Fall Symposium – The Center for Racial Justice and Criminal Justice Reform

Bridging Shortages, Building Justice: Defenders, Interpreters, and Veterans’ Treatment Courts in Arkansas

Friday, November 21, 2025 • 8:15 a.m. – 3 p.m.

The William H. Bowen School of Law’s Center for Racial Justice and Criminal Justice Reform will present the first findings from the Court Observation Arkansas (COAR) Project, an interdisciplinary study of Arkansas district courts that is the first statewide study of its kind. Through more than 10,000 structured courtroom observations and interviews with 25 Arkansas judges, the COAR study provides rare insight into access to public defenders and interpreter services in Arkansas district courts. A related study observed more than 40 participants in Veterans Treatment Courts to better understand how these courts support rehabilitation and accountability.

The symposium will open with a session providing a broad overview of the COAR research and its implications, as well as a discussion on the value of court observation data for the legal community. The morning’s concurrent sessions will examine access to public defenders and interpreter shortages in greater depth, while a separate working group will focus on preliminary findings from the Veterans Treatment Court study and invite community and practitioner insight. The keynote address will be delivered by Malia Brink, Policy Director of the Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center at SMU Dedman School of Law and Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, who has written extensively on public defender access during first appearance proceedings.

The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Lunch will be provided to registrants. Four hours of CLE credit will be offered, including one hour of ethics.

The option to attend virtually will be available. Additional panelists will be announced on a rolling basis.