A sharply divided Lawrence County Quorum Court has decided not to apply for a new state prison near Walnut Ridge. By a 5-4 vote, the Quorum Court shot down a proposal by County Judge Dale Freeman to seek an application for a proposed 100-million-dollar facility. The Sun newspaper reports last night’s meeting included fierce debate over the issue. Those who were for the prison say the facility would bring hundreds of new jobs to the region. Freeman said the new prison would have helped bring an economic boom to the county and would have given the county resources to attract big industries to the county. Those who were against the jail say they were concerned about safety of Lawrence County citizens. The new jail will be a maximum security prison that would house some of the state’s worst prisoners. Justices that opposed the jail say they were concerned about what would happen if inmates were to escape from the jail. After the vote last night, Freeman said the issue was dead and the county would not apply for the facility. State officials are taking applications from communities that are interesting in housing a new jail. Some of the requirements include having at least 400 acres of land and access to an airport and institutions of higher learning. State officials plan to take the applications to the Arkansas Legislature in January and ask for funding to build the new facility.