The problems with the prison plasma program were legion. HMA sold each unit of plasma for fifty dollars, and the donating prisoner was usually paid seven dollars in scrip. (HMA), founded by pediatrician Francis “Bud” Henderson of Pine Bluff (Jefferson County), to run both the prison medical program and the plasma program. In 1978, the state contracted with Health Management Associates Inc. Staugh, it was, from 1967 to 1978, managed at various times by a group of physicians from the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences Campus (now the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences) in Little Rock (Pulaski County) and by the Department of Correction itself. (Arkansas law forbids paying prisoners for their labor.) Set up by Birmingham, Alabama, physician August R. In 1994, Arkansas became the last state to stop selling plasma extracted from prisoners.Īrkansas’s prison blood program began in 1964 as a way for both prisoners and the prison system to make money. Revelation of the misdeeds and the healthcare crisis it created in Canada nearly brought down the Liberal Party government in 1997. Corruption among the administrators of the prison blood program and poor supervision resulted in disease-tainted blood, often carrying hepatitis or HIV, knowingly being shipped to blood brokers, who in turn shipped it to Canada, Europe, and Asia. Any inmates other than Class I-A or I-B who are granted an emergency furlough will be released only to the custody of an Arkansas Certified Law Enforcement Officer(s) and the family must pay for escorting fees.The Arkansas prison blood scandal resulted from the state’s selling plasma extracted from prisoners at the Cummins Unit of the Arkansas Department of Correction (ADC). Inmates admitted to an ADC infirmary or hospital may be allowed to receive visits after receiving approval from the Warden/Center Supervisor after consulting with the Unit Health Services Administrator.Įmergency furloughs may be granted to eligible inmates when there is a critical illness or death in their immediate family.The Warden or Center Supervisor must approve all regular emergency furloughs. The final decision for transfer approval will be up to the correctional facility’s Warden. Inmates can put in a request to be transferred to another unit of assignment, but there is no guarantee the transfer will be approved. The Division of Correction may transfer inmates from one unit to another for various reasons such as institutional needs, bed space availability, program needs, work assignments, health care needs, and necessary security precautions. Disciplinary actions may be appealed as outlined in the Inmate Handbook and in ADC policies available in the unit law libraries.

Rule violations can lead to a confinement in punitive isolation. Being found guilty of a rule violation can result in a loss of privileges, classification level, job assignment and good time. A disciplinary hearing officer, who decides whether the inmate is guilty or innocent, will hear the inmate’s case. When an inmate is written a disciplinary, it means the inmate has been accused of breaking a rule. The Unit’s Classification Committee will provide a periodic review of all inmates to assess progress made by the inmate and will adjust, as needed, any program assignment, job assignment, classification status, custody level and/or other adjustments recommended by staff. Inmates are also screened and assigned a custody classification and a medical classification. There are four inmate classifications: Class I, II, III, and IV. At the end of the sixty (60) days, if the inmate’s supervisor has recommended the inmate for promotion, the inmate will appear before the classification committee to be considered for job and or unit reassignment. Inmates will remain in Class II status during the first sixty (60) days at their parent unit on their initial assignment. All inmates are placed in Class II status when they arrive at the department. Classification is a system used to manage inmates from the time of conviction to the time of release in an effort to meet the needs of the inmate, the correctional system and the public.

Adc imate search