Arkansas Juvenile Justice Racial and Ethnic Disparities Reform Initiative

In our original Arkansas Juvenile Justice Racial and Ethnic Disparities Initiative timeline, we partnered with the Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) National Resource Center. However, approximately around the time the policy change report was due, we decided to end our partnership and no longer maintain a contract with RFK.

At that point, we continued to move forward with our support team, stakeholders, and other hired experts to develop a sustainable solution. This process was grounded in the original scope of the grant, which provided the flexibility to act on the recommendations identified during the initial phase of work. These efforts culminated in the decision to create a web-based, structured, police-led decision-making (SDM) tool.

After conducting extensive research and collaborating closely with key stakeholders, including law enforcement, community organizations, and justice system partners, we are now ready to transition into the implementation phase of the project. Our focus is now on developing this SDM tool using a significant portion of the remaining grant funding.

The tool will guide law enforcement officers in making informed, consistent, and equitable decisions when interacting with youth in the juvenile justice system. By integrating evidence-based criteria, the SDM tool will assess risk factors and support officers in identifying appropriate interventions such as diversion programs or community-based services.

To implement this plan, we will collaborate with computer information systems experts from the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) to develop the application in-house. This tool will also provide real-time data collection and reporting capabilities to monitor its effectiveness and continuously improve the framework based on outcomes.

By allocating the remaining grant funds toward this development, we aim to create a scalable resource that helps reduce racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system, ensuring fairer outcomes for all youth, particularly those from marginalized communities.