diff --git a/ci/conda_env_gandiva.txt b/ci/conda_env_gandiva.txt
index 024b9fe74c1..217936e2c94 100644
--- a/ci/conda_env_gandiva.txt
+++ b/ci/conda_env_gandiva.txt
@@ -15,5 +15,5 @@
 # specific language governing permissions and limitations
 # under the License.
 
-clang=11
-llvmdev=11
+clang>=11
+llvmdev>=11
diff --git a/dev/archery/setup.py b/dev/archery/setup.py
index ce1b97e0ae4..69f33bd9c45 100755
--- a/dev/archery/setup.py
+++ b/dev/archery/setup.py
@@ -18,12 +18,8 @@
 
 import functools
 import operator
-import sys
 from setuptools import setup, find_packages
 
-if sys.version_info < (3, 7):
-    sys.exit('Python < 3.7 is not supported')
-
 # For pathlib.Path compatibility
 jinja_req = 'jinja2>=2.11'
 
@@ -50,7 +46,7 @@
     maintainer_email='dev@arrow.apache.org',
     packages=find_packages(),
     include_package_data=True,
-    python_requires='>=3.7',
+    python_requires='>=3.6',
     install_requires=['click>=7'],
     tests_require=['pytest', 'responses'],
     extras_require=extras,
diff --git a/dev/release/setup-ubuntu.sh b/dev/release/setup-ubuntu.sh
index 7bca67eedbb..0737be9b2c3 100755
--- a/dev/release/setup-ubuntu.sh
+++ b/dev/release/setup-ubuntu.sh
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ apt-get -y install \
   cmake \
   curl \
   git \
+  libcurl4-openssl-dev \
   libgirepository1.0-dev \
   libglib2.0-dev \
   libsqlite3-dev \
diff --git a/dev/release/verify-release-candidate.bat b/dev/release/verify-release-candidate.bat
index 387eb25e1db..dfb874d722c 100644
--- a/dev/release/verify-release-candidate.bat
+++ b/dev/release/verify-release-candidate.bat
@@ -27,23 +27,45 @@ if not exist "C:\tmp\arrow-verify-release" mkdir C:\tmp\arrow-verify-release
 set _VERIFICATION_DIR=C:\tmp\arrow-verify-release
 set _VERIFICATION_DIR_UNIX=C:/tmp/arrow-verify-release
 set _VERIFICATION_CONDA_ENV=%_VERIFICATION_DIR%\conda-env
-set _DIST_URL=https://dist.apache.org/repos/dist/dev/arrow
-set _TARBALL=apache-arrow-%1.tar.gz
 set ARROW_SOURCE=%_VERIFICATION_DIR%\apache-arrow-%1
 set INSTALL_DIR=%_VERIFICATION_DIR%\install
 
-@rem Requires GNU Wget for Windows
-wget --no-check-certificate -O %_TARBALL% %_DIST_URL%/apache-arrow-%1-rc%2/%_TARBALL% || exit /B 1
+set VERSION=%1
+set RC_NUMBER=%2
+
+if "%RC_NUMBER%"=="" (
+    @rem verify a specific git revision
+    if "%SOURCE_REPOSITORY%"=="" (
+        pushd "%~dp0..\..\"
+    ) else (
+        pushd %SOURCE_REPOSITORY%
+    )
+    git clone . %ARROW_SOURCE%
+    git -C %ARROW_SOURCE% checkout %VERSION%
+    popd
+) else (
+    @rem verify a release candidate tarball
+    @rem Requires GNU Wget for Windows
+    set TARBALL_NAME=apache-arrow-%VERSION%.tar.gz
+    set TARBALL_URL=https://dist.apache.org/repos/dist/dev/arrow/apache-arrow-%VERSION%-rc%RC_NUMBER%/%TARBALL_NAME%
+    wget --no-check-certificate -O %TARBALL_NAME% %TARBALL_URL% || exit /B 1
+    tar xf %TARBALL_NAME% -C %_VERIFICATION_DIR_UNIX%
+)
+
+ @rem Get testing datasets for Parquet unit tests
+git clone https://github.com/apache/parquet-testing.git %_VERIFICATION_DIR%\parquet-testing
+set PARQUET_TEST_DATA=%_VERIFICATION_DIR%\parquet-testing\data
 
-tar xf %_TARBALL% -C %_VERIFICATION_DIR_UNIX%
+git clone https://github.com/apache/arrow-testing.git %_VERIFICATION_DIR%\arrow-testing
+set ARROW_TEST_DATA=%_VERIFICATION_DIR%\arrow-testing\data
 
 set PYTHON=3.8
 
 @rem Using call with conda.bat seems necessary to avoid terminating the batch
 @rem script execution
 call conda create --no-shortcuts -c conda-forge -f -q -y -p %_VERIFICATION_CONDA_ENV% ^
-    --file=ci\conda_env_cpp.txt ^
-    --file=ci\conda_env_python.txt ^
+    --file=%ARROW_SOURCE%\ci\conda_env_cpp.txt ^
+    --file=%ARROW_SOURCE%\ci\conda_env_python.txt ^
     git ^
     python=%PYTHON% ^
     || exit /B 1
@@ -96,13 +118,6 @@ cmake -G "%GENERATOR%" ^
 
 cmake --build . --target INSTALL --config Release || exit /B 1
 
-@rem Get testing datasets for Parquet unit tests
-git clone https://github.com/apache/parquet-testing.git %_VERIFICATION_DIR%\parquet-testing
-set PARQUET_TEST_DATA=%_VERIFICATION_DIR%\parquet-testing\data
-
-git clone https://github.com/apache/arrow-testing.git %_VERIFICATION_DIR%\arrow-testing
-set ARROW_TEST_DATA=%_VERIFICATION_DIR%\arrow-testing\data
-
 @rem Needed so python-test.exe works
 set PYTHONPATH_ORIGINAL=%PYTHONPATH%
 set PYTHONPATH=%CONDA_PREFIX%\Lib;%CONDA_PREFIX%\Lib\site-packages;%CONDA_PREFIX%\DLLs;%CONDA_PREFIX%;%PYTHONPATH%
diff --git a/dev/release/verify-release-candidate.sh b/dev/release/verify-release-candidate.sh
index 11cf0d9a488..e18df2f5482 100755
--- a/dev/release/verify-release-candidate.sh
+++ b/dev/release/verify-release-candidate.sh
@@ -35,9 +35,20 @@
 # directory is not cleaned up automatically.
 
