Ranking state House member questions Ark. prisons (UALR Public Radio) - A ranking state House member says recent problems at Arkansas prisons ranging from escapes to an inmate's near death could warrant "a full-scale investigation by some outside agency."

Democratic majority leader Steve Harrelson told The Associated Press on Monday he had a series of questions for the head of the state prison system. Prison director Larry Norris is due to testify before a legislative panel Tuesday.

Two convicted killers recently escaped a prison by wearing guard uniforms made at the facility. In that case, Harrelson says he doesn't think "just firing low-level guards will be sufficient."

In January, guards at the state's Tucker Unit left a naked inmate covered in excrement for a weekend. The inmate nearly died from septic shock.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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