In 1981, controversial Pulaski County Sheriff Tommy Robinson was sick of overcrowded jails, inmates escaping and prisoners waiting to be sent to state prisons.
In fact, he had 14 prisoners chained to a guard tower at a Pine Bluff facility. A 1981 UPI article stated Robinson "stuffed their commitment papers in their pockets and left them."
The UPI reported, "The inmates sat by the tower for 3 hours until state police took them back to Pulaski County and put them in city jails."
Read the entire article here.
That was then. This is now.
As Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders battled throughout the legislative session for a 3,000-bed mega prison in Charleston, county jails are advertising online services for inmates.
No, this is not a parody.
Tiger Scratch Kitchen literally serves inmates all over the state.
The list on its website includes facilities in Jefferson, Arkansas, White, Clark, Sevierville and Sharp Counties and the Dumas Police Department. The entire list is here.
Families and friends only have to click on the facility where their loved one is staying. From there, someone can "place money on an inmate's trust fund account."
Another option allows to order from the commissary and have it shipped to an inmate. Order late Wednesday night and the inmate will receive it Friday.
The service "allows you to order hot, made from scratch meals and have them served to an inmate."
For example, cheeseburgers with all the fixings, pizza, and chicken tenders. Kosher and gluten-free options may be available.
Here's what comes with a double cheeseburger
* Side of Bacon and Side of Jalapenos
* Scratch Buffalo Chips or French Fries
* All the Fixings & Various Dipping Sauces
* 4 Chicken Fingers
* 2 Flavored Drink Packets
Price: $23.99
Just click on an inmate's name to get started.
A warning pops up: "Please check your inmate selection before proceeding. No refunds, credits or transfers will be issued if the wrong inmate is selected."
The commissary offers a wide variety of supplies.
Check out the medical section.
And yes, even underwear.
Some jails even allow tobacco products.
Inmates can also receive adult coloring books, colored pencils, checker boards, dominoes, crossword puzzle books, playing cards, sketch pads and a sleep mask.
Tiger Correctional's website shows the company is based in Jonesboro and has been in business 25 years. It also serve jails in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
With the online commissary the company offers inmate communications solutions, food services, software systems.
The company website states: "Our Mission is to provide the most advanced and most efficient commissary, food service and jail management software to federal, state and county detention facilities on a national level. We will accomplish this by staying focused and adaptable to changes in technology and service requirements."
Meals are "wholesome" and "all meal plans are approved by a certified nutritionist."
The company's timeline states Chad and Pam Niell founded the company in 1999.
Since 2007, the company has been "named as one of the top 5000 fastest growing privately owned businesses in America. Tiger will go on to receive the honor for a total of nine years in a row."
According to a 2023 article in Correctional News, "The global catering & services market for correctional facilities is expected to grow at a healthy rate during the forecast period, according to the AMA study. The growing number of prisoners across different regions and raising concerns to provide healthy nutrition in order to reduce the illness rates caused by food in correctional facilities are some of the major factors aiding the growth of the market globally. The United States market size is expected to grow from USD 4076.85 million in 2019 to USD 5286.81 million by 2025, at a CAGR of 4.43%."