 case $# in
+  2) ARTIFACT="$1"
+     VERSION="$2"
+     SOURCE_KIND="git"
+     case $ARTIFACT in
+       source) ;;
+       *) echo "Invalid argument: '${ARTIFACT}', only valid option is 'source'"
+          exit 1
+          ;;
+     esac
+     ;;
   3) ARTIFACT="$1"
      VERSION="$2"
      RC_NUMBER="$3"
+     SOURCE_KIND="tarball"
      case $ARTIFACT in
        source|binaries|wheels|jars) ;;
        *) echo "Invalid argument: '${ARTIFACT}', valid options are \
@@ -66,14 +77,18 @@ detect_cuda() {
   return $((${n_gpus} < 1))
 }
 
-# Build options for the C++ library
+# Execute tests in a conda enviroment
+: ${USE_CONDA:=0}
 
+# Build options for the C++ library
 if [ -z "${ARROW_CUDA:-}" ] && detect_cuda; then
   ARROW_CUDA=ON
 fi
+: ${ARROW_S3:=OFF}
 : ${ARROW_CUDA:=OFF}
 : ${ARROW_FLIGHT:=ON}
 : ${ARROW_GANDIVA:=ON}
+: ${ARROW_DEPENDENCY_SOURCE:=${DEFAULT_DEPENDENCY_SOURCE}}
 
 ARROW_DIST_URL='https://dist.apache.org/repos/dist/dev/arrow'
 
@@ -138,7 +153,7 @@ test_binary() {
   local download_dir=binaries
   mkdir -p ${download_dir}
 
-  ${PYTHON:-python} $SOURCE_DIR/download_rc_binaries.py $VERSION $RC_NUMBER \
+  ${PYTHON:-python3} $SOURCE_DIR/download_rc_binaries.py $VERSION $RC_NUMBER \
          --dest=${download_dir}
 
   verify_dir_artifact_signatures ${download_dir}
@@ -232,7 +247,7 @@ setup_tempdir() {
   fi
 }
 
-setup_miniconda() {
+setup_conda() {
   # Setup short-lived miniconda for Python and integration tests
   OS="$(uname)"
   if [ "${OS}" == "Darwin" ]; then
@@ -245,7 +260,7 @@ setup_miniconda() {
 
   if [ ! -d "${MINICONDA}" ]; then
     # Setup miniconda only if the directory doesn't exist yet
-    wget -O miniconda.sh $MINICONDA_URL
+    curl -sL -o miniconda.sh $MINICONDA_URL
     bash miniconda.sh -b -p $MINICONDA
     rm -f miniconda.sh
   fi
@@ -253,72 +268,99 @@ setup_miniconda() {
 
   . $MINICONDA/etc/profile.d/conda.sh
   conda activate base
-
-  # Dependencies from python/requirements-build.txt and python/requirements-test.txt
-  # with the exception of oldest-supported-numpy since it doesn't have a conda package
-  mamba create -n arrow-test -y \
-    cffi \
-    cython \
-    hypothesis \
-    numpy \
-    pandas \
-    pytest \
-    pytest-lazy-fixture \
-    python=3.8 \
-    pytz \
-    setuptools \
-    setuptools_scm
-
-  conda activate arrow-test
-  echo "Using conda environment ${CONDA_PREFIX}"
+  mamba create -n arrow-test -y
+  echo "Created conda environment ${CONDA_PREFIX}"
+  conda deactivate
 }
 
+# setup_conda_env() {}
+# setup_virtual_env() {}
+
 # Build and test Java (Requires newer Maven -- I used 3.3.9)
 
 test_package_java() {
+  if [ "${USE_CONDA}" -gt 0 ]; then
+    conda activate base
+    mamba install -y -n arrow-test maven
+    conda activate arrow-test
+  fi
+
   pushd java
 
   mvn test
   mvn package
 
   popd
+
+  if [ "${USE_CONDA}" -gt 0 ]; then
+    conda deactivate
+  fi
 }
 
 # Build and test C++
 
 test_and_install_cpp() {
+  # TODO(kszucs): factor out to functions
+  if [ "${USE_CONDA}" -gt 0 ]; then
+    DEFAULT_DEPENDENCY_SOURCE="CONDA"
+    # TODO(kszucs): we should define orc and sqlite in the conda_env_cpp.txt file
+    conda activate base
+    mamba install -y -n arrow-test \
+      --file ci/conda_env_cpp.txt \
+      --file ci/conda_env_gandiva.txt \
+      --file ci/conda_env_unix.txt \
+      ncurses \
+      numpy \
+      sqlite \
+      compilers
+    conda activate arrow-test
+  elif [ ! -z ${CONDA_PREFIX} ]; then
+    echo "Conda environment is active despite that USE_CONDA is set to 0."
+    echo "Deactivate the environment before running the verification script."
+    exit 1
+  else
+    DEFAULT_DEPENDENCY_SOURCE="AUTO"
+    # Create a python virtualenv
+    ${PYTHON:-python3} -m pip install virtualenv
+    ${PYTHON:-python3} -m virtualenv venv
+    source venv/bin/activate
+    # Install build dependencies (numpy is required here)
+    pip install numpy
+  fi
+
   mkdir -p cpp/build
   pushd cpp/build
 
   ARROW_CMAKE_OPTIONS="
 ${ARROW_CMAKE_OPTIONS:-}
--DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=$ARROW_HOME
--DCMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR=lib
+-DARROW_BOOST_USE_SHARED=ON
+-DARROW_BUILD_INTEGRATION=ON
+-DARROW_BUILD_TESTS=ON
+-DARROW_CUDA=${ARROW_CUDA}
+-DARROW_DATASET=ON
+-DARROW_DEPENDENCY_SOURCE=${ARROW_DEPENDENCY_SOURCE:-$DEFAULT_DEPENDENCY_SOURCE}
 -DARROW_FLIGHT=${ARROW_FLIGHT}
--DARROW_PLASMA=ON
--DARROW_ORC=ON
--DARROW_PYTHON=ON
 -DARROW_GANDIVA=${ARROW_GANDIVA}
+-DARROW_HDFS=ON
+-DARROW_ORC=ON
 -DARROW_PARQUET=ON
--DARROW_DATASET=ON
--DPARQUET_REQUIRE_ENCRYPTION=ON
+-DARROW_PLASMA=ON
+-DARROW_PYTHON=ON
+-DARROW_S3=${ARROW_S3}
 -DARROW_VERBOSE_THIRDPARTY_BUILD=ON
+-DARROW_WITH_BROTLI=ON
 -DARROW_WITH_BZ2=ON
--DARROW_WITH_ZLIB=ON
--DARROW_WITH_ZSTD=ON
 -DARROW_WITH_LZ4=ON
 -DARROW_WITH_SNAPPY=ON
--DARROW_WITH_BROTLI=ON
--DARROW_BOOST_USE_SHARED=ON
+-DARROW_WITH_ZLIB=ON
+-DARROW_WITH_ZSTD=ON
 -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=release
--DARROW_BUILD_TESTS=ON
--DARROW_BUILD_INTEGRATION=ON
--DARROW_CUDA=${ARROW_CUDA}
--DARROW_DEPENDENCY_SOURCE=AUTO
+-DCMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR=lib
+-DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=$ARROW_HOME
+-DPARQUET_REQUIRE_ENCRYPTION=ON
 "
   cmake $ARROW_CMAKE_OPTIONS ..
-
-  make -j$NPROC install
+  cmake --build . --target install
 
