

Before any buildings go up, the state had to secure a location. On October 31, 2024, the governor announced the purchase of an 815-acre property in Franklin County for $2,950,000. The next day, the Arkansas Board of Corrections approved the selected site in Charleston.

DOC updates point to practical reasons the site made sense. The parcel already has key infrastructure nearby - cell reception, water lines, electricity, and a fire department. It's also close to more than 100,000 working-age adults who could staff the facility. That matters because staffing is one of the biggest long-term challenges for any prison.

• ✓ Track whether the $750 million appropriation bills move forward, since that authorization is a key step tied to the $825 million estimate.
• ✓ Keep “pending funding” in mind when you hear dates - partial operations are projected for 2026, with full completion anticipated by 2028.
• ✓ Expect a phased opening rather than everything coming online at once.
• ✓ Watch for construction-procurement updates, because they can signal how confident the state is about staying on schedule.

One marker of progress families can watch: the general contractor selection. The Board of Corrections' May 22, 2025 approval of the Nabholz Construction and JE Dunn Construction joint venture is the kind of milestone that typically comes before visible construction begins - a concrete sign the project is moving forward.