McPherson Unit explained

Prison Name:	McPherson Unit
Location:	Newport, Arkansas
Status:	open
Classification:	mixed
Capacity:	971
Opened:	1998
Managed By:	Arkansas Department of Correction

McPherson Unit is a prison for women of the Arkansas Department of Corrections, located in Newport, Arkansas, off Arkansas Highway 384, 4miles east of central Newport. Established in 1998,^[1] the prison houses the state's death row for women.^[2]

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

Death Row

• Christina Marie Riggs – Executed May 2, 2000.

External links

• McPherson Unit - Arkansas Department of Correction

35.6258°N -91.1908°W

Notes and References

1. "McPherson Unit." Arkansas Department of Correction. Retrieved on November 22, 2010.
2. Haddigan, Michael. "They Kill Women, Don't They?" Arkansas Times. April 9, 1999. Retrieved on August 15, 2010.
3. "Campuses ." Riverside Vocational Technical School. Retrieved on March 6, 2011.
4. "WACKENHUT TO GET OUT OF PRISON CONTRACTS." Miami Herald. February 17, 2001. 1C Business. Retrieved on March 7, 2011.