Left to Right: Prosecutor Scott Ellington, DHS Managing Attorney Jerald Sharum, Arkansas Drug Director Kirk Lane, District Judge Milas Hale, Circuit Judge Hamilton Singleton, Circuit Judge Mary McGowan, Chief Justice John Dan Kemp, DHS Substance Abuse Treatment Director Deborah Motley-Bledsoe, District Judge Chaney Taylor, Administrative Office of the Courts Director Marty Sullivan.
Not Pictured: Circuit Judge Gary Arnold, Circuit Judge Troy Braswell, District Judge Thomas Fowler, Arkansas Community Corrections Director Kevin Murphy, Public Defender Charlotte Bogan, Senator David Wallace, Representative Carol Dalby.
The Specialty Court Program Advisory Committee (SCPAC) was created by The Criminal Justice Reform Act of 2015, or ACT 895.
The SCPAC consist of the following members: The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, The Director of the Administrative Office of the Courts, Three (3) Circuit Court Judges Who Preside Over A Specialty Court Program, One (1) Circuit Court Judge Who Presides Over a Juvenile Drug Court Program, One (1) District Court Judge Who Presides Over A Specialty Court Program, The Director of the Department of Community Corrections, The Director of the Department of Human Services, The Director of the Division of Behavioral Health Services, A Prosecutor, A Public Defender, A Member Of The Senate, A Member of the House of Representatives, and The Arkansas Drug Director.
The SCPAC meets quarterly. The committee was established to promote collaboration and provide recommendations on issues involving adult and juvenile specialty courts. Additionally, the committee is tasked with designing and completing comprehensive evaluations of adult and juvenile specialty court programs as required by A.C.A. 16-10-139. The committee also evaluates and makes findings concerning all specialty court programs operated by a circuit court or district court in the state. Furthermore, the committee is responsible for the establishment, implementation, and operation of uniform specialty court program evaluation processes to ensure specialty court program resources are uniformly directed to high-risk offenders and that the specialty court programs provide effective practices that reduce recidivism, as well as other factors such as substance dependency.
Chief Justice John Dan Kemp serves as the chair for the committee.
Accountability Court Fund Grants
On October 13, 2021, the Specialty Court Program Advisory Committee released the 2022 Accountability Court Fund Grant opportunities. Please see the attachments below regarding the grant announcement and application submission packet. Grant applications are due for submission by November 22, 2021.
If you have any questions regarding the Accountability Court Fund Grants, please contact Janet Hawley at janet.hawley@arcourts.gov