By Rob Moritz
Arkansas News Bureau

LITTLE ROCK — The state Board of Corrections gave a vote of confidence today to Prison Director Larry Norris, whose leadership has been questioned in recent months by some lawmakers concerned about a rash of serious incidents earlier this year.

Meeting at the Southwest Arkansas Community Correction Center in Texarkana, the board also voted to begin a pilot program that will allow inmates to receive e-mails. The e-mails will be printed out and reviewed by prison personnel before they are given to the inmates.

“Mr. Norris is doing a good job as we have reviewed him,” board chairman Benny Magness said in a telephone interview during an afternoon break in the meeting. “We’re satisfied with his performance.”

Norris met with the board in executive session for about 30 minutes before the board voted its support for him in open session, Magness said.

The vote came after the board discussed a variety of issues with Norris, including personnel matters and how he had handled them.

“We didn’t have any issues there at all,” Magness said. “As a board we accepted the decisions he has made. We felt like he handled those properly.”

Prison officials have been under scrutiny in recent months following several serious incidents, including the May 29 escape of convicted killers Calvin Adams and Jeffrey Grinder from the Cummins Unit. The two walked out of the unit wearing prison guard uniforms. They were captured days later in New York state.

Other incidents include the shooting death of a parolee outside the Tucker Unit and revelations that in January an inmate nearly died after he was left lying in his own feces over a weekend.

Three civilians have been charged with aiding the escape, six correctional officers were fired and one officer was suspended for five days for failing to fulfill duties.

Two correctional officers were fired and 15 employees were disciplined after the inmate in which the inmate was left in his own feces.

Norris told lawmakers during a July meeting that he was “embarrassed” by the incidents and that the escape was caused by complacent correctional officers.

Magness said today the board voted to move forward with the inmate e-mail pilot program after a presentation by prison officials.

Under the project, people who pay a small fee would be able to send electronic messages to inmates at the Grimes and McPherson units in Newport. Correction Department personnel would print out the messages and screen them before delivering them to inmates, Magness said.

“This is just a pilot project but eventually we hope to go to inbound and outbound,” he said.