Disability Rights Arkansas

Juvenile Justice

November 16, 2018

DRA Issues Statement: Governor’s Plan to Reform Juvenile Treatment Centers Long Overdue UPDATE: Arkansas Democrat Gazette Reports on Plan

UPDATE: The Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported this weekend on Governor Hutchinson’s plans for some of the state’s juvenile treatment centers in an article titled, “2 Youth Jails to Close as Arkansas Reworks Juvenile Justice System”. To read the article, go to the link here: https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2018/nov/17/2-youth-jails-to-close-as-state-retools/?news-arkansas&fbclid=IwAR3gkH-tFzLEMY6EiXjWaTCpf6HBg0FpuJco92S1eicQV9p80GSvEvy5nG0#.W_MKbDx_W9I.facebook 2 youth jails to close as Arkansas reworks juvenile-justice system […]

May 29, 2018

From the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Helping hand can slap kids in jail

“It should be a wrap-around for the youth, to give them the services they need,” he said. “It’s not supposed to turn into a punitive measure. That’s how they get in the [juvenile penal] system.” This quote, attributed to Disability Rights Arkansas Executive Director Tom Masseau, can be found in the article published by the […]

May 17, 2018

From the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: 2 of Arkansas’ lockups for youths a danger, state told; inspectors report chaos

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette published an article today about the response by the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) Division of Youth Services (DYS) to Disability Rights Arkansas’ (DRA) letter informing DYS of concerns DRA has about the ongoing, troubling treatment of youth by staff at the two Dermott juvenile justice facilities. DRA noted in its […]

January 29, 2018

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Editorial Cites DRA Report on Juvenile Justice Facilities: Lost in Teenage Jail

Sunday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette published an editorial about the state of juvenile justice facilities in Arkansas; the editorial cited information derived from a letter Disability Rights Arkansas addressed to the Division of Youth Services about conditions found during recent monitoring visits to two facilities, the Dermott Juvenile Treatment Center and the Dermott Juvenile Correctional Facility. The editorial […]

January 26, 2018

Disability Rights Arkansas Cites Mistreatment at Two State-Run Juvenile Facilities

UPDATE 2/14/18: The Arkansas Nonprofit News Network in Arkansas released their investigative report about the juvenile lockups in Dermott; the article is extensive, and cites conditions identified by Disability Rights Arkansas during monitoring activities. To read the investigative report, which was published in yesterday’s Arkansas Times, click here: Locked Away and Forgotten UPDATE 2/8/18: The Division […]

August 31, 2017

DRA Had Warned of Insufficient Staffing Levels at Youth Facility Where Staff Fired After Recent Escapes

A jail supervisor at the Lewisville Juvenile Treatment Center (LJTC) was fired after two teenagers escaped from the facility last week. While no injuries occurred and the the boys were located the next day, the supervisor was terminated due to a finding that he had failed to follow procedures and allowed them to cross the […]

August 31, 2017

Kids in Isolation: Locked Away in Dermott (Part II)

“It [isolation] has a detrimental effect on a youth’s treatment, education, physical health and mental health,” DRA executive director Tom Masseau said, speaking to David Ramsey for his two-part story about youth in isolation at juvenile treatment facilities. Part I of the story focuses on isolation practices at the state’s largest juvenile facility, Arkansas Juvenile […]

August 31, 2017

DRA Affirms Issues at Juvenile Lockup Have Been An Ongoing Concern in News Story about Isolation Practices at the Facility (Kids in Isolation, Part I)

“It has a detrimental effect on a youth’s treatment, education, physical health and mental health,” Tom Masseau, executive director of Disability Rights Arkansas, explained to David Ramsey of the Arkansas Nonprofit News Network about “room confinement”, which is again being highlighted as an issue at the Arkansas Juvenile Assessment and Treatment Center (AJATC), which is the […]

February 9, 2017

DRA Releases White Paper Calling on State to Implement Binding Educational Standards and Law Regarding the Use of Restraint in Arkansas Schools

Little Rock, AR – Today, Disability Rights Arkansas (DRA) released a white paper entitled, “Protecting Arkansas Students with Disabilities: The Need for Binding Educational Standards and Law to Address the Use of Restraint in Schools.” The white paper educates individuals on the need for enforceable standards related to the use of physical restraint in Arkansas […]

January 30, 2017

DRA’s Letter to DYS Regarding Abuse and Neglect at Juvenile Treatment Centers and Juvenile Correctional Facilities

A letter detailing incidents of abuse and neglect at juvenile treatment and correctional facilities around the state was sent to the Division of Youth Services last week by Disability Rights Arkansas. The letter outlines several problem areas, such as a lack of therapy and educational services, poor living conditions, inadequate staffing, a lack of transition […]

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