Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a new bill into law on Wednesday that will prevent those who commit certain felonies from being able to apply for parole.
The Protect Arkansas Act will now stop those who are convicted of rape, trafficking of persons, first-degree murder, child pornography possession, aggravated robbery, and over a dozen more from leaving prison early.
The law will not affect those who have already been convicted of any of the listed charges, only those who commit the eligible crimes after 2024.
The legislation also requires that people convicted of several other felonies, including fentanyl delivery and manslaughter, serve at least 85% of their prison sentences.
The governor posted a picture of the bill signing on social media, showing her surrounded by law enforcement officers. She said in her tweet that the legislation would make Arkansas a “safer, stronger state.”
“The failed public safety status quo ends today in Arkansas,” Sanders tweeted. “No more revolving doors in our prisons. No more weak sentencing. No more unsafe streets.”
The Protect Arkansas Act wasn’t the only piece of legislation Sanders signed into law on Wednesday, as she also penned her name on a new bill aimed at tackling fentanyl dealers.
The Fentanyl Enforcement and Accountability Act will now allow drug dealers in Arkansas to be charged with murder if the drugs they deliver cause an overdose.
“Arkansas will now charge drug dealers with murder if they deliver certain drugs that cause an overdose,” Sanders said. “For the most heinous drug dealers, those who traffic fentanyl to children, we will charge them with life in prison.”
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