Priority Area 1:?Work with state agencies to receive and analyze data to identify drivers of Arkansas?s high recidivism rates and understand how recidivism contributes to overall crime and incarceration rates.
Update:?In December, CSG Justice Center staff continued to follow up with state agencies to learn the status of the data sharing requests sent to the AOC, ADC, and ACIC. Staff received the request sent to ADC with minor proposed adjustments. After discussing the adjustments internally, staff sent a finalized version back to ADC for signatures. AOC and ADC have indicated that data was being gathered or would be gathered quickly once the DUAs were signed and finalized. Staff are hopeful that data will be provided soon.
With respect to the performance bond required by the AOC, CSG Justice Center staff continued to have conversations with representatives of the AOC regarding how to satisfy that requirement. Additionally, staff continued to have internal conversations within the CSG Justice Center and the CSG national office about satisfying the performance bond requirements.
Priority Area 2: Work with practitioners and justice-impacted individuals around the state to engage in qualitative assessments of the effectiveness of supervision practices, identify barriers to successful reentry, and determine potential gaps in needed services for individuals reentering society.
Update:?In December, CSG Justice Center staff continue to develop a schedule to begin assessment work. As part of the planning process, staff have done the following: Reviewed publicly available reports to determine what programs are available and any indication regarding their success Identified other states that had similar issues to replicate successes from those states Identified key ADC staff and community partners specifically related to programming, reentry, and employment
Staff have worked to anticipate some of the issues and comments we will encounter based on previous contacts and develop a plan to ensure our assessments address some of those stakeholder issues and concerns. However, a majority of the contacts and activities in the plan would be more successful with the ADC?s facilitation. Due in part to slow responses from stakeholders in the state and a lawsuit filed by the Arkansas Board of Corrections detailed below, staff refrained from outreach while we assess the political climate in Arkansas.
Priority Area 3: Cultivate strong relationships with policymakers and stakeholders in the state to ensure that Arkansas?s JRI project has the greatest possible impact on the criminal justice challenges facing the state.
Update:?In December, the state sent a large delegation to the CSG National Summit on December 5?6, where staff had meaningful conversations with several key figures including the secretary of corrections, two state senators, and a representative from the Attorney General?s Office.
Toward the end of December, CSG Justice Center staff were made aware of a situation unfolding regarding the Arkansas Board of Corrections and the executive branch, specifically the Governor?s Office, the secretary of corrections, and the attorney general. The incident began with a request for increased prison bed capacity, which the board partially agreed to. Following a series of press conferences and letters, the incident culminated in a meeting of the Board of Corrections, on December 14, where they voted to suspend the secretary of corrections. The board, on the same day, subsequently filed a lawsuit alleging that provisions of Act 185 and Act 659 (The Protect Arkansas Act), which transfers oversight of key positions within the department from the board to the executive branch, were unconstitutional. On December 15, the attorney general filed a separate lawsuit against the board claiming that several of its meetings violated Arkansas?s freedom of information act.
This situation unfolded while staff attempted to build on the momentum sparked by the National Summit to Advance States? Criminal Justice Priorities. However, due to this situation, as well as slow responses from the state, staff decided to halt outreach to the state while we assess the agency and leadership ramifications of the lawsuit.
Please check the box next to the following questions if the answer is 'yes'.
Please enter the applicable Event Date if there is an Event associated with this TTA.
When entering an Event Date, the Time is also required.
If the TTA is targeted to a particular audience or location, please complete the questions below.
Milestones are an element, activity, work product, or key task associated with completing the TTA (e.g. kick-off meeting, collect data from stake holders, deliver initial data analysis).
Please complete the fields below, if applicable, to create a milestone for this TTA.
Please respond to the Performance Metrics below. The Performance Metrics questions are based on the TTA Type indicated in the General Information section of the TTA.
Please submit a signed letter of support from your agency’s executive or other senior staff member. The letter can be emailed to or uploaded with this request. The letter should be submitted on official letterhead and include the following information:
- General information regarding the request for TTA services, i.e., the who, what, where, when, and why.
- The organizational and/or community needs specific to the request for TTA services.
- The benefits or anticipated outcomes from the receipt of TTA services.
By submitting this application to BJA NTTAC, I understand that upon approval of this application for TTA, the requestor agrees to keep BJA NTTAC informed of any circumstances that may impact the delivery of the TTA, including changes in the date of the event, event cancellation, or difficulties communicating with the assigned TTA provider.
Please call [site:phone] if you need further assistance completing this application.