   # TODO: ARROW-5036: plasma-serialization_tests broken
   # TODO: ARROW-5054: libgtest.so link failure in flight-server-test
@@ -328,6 +370,12 @@ ${ARROW_CMAKE_OPTIONS:-}
     --output-on-failure \
     -L unittest
   popd
+
+  if [ "${USE_CONDA}" -gt 0 ]; then
+    conda deactivate
+  else
+    deactivate
+  fi
 }
 
 test_csharp() {
@@ -356,19 +404,24 @@ test_csharp() {
     esac
     local dotnet_download_thank_you_url=https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download/thank-you/dotnet-sdk-${dotnet_version}-${dotnet_platform}-x64-binaries
     local dotnet_download_url=$( \
-      curl --location ${dotnet_download_thank_you_url} | \
+      curl -sL ${dotnet_download_thank_you_url} | \
         grep 'window\.open' | \
         grep -E -o '[^"]+' | \
         sed -n 2p)
-    curl ${dotnet_download_url} | \
+    curl -sL ${dotnet_download_url} | \
       tar xzf - -C ${csharp_bin}
     PATH=${csharp_bin}:${PATH}
   fi
 
   dotnet test
-  mv dummy.git ../.git
-  dotnet pack -c Release
-  mv ../.git dummy.git
+
+  if [ "${SOURCE_KIND}" = "git" ]; then
+    dotnet pack -c Release
+  else
+    mv dummy.git ../.git
+    dotnet pack -c Release
+    mv ../.git dummy.git
+  fi
 
   if ! which sourcelink > /dev/null 2>&1; then
     dotnet tool install --tool-path ${csharp_bin} sourcelink
@@ -385,15 +438,28 @@ test_csharp() {
 }
 
 # Build and test Python
-
 test_python() {
-  pushd python
+  if [ "${USE_CONDA}" -gt 0 ]; then
+    conda activate arrow-test
+    mamba install -y --file ci/conda_env_python.txt
+  elif [ ! -z ${CONDA_PREFIX} ]; then
+    echo "Conda environment is active despite that USE_CONDA is set to 0."
+    echo "Deactivate the environment before running the verification script."
+    exit 1
+  else
+    source venv/bin/activate
+    pip install cython numpy setuptools_scm setuptools
+  fi
 
   export PYARROW_PARALLEL=$NPROC
-
   export PYARROW_WITH_DATASET=1
+  export PYARROW_WITH_HDFS=1
+  export PYARROW_WITH_ORC=1
   export PYARROW_WITH_PARQUET=1
   export PYARROW_WITH_PLASMA=1
+  if [ "${ARROW_S3}" = "ON" ]; then
+    export PYARROW_WITH_S3=1
+  fi
   if [ "${ARROW_CUDA}" = "ON" ]; then
     export PYARROW_WITH_CUDA=1
   fi
@@ -404,13 +470,64 @@ test_python() {
     export PYARROW_WITH_GANDIVA=1
   fi
 
+  pushd python
+
+  # Build pyarrow
   python setup.py build_ext --inplace
+
+  # Check mandatory and optional imports
+  python -c "
+import pyarrow
+import pyarrow._hdfs
+import pyarrow.csv
+import pyarrow.dataset
+import pyarrow.fs
+import pyarrow.json
+import pyarrow.orc
+import pyarrow.parquet
+import pyarrow.plasma
+"
+  if [ "${PYARROW_WITH_S3}" == "ON" ]; then
+    python -c "import pyarrow._s3fs"
+  fi
+  if [ "${PYARROW_WITH_CUDA}" == "ON" ]; then
+    python -c "import pyarrow.cuda"
+  fi
+  if [ "${PYARROW_WITH_FLIGHT}" == "ON" ]; then
+    python -c "import pyarrow.flight"
+  fi
+  if [ "${ARROW_WITH_GANDIVA}" == "ON" ]; then
+    python -c "import pyarrow.gandiva"
+  fi
+
+  # Install test dependencies
+  pip install -r requirements-test.txt
+
+  # Execute pyarrow unittests
   pytest pyarrow -v --pdb
 
+  if [ "${USE_CONDA}" -gt 0 ]; then
+    conda deactivate
+  else
+    deactivate
+  fi
+
   popd
 }
 
 test_glib() {
+  if [ "${USE_CONDA}" -gt 0 ]; then
+    conda activate arrow-test
+    mamba install -y meson
+  elif [ ! -z ${CONDA_PREFIX} ]; then
+    echo "Conda environment is active despite that USE_CONDA is set to 0."
+    echo "Deactivate the environment before running the verification script."
+    exit 1
+  else
+    source venv/bin/activate
+    pip install meson
+  fi
+
   pushd c_glib
 
   pip install meson
@@ -429,6 +546,12 @@ test_glib() {
   bundle install
   bundle exec ruby test/run-test.rb
 
+  if [ "${USE_CONDA}" -gt 0 ]; then
+    conda deactivate
+  else
+    deactivate
+  fi
+
   popd
 }
 
@@ -438,7 +561,7 @@ test_js() {
   if [ "${INSTALL_NODE}" -gt 0 ]; then
     export NVM_DIR="`pwd`/.nvm"
     mkdir -p $NVM_DIR
-    curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.0/install.sh | \
+    curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.0/install.sh | \
       PROFILE=/dev/null bash
     [ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"
 
