Prairie County Detention Center

The Prairie County Detention Center is located in Des Arc, Arkansas (next to the county courthouse) and is operated by the Prairie County Sheriff's Office. This is the only correctional facility in the county, and it houses adult male and female inmates who have been arrested by local county or city law enforcement. 

The department holds all detainees for each city. The jail can hold up to 50 detainees, including 309 inmates. 

Inmates are held at the Prairie County Detention Center for crimes ranging from violations to misdemeanors to felonies. The facility also houses those who have been charged with a crime and are awaiting trial, as well as state inmates awaiting transfer to the Arkansas Department of Corrections. 

Pretrial confinement is not for punishment purposes. It is merely to assure that the arrestee appears in court. Sentenced inmates, on the other hand, are held at the Prairie County Detention Center as punishment for their offense.

To find out if your loved one is being held at the Prairie County Detention Center, please contact the facility directly.

Posting Bond

The purpose of a bond is to make sure that an arrested person will appear at their scheduled court date when they are released from jail. Judges usually determine the amount of bond, while the sheriff determines the sufficiency of the bond. If a person is arrested with a warrant, it will generally have the bond amount listed. 

Cash Bond: The person who is arrested (or someone acting on their behalf) may post the entire bond amount in cash, which will be held by the sheriff or the court pending disposition of the criminal case.

Surety Bond: Secure release from jail through a professional licensed bail bonding company, aka a “surety bond.” The bonding company will charge non-refundable fees that are not applied to any fines, costs, or restitution that may later be ordered by the court. 

OR Bond: Releasing someone on their “own recognizance” is simply a promise to re-appear at a later date for further judicial proceedings. These are only used for very minor offenses. 

What you can bring

Inmates at the Prairie County Detention Center are allowed three white shirts, three white pairs of socks, three pairs of underwear, and any hygiene products that are clear. The department provides toothbrushes, so friends and family are not allowed to bring those in. 

Inmates can have books that are appropriate reading material, as well crossword puzzles, activity puzzles, board games, and cards. Food can not be brought to inmates, but they are able to order snacks from the commissary. 

The Prairie County Sheriff's Department encourages friends and family to bring money that can be put on the detainees book. This gives them the ability to order phone cards and other commissary items.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Visitation for male inmates at the Prairie County Detention Center is held from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Saturday, but a visitation appointment must be made on the Friday before. If you do not have an appointment the visit will not be allowed.

Visiting appointments last a maximum of 20 minutes, and only two people can visit an inmate at one time. The two must visit at the same time -- there will not be an extra 20 minutes allowed to visit the second visitor. 

No one under the age of 12 is allowed to visit, and convicted felons are not allowed visitation. All visitors are run through the state system to make sure you are not a wanted fugitive or convicted felon. Visitors are also subject to search upon entry. The jail has the right to refuse visitation for any detainee at any time.

How to Call an Inmate

You can't call an inmate who is housed at the Prairie County Detention Center, but they do have access to phones and can make outgoing collect calls.

How to Send Money

Anyone may add funds to an inmate’s commissary account at the Prairie County Detention Center using one of the following methods:

• Visit the lobby of the Prairie County Detention Center. There is a commissary Kiosk machine in the lobby that is accessible at all times, which accepts both cash and cards. Just follow the touch screen prompts on the Kiosk to add funds to a particular inmate’s commissary account.
• Go online to www.tigercommissary.com and select “order commissary or send money online.”  Follow the prompts by selecting the appropriate state, county, and Detention Center facility.  Then select “Web Deposit,” enter the inmate’s name, and follow the prompts to add money to that inmate’s commissary account. Or, click here to go directly to the Prairie County Detention Center page. You can add money to an inmate's commissary account, or order items that will be delivered to the inmate at the Detention Center.
• Mail a money order directly to the Detention Center, that is made payable to the inmate.

Programs For Inmates

Programming information for the Prairie County Detention Center is not publicly available.

Pictures of Prairie County Detention Center

Careers at Prairie County Detention Center

If you are interested in a career with the Sheriff's Department and would like more information about the job openings at the Prairie County Detention Center, click here.