Bowen receives $1 million from Walmart to fund Court Observation Project
The has received a The grant will fund a Court Observation Project through Bowen鈥檚 new Center for Racial Justice and Criminal Justice Reform.
The Project will introduce a state-wide court observation initiative that will create and share a transparent body of reliable data and research about Arkansas鈥檚 criminal justice system that is otherwise unavailable in the state. The goal is to use the data collected to craft targeted solutions, such as policy changes and training materials.
The project has two inaugural research modules. The first will survey pre-trial detention practices. The second will collect data on criminal charging.
鈥淭he Project can provide valuable information and data about how the Arkansas criminal justice system operates. Policymakers can then use this data to develop strategies to improve the criminal justice system in Arkansas,鈥� said Anastasia Boles, a law professor at Bowen and the Center鈥檚 co-director.
Project faculty and staff will work with consultants, stakeholders and subject-matter experts to design the data collection sheet. After that, student fellows will work with court personnel and the Project鈥檚 program manager to gather and compile data from criminal court proceedings throughout Arkansas. Law school faculty will help develop assessments to track student progress. In addition, the Project plans to work with faculty from partner institutions each semester to include as court observers a small cohort of undergraduate students who are interested in criminal justice and the Project’s research.
鈥淒eveloping the instruments used for court observations and sharing the data this project generates will improve the lives of all Arkansans,鈥� said andr茅 douglas pond cummings, associate dean for faculty development and the Center鈥檚 co-director.
The primary goal is gathering data about the incarceration for many–particularly nonviolent offenders – and then improving outcomes for those already impacted by the justice system in its current form. These solutions will, for the first time in Arkansas, be based on accurate observed data that can be shared across the nation, building an infrastructure for positive change that can eventually have a global impact.
鈥淭he Project is positioned to become a valuable part of Bowen鈥檚 core values of access to justice, public service, and professionalism,鈥� said Dean Theresa M. Beiner. 鈥淚 am grateful for Walmart, Inc.鈥檚 support.鈥