A Very Brief History Of Arkansas Prison Scandal

The Unjust, Immoral, Controversial Prison Scandal Throughout the duration of the twentieth-century, the United States experienced an era of reform and change economically, politically, and socially. During this time period, Arkansas had made efforts to reform as well, although not all of them were worked out nor were considered to fall under moral standards. One of the ways Arkansas attempted to change was through the use of state prison farms. In these farms, prison inmates were forced to labor in the farms in an attempt to save money that would normally be given to hired help. This incident came to be renowned as the great Prison Scandal in Arkansas. Many sources suggest that the Prison Scandal was deeply controversial and almost completely immoral due to the

An investigation was conducted by the Arkansas Police Department, in which the filth the inmates were forced to live in and the torture they endured were accounted for, written down, and released to the public. One account described that the inmates were “whipped by the line riders with "blackjacks:' trace chains, axe handles, hoe handles, and rubber hoses” and another instance stated that “Inmates [were] set on coke bottles, and if they fell off, they would get whipped” (Source 1). Adding to the police report released by Rockefeller, this investigation added fuel to the fire for the public. Individuals living in Arkansas and even around the country took this information and allowed it to negatively shape their views on Arkansas. They believed Arkansas treated their inmates in grotesque manners and once these techniques came to the surface, the government officials were unable to properly reform the system. As for the federal government, they also saw the government of Arkansas’ inability to reform the prison system, which shaped their view of them as a government that cannot effectively serve the people of