§ 9-28-701 - Legislative findings. - Arkansas Statutes

9-28-701. Legislative findings.

(a) Presently circuit judges must often choose between imposing no sanction at all or committing juveniles to the Division of Youth Services of the Department of Human Services. Judges should have punitive options available as alternatives to confinement. Therefore, it is the intent of the General Assembly that a continuum of graduated sanctions be available in every judicial district in Arkansas and that the division provide for a continuum of sanctions that may be imposed in the community in lieu of commitment to the division in every situation.

(b) Further, the General Assembly recognizes that sanctions are usually not effective unless the sanctions are coupled with treatment and intervention services that address the underlying problems of the youth and his or her family. It is for this reason the General Assembly has provided that the community-based sanctions program be implemented by the division as part of its community-based provider contracts, and that any and all funds specifically appropriated to implement this subchapter are in addition to those funds provided for other prevention intervention, therapeutic, and family services and shall be added to existing community-based contracts without further request for proposal, but must be spent exclusively to implement and support community-based sanctions.