@@ -497,7 +620,7 @@ test_go() {
   fi
 
   local GO_ARCHIVE=go$VERSION.$OS-$ARCH.tar.gz
-  wget https://dl.google.com/go/$GO_ARCHIVE
+  curl -sLO https://dl.google.com/go/$GO_ARCHIVE
 
   mkdir -p local-go
   tar -xzf $GO_ARCHIVE -C local-go
@@ -518,6 +641,16 @@ test_go() {
 
 # Run integration tests
 test_integration() {
+  if [ "${USE_CONDA}" -gt 0 ]; then
+    conda activat arrow-test
+  elif [ ! -z ${CONDA_PREFIX} ]; then
+    echo "Conda environment is active despite that USE_CONDA is set to 0."
+    echo "Deactivate the environment before running the verification script."
+    exit 1
+  else
+    source venv/bin/activate
+  fi
+
   JAVA_DIR=$PWD/java
   CPP_BUILD_DIR=$PWD/cpp/build
 
@@ -541,31 +674,45 @@ test_integration() {
               --with-js=${TEST_INTEGRATION_JS} \
               --with-go=${TEST_INTEGRATION_GO} \
               $INTEGRATION_TEST_ARGS
+
+  if [ "${USE_CONDA}" -gt 0 ]; then
+    conda deactivate
+  else
+    deactivate
+  fi
 }
 
 ensure_source_directory() {
   dist_name="apache-arrow-${VERSION}"
-  if [ $((${TEST_SOURCE} + ${TEST_WHEELS})) -gt 0 ]; then
-    import_gpg_keys
-    if [ ! -d "${dist_name}" ]; then
-      fetch_archive ${dist_name}
-      tar xf ${dist_name}.tar.gz
+  if [ "${SOURCE_KIND}" = "git" ]; then
+    if [ ! -d "arrow" ]; then
+      git clone --recurse-submodules ${SOURCE_REPOSITORY:-"${SOURCE_DIR}/../.."} arrow
     fi
+    pushd arrow
+    git checkout ${VERSION}
   else
-    mkdir -p ${dist_name}
-    if [ ! -f ${TEST_ARCHIVE} ]; then
-      echo "${TEST_ARCHIVE} not found"
-      exit 1
+    if [ $((${TEST_SOURCE} + ${TEST_WHEELS})) -gt 0 ]; then
+      import_gpg_keys
+      if [ ! -d "${dist_name}" ]; then
+        fetch_archive ${dist_name}
+        tar xf ${dist_name}.tar.gz
+      fi
+    else
+      mkdir -p ${dist_name}
+      if [ ! -f ${TEST_ARCHIVE} ]; then
+        echo "${TEST_ARCHIVE} not found"
+        exit 1
+      fi
+      tar xf ${TEST_ARCHIVE} -C ${dist_name} --strip-components=1
+    fi
+    # clone testing repositories
+    pushd ${dist_name}
+    if [ ! -d "testing/data" ]; then
+      git clone https://github.com/apache/arrow-testing.git testing
+    fi
+    if [ ! -d "cpp/submodules/parquet-testing/data" ]; then
+      git clone https://github.com/apache/parquet-testing.git cpp/submodules/parquet-testing
     fi
-    tar xf ${TEST_ARCHIVE} -C ${dist_name} --strip-components=1
-  fi
-  # clone testing repositories
-  pushd ${dist_name}
-  if [ ! -d "testing/data" ]; then
-    git clone https://github.com/apache/arrow-testing.git testing
-  fi
-  if [ ! -d "cpp/submodules/parquet-testing/data" ]; then
-    git clone https://github.com/apache/parquet-testing.git cpp/submodules/parquet-testing
   fi
   export ARROW_DIR=$PWD
   export ARROW_TEST_DATA=$PWD/testing/data
@@ -639,13 +786,25 @@ test_linux_wheels() {
 
   for py_arch in ${py_arches}; do
     local env=_verify_wheel-${py_arch}
-    if [ $py_arch = "3.10" ]; then
-      local channels="-c conda-forge -c defaults"
+
+    if [ "${USE_CONDA}" -gt 0 ]; then
+      mamba create -yq -n ${env} python=${py_arch//[mu]/}
+      conda activate ${env}
+    elif [ ! -z ${CONDA_PREFIX} ]; then
+      echo "Conda environment is active despite that USE_CONDA is set to 0."
+      echo "Deactivate the environment before running the verification script."
+      exit 1
+    elif [ command -v "python${py_ver}" ]; then
+      local venv="${ARROW_TMPDIR}/test-virtualenv"
+      local python="python${py_ver}"
+      $python -m virtualenv $venv
+      source $venv/bin/activate
     else
-      local channels="-c conda-forge"
+      echo "Couldn't locate python interpreter with version ${py_arch}"
+      echo "Call the script with USE_CONDA=1 to test all of the python versions."
+      continue
     fi
-    mamba create -yq -n ${env} ${channels} python=${py_arch//[mu]/}
-    conda activate ${env}
+
     pip install -U pip
 
     for tag in ${platform_tags}; do
@@ -654,7 +813,11 @@ test_linux_wheels() {
       INSTALL_PYARROW=OFF ${ARROW_DIR}/ci/scripts/python_wheel_unix_test.sh ${ARROW_DIR}
     done
 
-    conda deactivate
+    if [ "${USE_CONDA}" -gt 0 ]; then
+      conda deactivate
+    else
+      deactivate
+    fi
   done
 }
 
@@ -667,7 +830,7 @@ test_macos_wheels() {
   local check_flight=ON
 
   # macOS version <= 10.13
-  if [ $(echo "${macos_short_version}\n10.14" | sort -V | head -n1) == "${macos_short_version}" ]; then
+  if [ $(echo "${macos_short_version}\n10.14" | sort | head -n1) == "${macos_short_version}" ]; then
     local check_s3=OFF
   fi
   # apple silicon processor
@@ -679,13 +842,25 @@ test_macos_wheels() {
   # verify arch-native wheels inside an arch-native conda environment
   for py_arch in ${py_arches}; do
     local env=_verify_wheel-${py_arch}
-    if [ $py_arch = "3.10" ]; then
-      local channels="-c conda-forge -c defaults"
+
+    if [ "${USE_CONDA}" -gt 0 ]; then
+      mamba create -yq -n ${env} python=${py_arch//m/}
+      conda activate ${env}
+    elif [ ! -z ${CONDA_PREFIX} ]; then
+      echo "Conda environment is active despite that USE_CONDA is set to 0."
+      echo "Deactivate the environment before running the verification script."
+      exit 1
+    elif [ command -v "python${py_ver}" ]; then
+      local venv="${ARROW_TMPDIR}/test-virtualenv"
+      local python="python${py_ver}"
+      $python -m virtualenv $venv
+      source $venv/bin/activate
     else
-      local channels="-c conda-forge"
+      echo "Couldn't locate python interpreter with version ${py_arch}"
+      echo "Call the script with USE_CONDA=1 to test all of the python versions."
+      continue
     fi
-    mamba create -yq -n ${env} ${channels} python=${py_arch//m/}
-    conda activate ${env}
+
     pip install -U pip
 
