Expanding An Award-Winning Justice Rehabilitation Program
in Washington County

Above: CRI participants proudly display the learning certificates they've earned.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Support

The Community Rebuilding Initiative is a voluntary pilot program launched in May that provides substance abuse treatment, mental health support, and skills training and education to people awaiting trial, who might otherwise be sleeping on the floor in our overcrowded jail. It's the first program of its kind in Arkansas.

There are currently 30 men participating in the pilot program, while they await trial on non-violent and non-sex-related charges.

As you'll see later on, I got a chance to speak with some of them one-on-one this past week. They see the program as a valuable opportunity to rebuild their lives.

Expanding the Program to Women

The CRI is currently operating in the county's former Crisis Stabilization Unit building at Spring Street and Mill Avenue in Fayetteville. The vendor is Returning Home, Inc. of Springdale, which has been running a separate re-entry program for ex-offenders in Washington County for several years.

The long-term plan includes expanding the program to women. This is something criminal justice reform advocates have long been asking for.

That plan involves repurposing the old Washington County jail on College Ave, just behind the old CSU building. A potential $1.5 million grant would help renovate the old jail's kitchen and laundry facilities and connect the two buildings across a secured outdoor yard. The smaller CSU building never housed this many people before, and its kitchen and laundry areas are reaching capacity. The old jail would house centralized services for both buildings.

Eventually, up to 70 men would receive rehabilitation services in the former jail, with 30 women in the old CSU, starting in early 2026. The county has been talking publicly about using these two buildings to provide rehabilitation programs since at least December 2024 and January 2025.

The History Behind These Two Buildings

Some people have asked what happened to the former programs that used to be in these two buildings.

The Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU)

Until last year, the CSU was a state-funded facility intended to help people having a mental health crisis. It was meant to be a voluntary alternative to jail, the emergency room, or a psychiatric hospital. 

Unfortunately, the CSU shut down last year after UAMS withdrew from its contract to operate the facility. They cited a lack of use compared to the staff and resources needed to run it. UAMS was the second operator to leave for similar reasons - Ozark Guidance pulled out in 2021, and the facility was closed for a year until UAMS came along. It was an uphill battle by some of us on the Quorum Court to keep it open.

In practice, the CSU was never a huge success. Despite having 16 beds, there were often only 1-2 people receiving treatment at any given time; about five at most, and sometimes none. The reasons why depend on who you ask, with no shortage of finger-pointing.

Today, however, the building is full. Thirty people are receiving wraparound services through the CRI to help turn their lives around, including some mental health support.

The NWACC Women's Program in the Old Jail

The former jail building was used for nearly 20 years as a successful state-run rehabilitation program called Northwest Arkansas Community Corrections. It served women who had already been convicted and sentenced to prison, providing treatment, education, and life skills. It had widespread community involvement from service providers, nonprofits, and churches.

But in 2024, the NWACC shut down due to a lease dispute between the county and the state. For many years, the county leased the facility to the Arkansas Department of Corrections for $1 per year, with the state responsible for upkeep. In 2024, County Judge Patrick Deakins proposed increasing the lease to $3.2 million per year, the estimated cost of housing state inmates in our overcrowded county jail. For years, Arkansas Corrections has been parking its inmates in county jails across Arkansas because the state's prisons are full. This is often done at a financial loss to the counties, including ours.

In June 2024, Justice of the Peace Beth Coger brought forward a resolution supporting the NWACC and urging both parties to reach an agreement. It passed with near-unanimous support, including my vote. I didn't think the dispute between the county and state was necessary and opposed shutting down the NWACC. Unfortunately, the two sides did not reach an agreement, and the NWACC closed. Its participants were moved to a similar program in West Memphis.

The county took back control of the old jail building at the start of 2025. That's when they found that not everything was maintained as it should have been. The HVAC system and the plumbing are OK. But there may be problems with the old electrical system. A vendor is still going through a checklist to see what else may need to be fixed. In addition, the jail doors that the state removed many years ago have been lost. The state can't find them, and they would cost millions of dollars to replace. In any case, the new CRI program doesn't need them. It's not going to operate like a jail.

Breaking the Generational Cycles of Trauma for Women and Children

Expanding this program to the women currently in our jail will be especially important for those who are pregnant or have young children. This program can help them learn life skills, be good moms, and help break generational cycles of trauma.

The CRI for women would also be a voluntary program for those who have been arrested but not yet convicted. Like the existing program for men, it would offer women mental health care, substance use treatment, education, and support from community organizations.

There are no jail doors in either of these buildings. To me, this is a criminal justice reform facility, not a jail in the traditional sense. It could be a chance for women to get support and rebuild their lives before they've been convicted of anything.

