The Lawrence County Detention Center / Sheriff’s Office building dedication and open house was held March 6, 2018 at their new location on 501 W. Elm St. Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. A large crowd was in attendance for the event and ribbon cutting ceremony. Governor Asa Hutchison was the keynote speaker. County Judge John Thomison thanked the hard work of the sheriff’s department, local officials, and especially the voters of Lawrence County for passing the tax that allowed the building of the new detention center.  Governor Hutchison congratulated the county for increasing public safety during his speech.  Sheriff Jeff Yates has seen the project through from the beginning and the year and a half long building of the detention center. He expressed eagerness to get started working in the new state of the art facility.
The detention center will have the capability to house up to 75 male and 25 female inmates and is over 20,000 square feet. This new facility is not only more efficient but more secure.
Below are photo’s of the inmate pods as well as individual holding cells. Inmates can communicate with family via video conferencing without leaving the pod. A visitation room with several individual monitors is available as you walk into the main entrance of the facility. Upgrades have been made to both the commercial kitchen and laundry facility making it more efficient. Also included in the new facility is a new office for the criminal investigation division as well as a new evidence room. A courtroom for bond hearings was added into the facility along with new offices for the sheriff, chief deputy, and administration.
The new Lawrence County Jail is set to open in two weeks. Visitation times will be changing and will be made available on the website. http://www.lawrencecountysheriffsoffice.com
Here is a sneak peek of some of the amenities included in the new Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office detention center.