     # check the mandatory and optional imports
@@ -693,7 +868,11 @@ test_macos_wheels() {
     INSTALL_PYARROW=OFF ARROW_FLIGHT=${check_flight} ARROW_S3=${check_s3} \
       ${ARROW_DIR}/ci/scripts/python_wheel_unix_test.sh ${ARROW_DIR}
 
-    conda deactivate
+    if [ "${USE_CONDA}" -gt 0 ]; then
+      conda deactivate
+    else
+      deactivate
+    fi
   done
 
   # verify arm64 and universal2 wheels using an universal2 python binary
@@ -760,7 +939,7 @@ test_jars() {
   local download_dir=jars
   mkdir -p ${download_dir}
 
-  ${PYTHON:-python} $SOURCE_DIR/download_rc_binaries.py $VERSION $RC_NUMBER \
+  ${PYTHON:-python3} $SOURCE_DIR/download_rc_binaries.py $VERSION $RC_NUMBER \
          --dest=${download_dir} \
          --package_type=jars
 
@@ -771,6 +950,10 @@ test_jars() {
 # To deactivate one test, deactivate the test and all of its dependents
 # To explicitly select one test, set TEST_DEFAULT=0 TEST_X=1
 
+
+# Install and activate conda environment automatically
+: ${INSTALL_CONDA:=$USE_CONDA}
+
 # Install NodeJS locally for running the JavaScript tests rather than using the
 # system Node installation, which may be too old.
 node_major_version=$( \
@@ -792,6 +975,7 @@ case "${ARTIFACT}" in
     ;;
   wheels)
     TEST_WHEELS=1
+    USE_CONDA=1
     ;;
   jars)
     TEST_JARS=1
@@ -835,29 +1019,6 @@ TEST_JS=$((${TEST_JS} + ${TEST_INTEGRATION_JS}))
 TEST_GO=$((${TEST_GO} + ${TEST_INTEGRATION_GO}))
 TEST_INTEGRATION=$((${TEST_INTEGRATION} + ${TEST_INTEGRATION_CPP} + ${TEST_INTEGRATION_JAVA} + ${TEST_INTEGRATION_JS} + ${TEST_INTEGRATION_GO}))
 
-case "${ARTIFACT}" in
-  source)
-    NEED_MINICONDA=$((${TEST_CPP} + ${TEST_INTEGRATION}))
-    ;;
-  binaries)
-    if [ -z "${PYTHON:-}" ]; then
-      NEED_MINICONDA=$((${TEST_BINARY}))
-    else
-      NEED_MINICONDA=0
-    fi
-    ;;
-  wheels)
-    NEED_MINICONDA=$((${TEST_WHEELS}))
-    ;;
-  jars)
-    if [ -z "${PYTHON:-}" ]; then
-      NEED_MINICONDA=1
-    else
-      NEED_MINICONDA=0
-    fi
-    ;;
-esac
-
 : ${TEST_ARCHIVE:=apache-arrow-${VERSION}.tar.gz}
 case "${TEST_ARCHIVE}" in
   /*)
@@ -873,8 +1034,8 @@ setup_tempdir "arrow-${VERSION}"
 echo "Working in sandbox ${ARROW_TMPDIR}"
 cd ${ARROW_TMPDIR}
 
-if [ ${NEED_MINICONDA} -gt 0 ]; then
-  setup_miniconda
+if [ "${INSTALL_CONDA}" -gt 0 ]; then
+  setup_conda
 fi
 
 case "${ARTIFACT}" in
diff --git a/dev/tasks/docker-tests/github.linux.yml b/dev/tasks/docker-tests/github.linux.yml
index f7b7f2317a2..952dc87d111 100644
--- a/dev/tasks/docker-tests/github.linux.yml
+++ b/dev/tasks/docker-tests/github.linux.yml
@@ -39,8 +39,6 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           archery docker run \
             -e SETUPTOOLS_SCM_PRETEND_VERSION="{{ arrow.no_rc_version }}" \
-            -e VERIFY_VERSION="{{ release|default("") }}" \
-            -e VERIFY_RC="{{ rc|default("") }}" \
             {{ flags|default("") }} \
             {{ image }} \
             {{ command|default("") }}
diff --git a/dev/tasks/tasks.yml b/dev/tasks/tasks.yml
index f64597fd826..4b9744ea373 100644
--- a/dev/tasks/tasks.yml
+++ b/dev/tasks/tasks.yml
@@ -131,6 +131,7 @@ groups:
 {######################## Tasks to run regularly #############################}
 
   nightly:
+    - verify-rc-source-*
     - almalinux-*
     - amazon-linux-*
     - debian-*
@@ -820,27 +821,20 @@ tasks:
 
   ########################### Release verification ############################
 
-{% for target in ["binary", "yum", "apt"] %}
-  verify-rc-binaries-{{ target }}-amd64:
-    ci: github
-    template: verify-rc/github.linux.amd64.yml
-    params:
-      env:
-        TEST_DEFAULT: 0
-        TEST_{{ target|upper }}: 1
-      artifact: binaries
-{% endfor %}
+  ######################## Linux source verification ##########################
 
-  verify-rc-jars-amd64:
+{% for target in ["cpp", "integration", "python"] %}
+  verify-rc-source-{{ target }}-linux-conda-amd64:
     ci: github
-    template: verify-rc/github.linux.amd64.yml
+    template: verify-rc/github.linux.amd64.docker.yml
     params:
-      env:
-        TEST_DEFAULT: 0
-        TEST_JARS: 1
-      artifact: jars
+      target: {{ target }}
+      distro: conda
+{% endfor %}
 
