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by Destiny Logan-McHughes I.  Introduction This paper explores the racial disparities in the school discipline system, which lead to racial disparities in the juvenile justice system and in turn furthers the racial disparities in the adult prison population.[1] This process is known as the school-to-prison pipeline. Specifically, the paper (i) discusses the racial disparities in … A Comparative Analysis of Racial Disparities in the Arkansas School Discipline System, the Racial Disparities in the Arkansas Juvenile Justice System and the Effects of Such Disparities.

Our latest publication centers on Arkansas’s children and their intersection with Arkansas’s legal system. Specifically, these articles analyze aspects of the state’s juvenile justice system and its approach to providing information to adopted children about their biological history. As you’ll see, Ms. McHughes argues that race plays a role in the state’s juvenile justice system … A Letter from the Editors

By Dan Greenberg and Robert Steinbuch[i],[ii]   The best way to help Arkansas’s economy grow is through tax reform: policymakers who want to foster economic growth and attract job-creating capital investment should work to lower our income tax rates. Our nation’s experience with the tax reform that President Reagan and a bipartisan Congress produced in … A PRACTICAL PLAN TO LOWER ARKANSAS’S INCOME TAX RATES

By Mara D’Amico and Sara Chapman   One in three women around the world will be raped or beaten in her lifetime. With seven billion people on this planet, that equals more than one billion women who will become victims of violence. Playwright and activist Eve Ensler wrote The Vagina Monologues after interviewing a diverse … “The Vagina Monologues”: Turning Inspiration Into Action

By Kendall Shortway[1] I. Introduction Swaziland, Lesotho, Papua New Guinea, and the United States of America. These four countries seemingly have nothing in common. Swaziland and Lesotho are located in Africa, Papua New Guinea is in a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean north of Australia and obviously, the United States is located in North … The United States and Swaziland; The Case for Paid Maternity Leave and Protection against Pregnancy Discrimination

by Robert Steinbuch [1] Freedom of press, expression, and thought means that government actors cannot prohibit such action.  But some governmental officials and academics seem not to understand the basic elements of this formula. The common and thoughtful refrain amongst free-speech experts is that the best check on offensive public speech is more speech, to … I AM CHARLIE

by Dylan A. Estes[1] The Human Immunodeficiency Virus and its associated disease, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, have profoundly affected medical, social, and political aspects of society since they first came to national prominence in the 1980s. Few medical syndromes have impacted the American psyche as much as HIV. The HIV virus was generally equated only with … The Evolution of Public Discourse and Treatments of HIV/AIDS, 1982-2011

by Jennifer Bearden[i] Growing up I always envisioned my dream wedding. I spent many years as a young girl dreaming of my wedding dress, the ceremony, the reception, etc. I never imagined the reality of my wedding involving a whirlwind two-day trip to Washington, D.C., a sudden snow storm, or having such an informal ceremony. … Married in Arkansas

by Nicholas Kahn-Fogel In recent years, Western human rights activists, scholars, and politicians have worked to advance homosexual rights in Africa. Understandably, they have tended to frame their arguments in liberal, universalist terms. In 2011, President Obama instructed federal agencies to promote homosexual and transgender rights overseas. Last year, in Senegal, Obama argued that although … Western Universalism and African Homosexualities

Dear Readers, The Journal is back at work after a summer break. If you haven’t taken the time yet, you should read last month’s pieces on politics; there is an interesting piece about voter ID laws, written by Jillian Fisher and a series of reviews about the ballot issues on the November 2nd ballot. We … Letter from the Editor