Cummins Unit

⚠️ Why We Filed This FOIA Request

In a state where government accountability is often optional and transparency is treated like a threat, we filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to uncover what’s really happening inside the Cummins Unit: a major Arkansas prison with a long history of health, safety, and sanitation concerns.

Our request demanded:

  • All inspection reports, environmental assessments, or internal audits related to black mold, sewage, structural failures, or hazardous conditions.

  • All work orders or incident reports related to sewage overflow, water damage, or unsanitary conditions.

  • Emails or memos between ADC officials and contractors about infrastructure failure or sanitation issues.

  • Inmate grievances related to respiratory issues, mold, contaminated water, or unsafe housing.

  • Any contracts or proposals related to repairs, sanitation upgrades, or wastewater treatment plans.

What We Found

The response we received exposes a deeply broken system, not just structurally, but administratively and morally.

Wastewater Treatment Plant Violations

The Cummins-Varner wastewater facility has been operating at 133% over its legal design capacity for years. According to internal engineering reports, the plant repeatedly violated environmental permits due to:

  • Excessive fecal coliform bacteria

  • High levels of total suspended solids (TSS)

  • Carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (CBOD)

  • Oil, grease, ammonia, and oxygen level failures

Instead of making immediate repairs, the Arkansas Department of Corrections (ADC) has been weighing four options, including doing nothing and paying $1,000 a day in fines.

Structural Collapse, Leaks & Hazardous Conditions

Dozens of maintenance reports and internal memos reveal:

  • Shower valves that run uncontrollably

  • Toilets and urinals down for weeks or months

  • Roof leaks in living areas, libraries, kitchens, and infirmaries

  • Standing water and collapsing sheetrock in dining halls

  • Ceiling water dripping into electrical lights and onto food prep areas

Some staff resorted to placing 55-gallon drums in chow halls to catch brown water dripping from cracked ceilings, right next to where food is served!

Water Quality & Inmate Health

At least three inmates filed grievances in 2024 citing persistent diarrhea, nausea, and stomach issues. In response, staff admitted to struggling to locate water treatment logs (despite supposedly conducting regular tests).

Even when no pathogens showed up on lab reports, the state never ruled out the presence of mold, chemical residue, or low-grade contamination from aging pipes or failing infrastructure.

What This Means for Transparency

These problems weren’t openly disclosed. They were uncovered.

Our FOIA request didn’t just expose the crumbling infrastructure… It revealed something even more alarming: a pattern of bureaucratic delay, document suppression, and failure to notify the public.

When records like this are hidden, we don’t just lose access to information: We lose lives, health, and basic dignity.

We Demand:

  • Full publication of all environmental and maintenance audits across ADC facilities

  • Mandatory public release of inmate health & sanitation grievances

  • Independent oversight of prison infrastructure repair contracts

  • Proactive notification when prison conditions reach emergency levels

🗂️ Read the Full Records

Download the full FOIA document set here: Cummins Unit