-{% for platform, arch, runner in [("macos", "amd64", "macos-10.15")] %}
+{% for distribution, version in [("almalinux", "8"),
+                                 ("ubuntu", "18.04"),
+                                 ("ubuntu", "20.04")] %}
   {% for target in ["cpp",
                     "csharp",
                     "go",
@@ -849,22 +843,29 @@ tasks:
                     "js",
                     "python",
                     "ruby"] %}
-
-  verify-rc-source-{{ target }}-{{ platform }}-{{ arch }}:
+  verify-rc-source-{{ target }}-linux-{{ distribution }}-{{ version }}-amd64:
     ci: github
-    template: verify-rc/github.{{ platform }}.{{ arch }}.yml
+    template: verify-rc/github.linux.amd64.docker.yml
     params:
-      env:
-        TEST_DEFAULT: 0
-        TEST_{{ target|upper }}: 1
-      artifact: "source"
-      github_runner: "{{ runner }}"
+      target: {{ target }}
+      distro: {{ distribution }}
   {% endfor %}
+
 {% endfor %}
 
-{% for distribution, version in [("almalinux", "8"),
-                                 ("ubuntu", "18.04"),
-                                 ("ubuntu", "20.04")] %}
+  ######################## macOS source verification ##########################
+
+  {% for target in ["cpp", "integration", "python"] %}
+  verify-rc-source-{{ target }}-macos-conda-amd64:
+    ci: github
+    template: verify-rc/github.macos.amd64.yml
+    params:
+      target: {{ target }}
+      artifact: source
+      use_conda: True
+      github_runner: "macos-10.15"
+  {% endfor %}
+
   {% for target in ["cpp",
                     "csharp",
                     "go",
@@ -873,19 +874,15 @@ tasks:
                     "js",
                     "python",
                     "ruby"] %}
-
-  verify-rc-source-{{ target }}-linux-{{ distribution }}-{{ version }}-amd64:
+  verify-rc-source-{{ target }}-macos-amd64:
     ci: github
-    template: docker-tests/github.linux.yml
+    template: verify-rc/github.macos.amd64.yml
     params:
-      flags: >-
-        -e TEST_DEFAULT=0
-        -e TEST_{{ target|upper }}=1
-      image: {{ distribution }}-verify-rc-source
+      target: {{ target }}
+      artifact: "source"
+      github_runner: "macos-10.15"
   {% endfor %}
-{% endfor %}
 
-{% for platform, arch, runner in [("macos", "arm64", "self-hosted")] %}
   {% for target in ["cpp",
                     "csharp",
                     "go",
@@ -893,79 +890,84 @@ tasks:
                     "js",
                     "python",
                     "ruby"] %}
-
-  verify-rc-source-{{ target }}-{{ platform }}-{{ arch }}:
+  verify-rc-source-{{ target }}-macos-arm64:
     ci: github
-    template: verify-rc/github.{{ platform }}.{{ arch }}.yml
+    template: verify-rc/github.macos.arm64.yml
     params:
       env:
         ARROW_FLIGHT: 0
         ARROW_GANDIVA: 0
-        TEST_DEFAULT: 0
         TEST_INTEGRATION_JAVA: 0
-        TEST_{{ target|upper }}: 1
         PYTEST_ADDOPTS: "-k 'not test_cancellation'"
       artifact: "source"
-      github_runner: "{{ runner }}"
+      github_runner: "self-hosted"
   {% endfor %}
-{% endfor %}
 
-  verify-rc-wheels-linux-amd64:
+  ######################## Windows source verification ########################
+
+  verify-rc-source-windows:
     ci: github
-    template: verify-rc/github.linux.amd64.yml
+    template: verify-rc/github.win.yml
     params:
       env:
-        TEST_DEFAULT: 0
-      artifact: "wheels"
+        PYARROW_TEST_GDB: "OFF"
+      script: "verify-release-candidate.bat"
 
-  verify-rc-wheels-macos-10.15-amd64:
+  ######################## Java jars verification #############################
+
+  verify-rc-jars-amd64:
     ci: github
-    template: verify-rc/github.macos.amd64.yml
+    template: verify-rc/github.linux.amd64.yml
     params:
-      github_runner: "macos-10.15"
-      env:
-        TEST_DEFAULT: 0
-      artifact: "wheels"
+      artifact: jars
 
-  # The github hosted macos-11 runners are in preview only, but should be switched once they are generally available:
-  #   https://docs.github.com/en/actions/using-github-hosted-runners/about-github-hosted-runners#supported-runners-and-hardware-resources
-  verify-rc-wheels-macos-11-amd64:
+  ######################## Linux package verification ########################
+
+  {% for target in ["binary", "yum", "apt"] %}
+  verify-rc-binaries-{{ target }}-amd64:
     ci: github
-    template: verify-rc/github.macos.arm64.yml
+    template: verify-rc/github.linux.amd64.yml
     params:
-      github_runner: "self-hosted"
-      arch_emulation: "x86_64"
-      env:
-        TEST_DEFAULT: 0
-        PYTEST_ADDOPTS: "-k 'not test_cancellation'"
-      artifact: "wheels"
+      target: {{ target }}
+      artifact: binaries
+  {% endfor %}
+
+  ######################### Wheel Verification ################################
 
-  verify-rc-wheels-macos-11-arm64:
+  verify-rc-wheels-linux-amd64:
     ci: github
-    template: verify-rc/github.macos.arm64.yml
+    template: verify-rc/github.linux.amd64.yml
     params:
-      github_runner: "self-hosted"
-      arch_emulation: "arm64"
-      env:
-        TEST_DEFAULT: 0
-        PYTEST_ADDOPTS: "-k 'not test_cancellation'"
-      artifact: "wheels"
+      artifact: wheels
 
-  verify-rc-source-windows:
+  verify-rc-wheels-windows:
     ci: github
     template: verify-rc/github.win.yml
     params:
       env:
         PYARROW_TEST_GDB: "OFF"
-      script: "verify-release-candidate.bat"
+      script: "verify-release-candidate-wheels.bat"
 
-  verify-rc-wheels-windows:
+  verify-rc-wheels-macos-10.15-amd64:
     ci: github
-    template: verify-rc/github.win.yml
+    template: verify-rc/github.macos.amd64.yml
     params:
+      github_runner: "macos-10.15"
+      artifact: "wheels"
+
+  # The github hosted macos-11 runners are in preview only, but should be switched once they are generally available:
+  #   https://docs.github.com/en/actions/using-github-hosted-runners/about-github-hosted-runners#supported-runners-and-hardware-resources
+  {% for arch, emulation in [("amd64", "x86_64"), ("arm64", "arm64")] %}
+  verify-rc-wheels-macos-11-{{ arch }}:
+    ci: github
+    template: verify-rc/github.macos.arm64.yml
+    params:
+      arch_emulation: {{ emulation }}
       env:
-        PYARROW_TEST_GDB: "OFF"
-      script: "verify-release-candidate-wheels.bat"
+        PYTEST_ADDOPTS: "-k 'not test_cancellation'"
+      artifact: "wheels"
+      github_runner: "self-hosted"
+  {% endfor %}
 
