The Arkansas Board of Corrections at Friday’s meeting
The Arkansas Board of Corrections has voted unanimously to rename the North Central Unit in Calico Rock in honor of the board’s retiring chairman, Benny Magness.
The motion was made Friday, Dec. 19, by Board Vice Chairman Dr. William “Dubs” Byers during a regular board meeting. The facility will be renamed the Benny Magness Unit.
Magness has served on the Board of Corrections since 1999 and has been chairman since 2003. He is the longest-serving member of a corrections board in the nation and the longest-serving corrections board chair in the country.
During his tenure, Magness has served under four Arkansas governors. He was first appointed by former Gov. Mike Huckabee, now the U.S. ambassador to Israel. His current term expires Dec. 31, 2025.
A native of Gassville, Magness has played a key role in the growth and expansion of the Arkansas Department of Corrections over the past 26 years.
A formal ceremony to mark the renaming of the unit will be scheduled in the coming months.
Image via the Arkansas Board of Corrections
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