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A prison expert said Josh Duggar, of the well-known Duggar family of Arkansas, has a better than even chance of serving his 12-year prison sentence in Texarkana, Texas.
In May, Duggar, 34, was sentenced to 12 1/2 years by U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks. The judge suggested two prisons: FCI Seagoville (in Seagoville, Texas) and FCI Texarkana. Duggar and his family are known for the 19 Kids and Counting TV show.
A prison consultant told Texarkana News that the judge seemed to prefer Seagoville because it is a Sex Offender Management Program (SOMP) institution. However, he said the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) would be "slightly" more likely to choose Texarkana as Josh Duggar's new home.
Factors favoring Texarkana
"One of the biggest factors is the distance from family, and FCI Texarkana fits the bill," the prison consultant said. "It [FCI Texarkana] also has many sex offenders not mistreated by other inmates. There is also not much violence in Texarkana."
FCI Seagoville is six hours away from Duggar's home in Springdale, Arkansas, and Texarkana, Texas, is about four and a half hours away.
Josh Duggar and his wife, Anna Renee Duggar, have seven children, and family travel would be more accessible as Texarkana is much closer.
A Texarkana connection
Duggar also has a family connection to Texarkana as brother-in-law Austin Forsyth grew up in Texarkana. Father Terry Forsyth was a developer in the city, and Forsyth Circle in the Pleasant Grove area of Texarkana is named for him.
Austin Forsyth is married to the former Joy-Anna Duggar (now Forsyth). The Forsyth family and the Duggar family are longtime friends as well.
Prison has had other famous names
FCI Texarkana is a minimum-security prison with an attached prison camp. A little over one thousand male prisoners are housed in the prison. It has a generally good reputation for its safety and better than average food.
The prison is also said to have much less racial tension than other federal lockups, and it is no stranger to famous names.
The Texarkana prison has been home to Ray Nagin, the mayor of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. The late Lou Pearlman, music mastermind of the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC, also served his sentence in Texarkana before his health worsened.
Heisman Trophy winner turned dentist Billy Cannon was released from FCI Texarkana after serving his sentence for counterfeiting currency. And former Texas Attorney General Dan Morales served his 40-month sentence in the Texarkana prison after pleading guilty to mail fraud and tax evasion.
BOP officials are deciding where Josh Duggar's home for the next 12 years will be right now. However, he currently resides in the Washington County jail in Arkansas until federal officials decide.
Duggar's defense team filed an appeal on June 4, 2022.
Editor's note: Take our poll. Should Josh Duggar go to FCI Seagoville or FCI Texarkana? You decide. See the results instantly.
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