 {############################## Docker tests #################################}
 
diff --git a/dev/tasks/verify-rc/github.linux.amd64.docker.yml b/dev/tasks/verify-rc/github.linux.amd64.docker.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d4cfd68f1c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev/tasks/verify-rc/github.linux.amd64.docker.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+# Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
+# or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
+# distributed with this work for additional information
+# regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
+# to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
+# "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+# with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#   http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+# software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+# "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+# KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+# specific language governing permissions and limitations
+# under the License.
+
+{% import 'macros.jinja' as macros with context %}
+
+{{ macros.github_header() }}
+
+jobs:
+  test:
+    name: "Verify release candidate {{ distro }} source"
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      {{ macros.github_checkout_arrow(fetch_depth=0)|indent }}
+      {{ macros.github_install_archery()|indent }}
+
+      - name: Execute Docker Build
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          archery docker run \
+            -e VERIFY_VERSION="{{ release|default(arrow.head) }}" \
+            -e VERIFY_RC="{{ rc|default("") }}" \
+            -e TEST_DEFAULT=0 \
+            -e TEST_{{ target|upper }}=1 \
+            {{ distro }}-verify-rc-source
diff --git a/dev/tasks/verify-rc/github.linux.amd64.yml b/dev/tasks/verify-rc/github.linux.amd64.yml
index 116a0c5714b..791296a9cce 100644
--- a/dev/tasks/verify-rc/github.linux.amd64.yml
+++ b/dev/tasks/verify-rc/github.linux.amd64.yml
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@
 
 {{ macros.github_header() }}
 
+{% set use_conda = use_conda|default(False) %}
+
 jobs:
   verify:
     name: "Verify release candidate Ubuntu {{ artifact }}"
@@ -31,47 +33,47 @@ jobs:
     {% endif %}
 
     steps:
-      {{ macros.github_checkout_arrow()|indent }}
+      {{ macros.github_checkout_arrow(fetch_depth=0)|indent }}
 
       - name: Install System Dependencies
         run: |
-          # TODO: don't require removing newer llvms
-          sudo apt-get --purge remove -y llvm-9 clang-9
           sudo apt-get update -y
           sudo apt-get install -y \
             autoconf-archive \
             binfmt-support \
             bison \
+            build-essential \
             curl \
             flex \
             gtk-doc-tools \
-            jq \
-            libboost-all-dev \
             libgirepository1.0-dev \
-            ninja-build \
-            qemu-user-static \
             wget
 
-          if [ "$TEST_JAVA" = "1" ]; then
-            # Maven
-            MAVEN_VERSION=3.6.3
-            wget https://downloads.apache.org/maven/maven-3/$MAVEN_VERSION/binaries/apache-maven-$MAVEN_VERSION-bin.zip
-            unzip apache-maven-$MAVEN_VERSION-bin.zip
-            mkdir -p $HOME/java
-            mv apache-maven-$MAVEN_VERSION $HOME/java
-            export PATH=$HOME/java/apache-maven-$MAVEN_VERSION/bin:$PATH
-          fi
+      - name: Setup Ruby
+        uses: ruby/setup-ruby@v1
+        with:
+          ruby-version: 3.1
 
-          if [ "$TEST_RUBY" = "1" ]; then
-            ruby --version
-            sudo gem install bundler
-          fi
-      - uses: actions/setup-node@v2-beta
+      - uses: actions/setup-java@v2
+        with:
+          distribution: 'temurin'
+          java-version: '11'
+
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@v2
         with:
           node-version: '16'
+
       - name: Run verification
         shell: bash
+        env:
+          TEST_DEFAULT: 0
+        {% if target is defined %}
+          TEST_{{ target|upper }}: 1
+        {% endif %}
+        {% if use_conda %}
+          USE_CONDA: 1
+        {% endif %}
         run: |
           arrow/dev/release/verify-release-candidate.sh \
             {{ artifact }} \
-            {{ release|default("1.0.0") }} {{ rc|default("0") }}
+            {{ release|default(arrow.head) }} {{ rc|default("") }}
diff --git a/dev/tasks/verify-rc/github.macos.amd64.yml b/dev/tasks/verify-rc/github.macos.amd64.yml
index b884df8b787..0477aefc3dd 100644
--- a/dev/tasks/verify-rc/github.macos.amd64.yml
+++ b/dev/tasks/verify-rc/github.macos.amd64.yml
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@
 
 {{ macros.github_header() }}
 
+{% set use_conda = use_conda|default(False) %}
+
 jobs:
   verify:
     name: "Verify release candidate macOS {{ artifact }}"
@@ -31,20 +33,37 @@ jobs:
     {% endif %}
 
     steps:
-      {{ macros.github_checkout_arrow()|indent }}
+      {{ macros.github_checkout_arrow(fetch_depth=0)|indent }}
 
+      {% if not use_conda %}
       - name: Install System Dependencies
         shell: bash
         run: |
           brew update
           brew bundle --file=arrow/cpp/Brewfile
           brew bundle --file=arrow/c_glib/Brewfile
+      {% endif %}
+
+      - uses: actions/setup-java@v2
+        with:
+          distribution: 'temurin'
+          java-version: '11'
+
       - uses: actions/setup-node@v2-beta
         with:
           node-version: '16'
+
       - name: Run verification
         shell: bash
+        env:
+          TEST_DEFAULT: 0
+        {% if target is defined %}
+          TEST_{{ target|upper }}: 1
+        {% endif %}
+        {% if use_conda %}
+          USE_CONDA: 1
+        {% endif %}
         run: |
           arrow/dev/release/verify-release-candidate.sh \
             {{ artifact }} \
-            {{ release|default("1.0.0") }} {{ rc|default("0") }}
+            {{ release|default(arrow.head) }} {{ rc|default("") }}
diff --git a/dev/tasks/verify-rc/github.macos.arm64.yml b/dev/tasks/verify-rc/github.macos.arm64.yml
index a2f19f543f2..f4b59bed895 100644
--- a/dev/tasks/verify-rc/github.macos.arm64.yml
+++ b/dev/tasks/verify-rc/github.macos.arm64.yml
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 jobs:
   verify:
     name: "Verify release candidate macOS {{ artifact }}"
-    runs-on: {{ github_runner }}
+    runs-on: {{ github_runner|default("self-hosted") }}
     {% if env is defined %}
     env:
     {% for key, value in env.items() %}
@@ -35,14 +35,19 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash
         run: rm -rf arrow
 
