A recently published report shines a light on collective efforts being made to transform Arkansas’ juvenile justice system.

This white paper, “Arkansas Youth Justice: The Architecture of Reform” by Pat Arthur and Christopher Hartney, first provides an overview of the state of juvenile justice in Arkansas before reform efforts began. Then, the authors outline the architecture of the reform process currently underway under the stewardship of Ron Angel, Director of the Division of Youth Services (DYS). The article also describes the essential elements of specific reform initiatives in detail.

Hypothetical scenarios and models to further advance and “revolutionize” current policy and practices are proffered, with the goal to advance efforts to safely reduce the number of youth held in secure custody, as is called for in the (DYS) division's strategic reform plan.

This article is designed to aid in the larger discussion happening among Arkansas policymakers and stakeholders about practical and effective ways to further the goals of reform in the future.

Brooke Preston is an Acting Digital Account Executive at Prichard Communications, where she creates strategies and content for a number of clients including Reclaiming Futures. Brooke is a seasoned writer and editor, and owns a content and social marketing consultancy called The Word Brewery. Her background is centered in journalism, nonprofit communications and brand development counsel. Brooke received a B.S.S. in Music and Media Studies from Ohio University. She tweets from @thewordbrewery.