LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Parole Board said Thursday it has created a searchable online database where the public can view its parole decisions.

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Parole Board said Thursday it has created a searchable online database where the public can view its parole decisions.

"There is an obvious public interest in our parole decisions," Chairman John Felts said in a news release. "As we continue to see so much of our world moving online, this Online Decision Search Tool was a natural choice for the Parole Board. Our commitment to public safety requires transparency, and this tool reflects that commitment."

The database is available on the board’s website at paroleboard.arkansas.gov.

The Online Decision Search Tool initially contains parole decisions going back to Sept. 1 of last year. It will be updated weekly, the board said.

The Central Arkansas Planning and Development District provided a $17,124 grant for the project and Arkansas Community Correction helped to design the database. The Parole Board said it awarded an $11,424 vendor contract to Marquis Software Development of Tallahassee, Fla., and a $5,700 vendor contract to the Information Network of Arkansas.

The database joins Executive Clemency Recommendations and Board Meeting Minutes as publicly available tools on the board’s website. The board said that this spring it will add a searchable database of upcoming parole hearings.