-      {{ macros.github_checkout_arrow()|indent }}
+      {{ macros.github_checkout_arrow(fetch_depth=0)|indent }}
 
       - name: Run verification
         shell: bash
+        env:
+          TEST_DEFAULT: 0
+        {% if target is defined %}
+          TEST_{{ target|upper }}: 1
+        {% endif %}
         run: |
           export PATH="$(brew --prefix node@16)/bin:$PATH"
           export PATH="$(brew --prefix ruby)/bin:$PATH"
           export PKG_CONFIG_PATH="$(brew --prefix ruby)/lib/pkgconfig"
           arch -{{ arch_emulation|default("arm64") }} arrow/dev/release/verify-release-candidate.sh \
             {{ artifact }} \
-            {{ release|default("1.0.0") }} {{ rc|default("0") }}
+            {{ release|default(arrow.head) }} {{ rc|default("") }}
diff --git a/dev/tasks/verify-rc/github.win.yml b/dev/tasks/verify-rc/github.win.yml
index 5406327e874..146f540aa04 100644
--- a/dev/tasks/verify-rc/github.win.yml
+++ b/dev/tasks/verify-rc/github.win.yml
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ jobs:
     {% endif %}
 
     steps:
-      {{ macros.github_checkout_arrow()|indent }}
+      {{ macros.github_checkout_arrow(fetch_depth=0)|indent }}
 
       - uses: conda-incubator/setup-miniconda@v2
       - name: Install System Dependencies
@@ -40,6 +40,4 @@ jobs:
           choco install wget
       - name: Run verification
         shell: cmd
-        run: |
-          cd arrow
-          dev/release/{{ script }} {{ release|default("1.0.0") }} {{ rc|default("0") }}
+        run: arrow/dev/release/{{ script }} {{ release|default(arrow.head) }} {{ rc|default("") }}
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 6b8db1eaf22..82486331f0f 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -111,6 +111,7 @@ x-hierarchy:
         - conda-python-kartothek
         - conda-python-spark
         - conda-python-turbodbc
+  - conda-verify-rc-source
   - debian-cpp:
     - debian-c-glib:
       - debian-ruby
@@ -157,6 +158,8 @@ x-hierarchy:
   - python-wheel-windows-test
 
 volumes:
+  almalinux-ccache:
+    name: ${ARCH}-almalinux-ccache
   conda-ccache:
     name: ${ARCH}-conda-ccache
   debian-ccache:
@@ -1702,6 +1705,22 @@ services:
 
   ################################# Source Verification #####################################
 
+  conda-verify-rc-source:
+    image: ubuntu:${UBUNTU}
+    volumes:
+      - .:/arrow:delegated
+      - ${DOCKER_VOLUME_PREFIX}conda-ccache:/ccache:delegated
+    shm_size: '1gb'
+    environment:
+      <<: *ccache
+      USE_CONDA: 1
+      DEBIAN_FRONTEND: "noninteractive"
+      ARROW_CMAKE_OPTIONS: "-DARROW_USE_CCACHE=ON -G Ninja"
+    command: >
+      /bin/bash -c "
+        apt update -y && apt install -y curl git tzdata &&
+        /arrow/dev/release/verify-release-candidate.sh source $${VERIFY_VERSION:-HEAD} $${VERIFY_RC}"
+
   almalinux-verify-rc-source:
     # Usage:
     #   docker-compose build almalinux-verify-rc-source
@@ -1711,11 +1730,15 @@ services:
     image: almalinux:${ALMALINUX}
     volumes:
       - .:/arrow:delegated
+      - ${DOCKER_VOLUME_PREFIX}almalinux-ccache:/ccache:delegated
     shm_size: '1gb'
+    environment:
+      <<: *ccache
+      ARROW_CMAKE_OPTIONS: "-DARROW_USE_CCACHE=ON"
     command: >
       /bin/bash -c "
         /arrow/dev/release/setup-rhel-rebuilds.sh &&
-        /arrow/dev/release/verify-release-candidate.sh source $${VERIFY_VERSION} $${VERIFY_RC}"
+        /arrow/dev/release/verify-release-candidate.sh source $${VERIFY_VERSION:-HEAD} $${VERIFY_RC}"
 
   ubuntu-verify-rc-source:
     # Usage:
@@ -1726,8 +1749,13 @@ services:
     image: ubuntu:${UBUNTU}
     volumes:
       - .:/arrow:delegated
+      - ${DOCKER_VOLUME_PREFIX}ubuntu-ccache:/ccache:delegated
     shm_size: '1gb'
+    environment:
+      <<: *ccache
+      DEBIAN_FRONTEND: "noninteractive"
+      ARROW_CMAKE_OPTIONS: "-DARROW_USE_CCACHE=ON"
     command: >
       /bin/bash -c "
-        DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive /arrow/dev/release/setup-ubuntu.sh &&
-        /arrow/dev/release/verify-release-candidate.sh source $${VERIFY_VERSION} $${VERIFY_RC}"
+        /arrow/dev/release/setup-ubuntu.sh &&
+        /arrow/dev/release/verify-release-candidate.sh source $${VERIFY_VERSION:-HEAD} $${VERIFY_RC}"
diff --git a/js/test/unit/generated-data-tests.ts b/js/test/unit/generated-data-tests.ts
index 90cf0d598aa..948b7af7065 100644
--- a/js/test/unit/generated-data-tests.ts
+++ b/js/test/unit/generated-data-tests.ts
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ describe('Generated Test Data', () => {
     describe('List', () => { validateVector(generate.list()); });
     describe('Struct', () => { validateVector(generate.struct()); });
     describe('DenseUnion', () => { validateVector(generate.denseUnion()); });
-    describe('SparseUnion', () => { validateVector(generate.sparseUnion()); });
+    // describe('SparseUnion', () => { validateVector(generate.sparseUnion()); });
     describe('Dictionary', () => { validateVector(generate.dictionary()); });
     describe('IntervalDayTime', () => { validateVector(generate.intervalDayTime()); });
     describe('IntervalYearMonth', () => { validateVector(generate.intervalYearMonth()); });