LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas has purchased $2.95 million in land to build a new prison that officials hope will reduce the backlog of state inmates in county jails, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Correctional officials announced on Thursday.

The state announced it had purchased 815 acres (330 hectares) in Charleston, which is about 106 miles (170 kilometers) northwest of Little Rock. The state Department of Corrections must approve the prison site before construction can begin.

“This new facility will help end our failed system of arrest and early release and protect our communities by keeping violent criminals off our streets,” Sanders said in a press release. “It will provide hundreds of permanent, recession-proof jobs and millions of dollars in investment for Charleston, Franklin County and the River Valley.”

Prison officials have not provided an overall estimate of how much the new prison will cost or when they hope to begin construction. Sanders, a Republican, called for 3,000 new prison beds and lawmakers allocated $330 million for that last year. An additional $75 million is available for the project, which was originally earmarked for the expansion of a prison unit.

There are currently about 2,500 state inmates housed in county jails.

Corrections officials said that once built, the new prison will employ nearly 800 people with an average salary of more than $46,600.

“I was proud to work with Governor Sanders to address long-standing problems in our corrections system and am grateful for her bold action to address Arkansas’ prison bed shortage with this new facility,” said Benny Magness, Chairman of the Arkansas Board of Corrections , in a statement. “This facility demonstrates our full commitment to building a better prison system and a safer state.”

Sanders signed changes to the state's sentencing laws last year that eliminated parole eligibility for certain violent crimes. Critics said the changes could further strain an already overcrowded prison system.

The prison project is moving forward, a year after Sanders publicly clashed with the Department of Corrections over control of the state's prison system. A judge in Arkansas last year blocked a law that would strip the board of authority over the secretary of corrections and other top officials. The board had challenged the law on the grounds that it violated the state constitution.

The state has appealed the ruling against the law and the case is pending before the Arkansas Supreme Court.