Lawmakers criticize absence of Sanders staff at prison hearing

Lawmakers criticize absence of Sanders staff at prison hearing

Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ plan to build a 3,000-bed prison in Franklin County faced renewed scrutiny last week after her office did not send senior staff to testify at a Arkansas Joint Performance Review Committee hearing. Lawmakers said they invited Joe Profiri, Sanders’ former corrections secretary and now a senior adviser, but received no response. Committee Co-Chair Terry Rice said the lack of reply was “a slap at this body,” while Bryan King …

Twisting in the wind: A missed opportunity for the Sanders administration to defend its prison plans

Former Arkansas Corrections Secretary Joe Profiri, left, listens as Gov.Sarah Huckabee Sanders talks about criminal justice legislation during a news conference at the State Capitol on March 28, 2023. (John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate)Gov. Sarah Sanders’ quest to build a 3,000-bed prison in Franklin County has been so beset with shifting explanations, tactical missteps and public relations blunders that it’s hard to imagine administration officials …