Arkansas Juvenile Justice Racial and Ethnic Disparities Reform Initiative

The Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) will improve outcomes for system-involved youth in Arkansas by decreasing racial and ethnic disparities (RED) at all points of contact with the judicial system through use of validated screenings and assessments. AOC will contract with partner organizations The Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center (RFK Center), the National Center for Juvenile Justice, and the Impact Center at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill to perform a comprehensive RED review at different points of contact in the juvenile system in five Arkansas counties. The AOC proposes to work with these partners to analyze the juvenile system, identify strengths and opportunities for improvement, develop and implement evidence-based responses to address RED, measure response outcomes and use those outcomes to inform policy changes.