AAC F A M I L Y & F R I E N D S Forward
A copy of the legal memorandum on spe- cialty courts provided to the CJAA is posted on the AAC website at
http://www.arcoun-
ties.org/public/userfiles/MHCourts.pdf.
Telemedicine
Citizens in jail have unique challenges gaining access to medical doctors and be- havioral health professionals. Arkansas Medical Board regulations provide that the doctor-patient relationship may be estab- lished by telemedicine — through an exam- ination conducted in real time using audio and visual technology that provides at least as much information as the doctor could obtain though an in-person examination. Tere are a few successful uses of telemedi- cine for detainees for medical and behav- ioral treatment in Arkansas. We hope to fa- cilitate more use of telemedicine throughout Arkansas — in particular for the treatment of citizen-detainees in our local jails. Sebastian County held a regional sum- mit in Spring 2016. County Judge David Hudson and Sheriff Bill Hollenbeck, along with Prosecutor Dan Shue and other com- munity leaders, conducted the summit, and they have been working on criminal jus- tice coordination. Also, Sebastian County is launching the Hope Campus — a loca- tion for serving the community, homeless, and those in need of medical treatment and behavioral health care. Tey are actively refurbishing a location for their operations. With the collabora- tion of the local community health center, a local hospital and DHS, the Hope Campus could serve as a site of a regional crisis stabilization unit. Craighead County, Pulaski County and other areas are actively looking for suitable locations for the establish- ment of a regional crisis stabilization unit.
Inevitable growth in the number of state inmates & regional jails
Te number of state inmates in the Arkansas Department of Corrections has grown from 14,832 in 2012 to 17,973 in 2016, an increase of 21 percent. Tese numbers are reflected in a chart from page 32 of the report of CSG (linked above). Te chart also reflects the current projections of the growth in state inmates of 21,345 by 2023. Tat’s a growth rate of 19 percent. Plainly, we cannot build our way out of this problem. Te CSG report has several recommendations of best practices to reduce growth in the number of state inmates. Tey made their presentation of recommendations at the AAC conference
18
» » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » »
Continued From Page 17 <<<
This chart, found on page 32 of the Council of State Government’s “Justice Rein- vestment in Arkansas” report (found on the AAC website at
http://www.arcounties. org/public/userfiles/CSGSummit.pdf), shows the number of state inmates in the Arkansas Department of Corrections has grown from 14,832 in 2012 to 17,973 in 2016 — and is expected to increase to 21,345 by 2023.
and again at the statewide summit. However, please note that even with implementation of the CSG recommendations, the projections show growth in the number of state inmates in the Arkansas Department of Corrections to 20,077 by 2023. At the AAC conference the Arkansas Association of Quorum Courts adopted a resolution in support of the ASA and CJAA resolu- tions. Tey join the call for the state to respect a maximum threshold to the total number of state inmates from the Arkan- sas Department of Corrections and Community Corrections to be backed up into the county jails. County officials may foresee savings that can be made from
a regional jail. Several counties could close their local jails and partner in the creation of a regional jail. Some of the counties or cities would operate small holding facilities but partner in a commitment to support a regional dentition facility. Likewise, the participation in a regional jail offers savings to the state of Arkansas. Te cost of the operation of a regional jail is projected to be far less than the operational costs of our state prisons. Te governor and general sssembly are active and engaged on these issues. As Ronnie Baldwin demonstrated throughout his successful career, “Moving forward, if we work together, we will succeed.”
COUNTY LINES, FALL 2016
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60