Ark. lawmakers plan 2nd hearing on prison woes (UALR Public Radio) - Arkansas lawmakers are planning another hearing on problems within the state prison system, a day after calling for an subpoena-powered inquiry into guards' lapses.

Sen. Steve Faris said Wednesday that the Senate and House State Agencies and Governmental Affairs committees will hold a joint hearing Aug. 10 at the prison's Cummins Unit in Grady.

The state's prisons chief appeared before lawmakers Tuesday to discuss recent incidents, including guards leaving a naked inmate covered in his own excrement for a weekend in January. The inmate nearly died from septic shock.

Incidents also included a pair of convicted murderers escaping Cummins Unit in late May after puttin on guard uniforms and walking out the front doors.

Faris said he wants prison chief Larry Norris and the Board of Correction to appear before the joint panel.

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