I was recently interviewed by Dick Mendel for an article by the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange on the state of the juvenile justice system reform in Arkansas, “Analysis: What’s the Matter with Arkansas.” As part of the interview, I tried to paint a comprehensive picture of both past and current reform efforts.  However, when the article first appeared online on the JJIE website, I noticed that the story only included a small portion of my interview, and the comments that the journalist chose to use either incomplete or were taken out of context. I also was not able to review the article prior to its publication.

While I did make the comments that appeared in the story, Mr. Mendel failed to provide the context in which several statements were made. He asked me to give him a perspective of past barriers to juvenile justice reform, and that was the context of my comments about providers that he included in the article.  I also said many more positive things about our growing, strengthening relationships with providers and their current willingness to engage in reform that were not included.

He also did not give the full scope of what I said during our several talks. I told him about ongoing collaboration for meaningful reform and the positive participation of providers. I emphasized that it was important for him to explain that no single party has been to blame for the lack of progress on juvenile justice reform. His reply was that that way of telling the story was “too nuanced.”

Mr. Mendel chose instead to wrongfully single out Arkansas youth service providers as the sole reason for problems and the state’s failure to make progress. 

During interviews, I had defended service providers, their passion for their work and the many barriers they faced with judges, administration, and legislators. In particular, I dispelled the notion that service providers were resistant to recommendations championed by the Governor’s Youth Justice Reform Board; in fact, they are fully on board with proposed changes.

I sincerely regret my part in creating this unfortunate characterization of Arkansas. I certainly share Mr. Mendel’s frustration with the lack of progress with youth justice reform in Arkansas, but he did not fairly depict the work being done now and the providers’ engagement and critical role in current positive efforts to improve the juvenile justice system and outcomes for our children.