State Criminal Justice Profile

Arkansas

BJA Investments

In Fiscal Year 2014, BJA provided more than $3 million* in state and local funds to Arkansas.

Justice Assistance Grant Program—State Formula $2,196,687
Justice Assistance Grant Program—19 Local Awards $936,528
Other Direct Discretionary Funds $621,495

Source: Bureau of Justice Assistance
*This amount does not include funding for national training and technical assistance programs that benefit all states and territories.

PDF IconInvestment Details

Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program—State Formula

Grantee Name GMS Project Period Project Title GMS Award Amount
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2017 FY 2014 JAG Program $2,196,687

Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program—Local Awards

Grantee Name GMS Project Period Project Title GMS Award Amount
City of Benton 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2015 FY 2014 JAG Program $12,192
City of El Dorado 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2015 Eldorado City and Union County FY 2014 JAG Project $18,622
City of Fayetteville 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2017 Fayetteville City, Springdale City, and Washington County FY 2014 JAG Project $79,392
City of Fort Smith 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2017 Fort Smith City and Sebastian County FY 2014 JAG Project $62,265
City of Hot Springs 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2017 Hot Springs City and Garland County FY 2014 JAG Project $45,363
City of Jacksonville 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2015 Jacksonville City FY 2014 JAG Project $21,742
City of Jonesboro 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2017 Jonesboro City FY 2014 JAG Project $30,241
City of Little Rock 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2017 Little Rock City, North Little Rock City, and Pulaski County FY 2014 JAG Project $354,461
City of Pine Bluff 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2017 Pine Bluff City and Jefferson County FY 2014 JAG Project $63,507
City of Rogers 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2015 Rogers City FY 2014 JAG Project $20,373
City of Sherwood 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2015 FY 2014 JAG Program $12,765
City of Texarkana 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2017 Texarkana City and Miller County FY 2014 JAG Project $29,828
City of West Helena 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2015 Helena-West Helena Technology Enhancement Project $12,160
City of West Memphis 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2017 West Memphis City and Crittenden County FY 2014 JAG Project $78,309
Conway Police Department 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2015 Conway City and Faulkner County FY 2014 JAG Project $24,225
Independence County 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2015 Independence County FY 2014 JAG Project $17,731
Lonoke County 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2015 Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office Technology Procurement and Website Development $10,664
Mississippi County 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2017 Mississippi County, Blytheville City, and Osceola City FY 2014 JAG Project $29,382
Saline County 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2015 FY 2014 JAG Program $13,306

Other Direct Discretionary Funds

Grantee Name GMS Project Period Project Title GMS Award Amount
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2017 Arkansas Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners (RSAT) Program $109,111
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration 09/01/2014 – 08/31/2015 State of Arkansas FY 2014 Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Penalty Award $63,967
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration 08/01/2013 – 07/31/2015 FY 2014 Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) Reallocation Funds $127,935
Arkansas Department of Health 10/01/2014 – 03/31/2016 Arkansas Prescription Monitoring Program $288,574
State of Arkansas 10/01/2014 – 09/30/2015 Arkansas FY 2014 John R. Justice Program $31,908

Law Enforcement Agencies and Officers

Law Enforcement Agencies: 275

Sworn Officers: 5,893

City     County     Tribal     State*     Other

Source: FBI Uniform Crime Report (2013)

  • More than 91% of the 275 law enforcement agencies in Arkansas have 50 or fewer sworn officers.
  • Nearly 38% of sworn officers work for agencies with 100 or more officers.
Note: Police employee data were not received from the State Police/Highway Patrol/Department of Public Safety for the state.

Officer Fatalities and Assaults

Between 2004 and 2013, 6 officers were feloniously killed (0 in 2013) and 10 officers were accidentally killed in the line of duty. In 2013, 60 officers were assaulted (0.12% of all officers assaulted in the United States).

Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reports

Crime Trends

According to the FBI Annual Report, nationwide violent crime in 2013 decreased more than 4% from the 2012 estimates. Below are the current crime trends for Arkansas:

Crime 2012 2013 %
Violent Crime 13,835 13,621 -1.5
Murder and Manslaughter 173 159 -8.1
Forcible Rape* 1,247 2,416 N/A
Robbery 2,320 2,258 -2.7
Aggravated Assault 10,095 9,781 -3.1
Property Crime 107,941 106,613 -1.2
Burglary 31,890 30,485 -4.4
Larceny-Theft 70,327 70,450 0.2
Motor Vehicle Theft 5,724 5,678 -0.8
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reports
*This state’s agencies submitted rape data according to the revised UCR definition of rape.

Arrest Data

In 2013, total arrests (138,054) increased 0.07% from 2012. Violent-crime arrests decreased 3.00% (4,013), and property-related arrests decreased 0.29% (16,631).
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reports

Court Structure

Court of Last Resort:    Supreme Court
Intermediate Appellate:    Court of Appeals
General Jurisdiction:    Circuit Court
Limited Jurisdiction:    District Court; City Court
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics (2011)

Corrections

Prisoner Admissions: 8,987
Prisoner Releases: 6,541
Total Prisoners: 17,235

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics (2013)

Major Correctional Facilities: 17
Recidivism Rate*: 43.2%
Top Offenses: Manufacture, delivery, and possession of controlled substances; theft; robbery

Source: Arkansas Department of Corrections
*Arkansas Department of Corrections defines a recidivist as an offender who returns to prison, for any reason, within 3 years of release.

Regional Informations Sharing Systems® (RISS)

The Regional Organized Crime Information Center (ROCIC), a RISS Center, serves Arkansas. There are 106 Arkansas criminal justice agencies that are members of ROCIC.
Source: Regional Information Sharing Systems

Seal of Arkansas

Highlights

In Arkansas, Byrne JAG state funding has assisted with numerous innovative initiatives and supports:

  • Statewide network of 19 multijurisdictional drug and gang task forces. JAG funds are combined with a larger share of dedicated state funding (45% JAG, 65% state) to support task force operations in two-thirds of the state’s counties. Drug enforcement efforts within Arkansas are focused primarily on prescription drugs, methamphetamine, and heroin interdiction. Each of the 19 task forces must have a governing board that helps direct the work of each task force and provides investigative oversight when appropriate.

  • Support for 200 small equipment and technology grants for local law enforcement agencies, providing various technologies, including body-worn cameras, digital radios, and in-car computers.

Source: National Criminal Justice Association

PDF IconDetails on Arkansas’s priorities and planning process

State Administering Agency (SAA)

Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration Larry W. Walther, Director
http://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/

Arkansas At-A-Glance

Total Population: 2,959,373
Population Under 18: 709,866
Population Over 65: 454,420

Source: U.S. Census (2013 est.)

State Investigative Agency:
Arkansas State Police Colonel Bill Bryant, Director

Local Governments: 1,556
Source: U.S. Census (2012)

Federally Recognized Tribes: 0
Source: Bureau of Indian Affairs

U.S. Attorneys’ Offices: Christopher R. Thyer—Eastern District of Arkansas, Little Rock Kenneth Elser—Western District of Arkansas, Fort Smith Source: U.S. Department of Justice

Homeland Security Agency: Arkansas Department of Emergency Management David Maxwell, Director http://www.adem.arkansas.gov

Drug Courts: 60
Source: National Drug Court Resource Center