The Varner Unit was opened in 1987 with 300 beds, and its capacity was soon increased to 700 beds. Further construction has brought the total capacity to over 1,600 prisoners. At one time the State of Arkansas housed all young male offenders in the state prison system in Varner. While this was the case, Correction Officers and prisoners nicknamed the facility the "
Gladiator School." On Friday August 22, 2003, all 39 Arkansas death row inmates were moved from the
Maximum Security Unit to the
Supermax at the Varner Unit. In 2011, a fight among prisoners and correctional officers led to injuries among correctional officers. During 2004/2005, ADC installed an
electric fence between two non-electric fences in the Varner Unit. It received testing in late December 2004 and was activated in January 2005. The system used inmate labor to assist with the construction of the fence. On September 11, 2025, an inmate was shot twice by a correctional officer at Varner. The spokesperson said that the inmate, who was on field duty, attempted to flee the area. A correctional officer fired two shots, striking the inmate. He was taken to a nearby hospital in an unknown condition. ==Composition==