Staying Accountable

The goal of these programs to reduce "recidivism", which is the number of times a person relapses back into criminal behavior. Many of the folks cycling through the system have five or more arrests. Hopefully, this program helps break the cycle so people get their lives back on track and never come back. This will also help keep our jail population from growing even as our county booms.

Going forward, county elected officials, including the Quorum Court, will need to track real data to make sure the program is working. Those metrics should be made available to the public, to make sure taxpayer money is being well spent.

However, this one program alone is not a silver bullet. We still need other types of criminal justice reforms, such as pre-trial services and re-entry programs. But it’s an important tool in the toolbox.

Does This Program Expand the Jail Population or Create Room for ICE?

In my view, no, this program does not expand the jail population or create room for other agencies like ICE. I do not support expanding our jail population needlessly.

I ran the numbers myself before making any decision. Our jail has been chronically overcrowded for many years. As of the first of the month, 66 people were sleeping on the floor (down from a high of about 160 earlier in 2025). The new facility will have 70 beds in a treatment setting. This new program only gives a bed to everyone already in jail, gives them some dignity, and provides meaningful support services.

Does This Program Align With the 2020 Study on Our Criminal Justice System?

Yes. In 2019, the Quorum Court spent $60,000 to commission an independent, nonpartisan study from the National Center for State Courts. The group studied our entire criminal justice system for a year and compared it to other counties across the nation. In 2020, their assessment came out. It found that we need better systems and more diversionary and rehabilitation programs, including treatment for addiction and mental illness within the jail population. But it also cited a lack of space to carry out these programs effectively. This is spelled out on page 47 of the report:

The report also recommended things like starting a Mental Health Court, which is now up and running - it held its first proceedings in March. The full report can be found here.

Winning A National Award

Just as we're making decisions about the CRI's future, the National Association of Counties has awarded Washington County with a 2025 Achievement Award for the program.

I was there for the award presentation on Wednesday, July 9, and got to talk one-on-one with some of the detainees. Those I spoke with said they want the program to continue. They feel they are getting valuable benefits from the services provided, including things like fatherhood classes. One man proudly showed me his folder full of certificates, including his GED. Another told me he is learning conflict resolution skills and how to talk about his feelings for the very first time, which is something he was taught to stuff down when he was growing up. A third said he wants to come back and work there, to pay it forward once he gets out.

Congrats to the workers, volunteers, and clients involved in this program for this national recognition.

CRI Facts

The Community Rebuilding Initiative is a new Washington County program that provides mental health treatment, substance abuse support, and life skills training for people awaiting trial in the county jail system.

• The CRI is county-operated and focused on pretrial detainees.
• It will serve both men and women from Washington County.
• It is not intended to operate as a traditional jail facility.
• Current capacity plans:
  • The old CSU facility: 30 people (already full)
  • The Old Jail facility: 70 people (starting in 2026; could change if space is converted to classrooms)

The facility is not being set up as a traditional jail. For example, it would cost approximately $3 million to reinstall the heavy cell doors required by jail standards, which is not part of the current plan.

Timeline

• July 2025: A resolution was passed at the Quorum Court to apply for a grant to expand the CRI to serve women.
• Target opening date: January 1, 2026

Grant Funding & Costs

Washington County is pursuing grant opportunities to help fund the renovation and operation of the CRI. A resolution is necessary to complete the application process for one such grant, for $1.5 million.

• Capital cost estimates: Still being assessed. A vendor is evaluating the building; HVAC and plumbing are in good shape, but electrical systems are still under review.
• Estimated annual operating costs: Approximately $1 million per year.
• In-kind support: About $300,000 per year is expected to come from services provided by the Sheriff's Office.

Public Discussion & Media Coverage

The proposed use of the facility has been discussed publicly since at least December 2024:

• January 16, 2025, Democrat-Gazette: Washington County officials hear about plans for old jail, former Crisis Stabilization Unit
• December 31, 2024, Democrat-Gazette: Washington County eyes old jail for substance abuse treatment facility

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a jail expansion?
The CRI is not meant to expand the jail population. The current jail is overcrowded, with about 66 detainees sleeping on the floor. The program would move 70 existing detainees into a rehabilitative setting. The CRI is not being developed to meet jail facility standards, and there are no plans to install hardened cell doors.

What's the difference between state and county responsibility?

• The state is responsible for housing convicted inmates.
• The county is responsible for housing people awaiting trial.

The CRI is for people in the second group.

How does this program differ from what was happening in the old jail before?

The Northwest Arkansas Community Corrections Center previously used the same building for a state-run residential program for female convicted inmates. A variety of service providers at the NWACC provided them with treatment, life skills training, and probation support.