 | |
| Location | Varner, Arkansas |
|---|---|
| Status | open |
| Security class | close, maximum |
| Capacity | 1714 |
| Opened | 1987 |
| Managed by | Arkansas Department of Correction |
The Varner Unit is a high-security state prison for men of the Arkansas Department of Correction in Varner,[1] Choctaw Township, unincorporated Lincoln County, Arkansas, United States. It is located along U.S. Highway 65,[2] near Grady,[3] and 28 miles (45 km) south of Pine Bluff.[2] The prison can house over 1,600 prisoners, and it includes a 468-bed supermax (Super Maximum Security) facility.[4] The supermax and non-supermax facilities are separate from one another.[5]
The Varner Unit Supermax houses male inmates scheduled for execution in Arkansas, currently performed by lethal injection. The actual executions take place at the nearby Cummins Unit.[6] The female death row is located at the McPherson Unit.[7] Varner is one of the state of Arkansas's "parent units" for male prisoners; it serves as one of several units of initial assignment for processed male prisoners.[8]
- ^ "New hearing ordered for 3 in Ark. scout deaths." Associated Press at the Worcester Telegram. Wednesday September 29, 2010. Retrieved on March 5, 2011. "Damien Echols is interviewed in the visiting area of the Arkansas Department of Correction Varner Unit prison in Varner,"
- ^ a b "Varner Unit." Arkansas Department of Correction. Retrieved on July 18, 2010. "28 miles south of Pine Bluff off Highway 65 in Lincoln County."
- ^ "Doors to Arkansas' Death Row Open Unexpectedly for Second Time." Associated Press at KAIT. January 29, 2004. Retrieved on March 5, 2011. "The Varner Supermax is near Grady in Lincoln County."
- ^ History of the Arkansas Department of Correction Archived December 6, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Koon, David. "Prison phones lead to melee" (Archive). Arkansas Times. Retrieved on February 25, 2016.
- ^ "State Capitol Week in Review" (Archive) State of Arkansas. June 13, 2008. Retrieved on August 15, 2010. "Executions are carried out in the Cummins Unit, which is adjacent to Varner."
- ^ Haddigan, Michael. "They Kill Women, Don't They?" Arkansas Times. April 9, 1999. Retrieved on August 15, 2010.
- ^ "Guide for Family and Friends" (Archive). Arkansas Department of Correction. 2 (4/27). Retrieved on July 18, 2010. " After intake, inmates are transferred to a parent unit for their initial assignment. Male inmates are assigned to the Varner, Cummins, East Arkansas, Grimes or Tucker Units."