Title 9, Family Law

(a) (1) A case plan shall be developed in all dependency-neglect cases or any case involving an out-of-home placement.(2) The case plan developed by the Department of Human Services under § 9-28-111 shall be filed with the court no later than thirty (30) days after the date the p…

(a) The Division of Dependency-Neglect Representation may enter into a professional services contract with a qualified attorney who:(1) Has previously been employed as an attorney by the state before being appointed to provide representation in dependency-neglect cases by a circu…

The Department of Finance and Administration shall transfer funds as needed from the State Administration of Justice Fund to the State Central Services Fund in amounts as are required to reimburse the State Central Services Fund for a portion of the expenses of the Division of De…

(a) The state may request an extended juvenile jurisdiction designation in a delinquency petition or file a separate motion if the:(1) Juvenile, under thirteen (13) years of age at the time of the alleged offense, is charged with capital murder, § 5-10-101, murder in the first de…

(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, the provisions of § 5-2-301 et seq. shall apply to the following:(1) In any juvenile delinquency proceeding in which the juvenile's fitness to proceed is put in issue by any party or the court; and(2) In juvenile delinquen…

(a) (1) When a party requests an extended juvenile jurisdiction designation, the court shall hold a designation hearing within thirty (30) days if the juvenile is detained and no longer than ninety (90) days following the petition or motion requesting such designation.(2) These t…

(a) An extended juvenile jurisdiction offender shall have a right to counsel at every stage of the proceedings, including all reviews. (b) This right to counsel cannot be waived.

(a) An extended juvenile jurisdiction offender and the state shall have the right to a jury trial at the adjudication hearing. (b) The juvenile shall be advised of the right to a jury trial by the circuit court following a determination that the juvenile will be tried as an exten…

(1) If a juvenile is found delinquent as an extended juvenile jurisdiction offender, the circuit court shall enter the following dispositions:(1) Order any of the juvenile dispositions authorized by § 9-35-423; and(2) Suspend the imposition of an adult sentence pending court revi…

(a) The state may petition the circuit court at any time to impose an adult sentence if the juvenile:(1) Has violated a juvenile disposition order;(2) Has been adjudicated delinquent or found guilty of committing a new offense; or(3) Is not amenable to rehabilitation in the juven…

(a) Records of juveniles who are designated as extended juvenile jurisdiction offenders shall be kept for ten (10) years after the last adjudication of delinquency, date of plea of guilty or nolo contendere, or finding of guilt as an adult, or until the juvenile's twenty-first bi…

(a) The court has sole release authority for juveniles in extended juvenile jurisdiction proceedings. (b) In every case in which an order of commitment has been entered pursuant to an adjudication of delinquency, the facility to which the juvenile is committed shall, within thirt…

(a) (1) A juvenile who has received an adult sentence to the Division of Correction shall not be transported to the Division of Correction until the juvenile is sixteen (16) years of age.(2) If a juvenile receives a sentence to the Division of Correction before the juvenile's six…

(1) It is the intent of the General Assembly of the State of Arkansas that:(1) Juveniles receive mental health services in their communities whenever possible and in the least restrictive placement consistent with the juvenile's treatment needs;(2) Juveniles be placed out of stat…

(a) Prior to the circuit court's ordering a juvenile to an out-of-state residential placement, excluding border state placements as defined by Medicaid, the court shall refer a juvenile for an assessment by the Department of Human Services or the department's designee to include,…

(a) When a mental health screening or assessment is provided to the juvenile division of a circuit court, the screening or assessment shall include, but not be limited to, the following:(1) The mental health services needed for the juvenile and the juvenile's family; and(2) The s…

It is the intent of the General Assembly to provide for representation for parents of a minor who is the subject of a dependency-neglect case in the juvenile division of circuit court.

As used in this subchapter, “parent” means the same as under § 9-35-102, and “parent” also includes a guardian as defined under § 9-35-102 and a custodian as defined under § 9-35-102.

(a) (1) (A) There is created a Commission for Parent Counsel consisting of seven (7) members appointed to serve six-year staggered terms, each of whom shall serve until a qualified successor is appointed.(B) The membership of the Commission for Parent Counsel shall be appointed i…

(a) (1) The Commission for Parent Counsel shall enter into contracts with attorneys in order to provide counsel required by the circuit court in certain cases in the juvenile division of circuit court for a parent of a minor subject to a juvenile case.(2) The Commission for Paren…

The Commission for Parent Counsel may establish rules not otherwise addressed by this subchapter for its own governing for the administrative affairs of the commission and to effectuate the intent of this subchapter.

This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Arkansas Family Treatment Specialty Court Act”.

(a) There is a critical need for judicial intervention and support for effective treatment programs that reduce the incidence of family separation due to substance use disorders and mental health disorders. (b) Family treatment specialty courts shall:(1) Use a multidisciplinary, …

(a) A family treatment specialty court is a specialized court within the existing structure of the court system. (b) A circuit court may establish a family treatment specialty court program for families involved in a dependency-neglect proceeding in the juvenile division of circu…

(a) A family treatment specialty court shall serve as an available means of disposition within a dependency-neglect matter and shall differ from the traditional adversarial trial system. (b) Each family treatment specialty court shall develop a policy and procedure manual for the…

(a) Participation in a family treatment specialty court is voluntary. (b) A person is eligible for participation in a family treatment specialty court program if:(1) The person is a parent, guardian, custodian, or other caretaker of a juvenile found by the court to be dependent o…

(a) Each approved family treatment specialty court shall establish a fund known as the “Family Treatment Specialty Court Program Fund”. (b) Approval of the judge presiding over the family treatment specialty court program is required for all expenditures from the fund. (c) Expend…