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 July, CSG Justice Center staff continued analysis of data provided by the Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), the Arkansas Crime Information Center (ACIC), and the National Incident-based Reporting System (NIBRS). Staff engaged with AOC research staff to validate some of the AOC analysis, and AOC was able to provide a useful codes table to facilitate the analysis in categories that are familiar to the state. An internal website capturing the progress of the data analysis was created in July, and AOC and NIBRS trends have been posted to the site.
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 July, CSG Justice Center staff traveled to central Arkansas to assess community supervision and reentry services. While onsite, we visited the North Little Rock and Hot Springs community supervision offices. Through meetings and focus groups, several key themes continued to emerge: As with the offices in the northwest, low wages are the primary driver of staffing shortages. This leads to high caseloads and undermines officers' abilities to serve their clients. During focus groups, parole and probation officers expressed frustration at the lack of communication from the courts and prosecutor's office. They shared an example of officers submitting paperwork for earned discharge credits, only for the petition to frequently be denied with little explanation as to the reasoning. Officers also indicated that although a risk assessment tool is in use, there is insufficient programming available for clients.
Additionally, CSG Justice Center staff toured the state's intake facility, revocation center, and reentry center, and learned more about intake procedures and available programming. Facility staff raised concerns regarding the facilities being over capacity. Overall, DOC personnel continue to openly discuss their experiences with CSG Justice Center staff and agreed to provide the officer training curriculum afterward.
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: CSG Justice Center staff met with the state's JRI champion, a state senator, to discuss project updates and upcoming site visits. CSG Justice Center staff continued planning outreach efforts to public defenders and prosecutors to learn about their views on recidivism in Arkansas and its effect on the criminal justice system.
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.