Where the incident took place decides the courtroom. A shoplifting stop by Little Rock police goes to Little Rock District Court on West Markham, a Sherwood arrest to Sherwood, and a sheriff’s case from an unincorporated area to the county district court on Roosevelt Road. Most people walk away with a citation and a date. People held in the Roosevelt Road jail get a prompt first hearing, and warrantless arrests face a probable cause review within 48 hours. Arkansas Rule 9.1 starts from the idea that defendants should be released on the mildest conditions that will secure their return.

Misdemeanor classes cap the punishment: Class A at twelve months and $2,500, Class B at ninety days and $1,000, Class C at thirty days and $500. Shoplifting and other thefts that stay at or under $1,000 land in Class A beside third-degree battery; an ordinary trespass case is generally Class C. First-offense DWI has its own penalty: one day to one year behind bars, a fine somewhere between $150 and $1,000, plus loss of the license for a period, often with an ignition interlock requirement to drive again.

There are no juries in Arkansas district court. Losing there is not final. An appeal filed inside 30 days moves the case to circuit court on West Markham where the whole case is heard over, jury included if requested. Most cases never get that far; they end in pleas, fines, probation, classes or dismissals, frequently within a few months. Defendants without funds for an attorney may apply for a public defender; the court is allowed to charge a user fee capped at $400.

Kids under 18 are generally steered away from district court and into one of the circuit court’s juvenile divisions. Intake staff and prosecutors frequently route first-time minor offenses to diversion or an informal agreement instead of a delinquency petition, though district courts still hear many traffic tickets and some underage alcohol or tobacco cases. The Sixth District public defender office represents juveniles in delinquency court.

A felony case in Pulaski County usually opens with a first appearance in a district court, often by video from the detention facility. At that hearing the judge checks the basis for the arrest, names a bond figure and screens the person for appointed counsel. Outside capital cases where guilt is evident, the Arkansas Constitution makes every defendant bailable, and many defendants turn to a state-licensed bondsman, whose premium is kept regardless of how the case ends.

Formal charges come by felony information, a document the prosecutor files with the circuit clerk; grand juries are seldom convened. A criminal division judge in Little Rock then takes over arraignment, discovery and plea talks. Rule 28.1 of the Arkansas criminal rules ordinarily gives prosecutors one year to get the case in front of a jury, not counting delays the defense asks for or accepts. Someone held nine months with no trial on that charge has to be let out on conditions. A trial jury has 12 members.

Prison ranges are set by felony class: up to six years for Class D, three to 10 for Class C, five to 20 for Class B, six to 30 for Class A, and at least 10 years for Class Y, up to 40 or life. Property crimes cross into felony territory above $1,000 in value and reach Class B at $25,000. Burglarizing a home is graded Class B; a business, Class C. A fourth DWI inside 10 years is a felony, and delivery charges get heavier as the quantity grows and depending on which drug it was. For crimes after January 1, 2025, fentanyl dealers must complete 85% of their prison sentence. Drug court and other specialty dockets are available for some defendants, and Pulaski County felony cases often take six months to more than a year.

Teens are handled differently. Once a teen has turned 16, prosecutors may file any felony accusation in juvenile court or, alternatively, before an adult criminal judge, and a judge may transfer the case in either direction after a hearing if clear and convincing evidence supports it. A child locked up at the Pulaski County Juvenile Detention Center gets a hearing on continued detention no more than 72 hours later. Dispositions range from probation and community programs to a commitment with the Division of Youth Services.

Procedurally, a violent felony in Little Rock looks like any other circuit case, yet bonds run very high, and in capital cases bail is often refused. Capital murder is punished by either death or life in prison without the possibility of parole. Rape, aggravated robbery and murder in the first degree are Class Y; murder in the second degree is one class lower. Under the Protect Arkansas Act, a sentence for rape, aggravated robbery or capital murder (if the crime occurred in 2025 or later) must be served to the last day, and second-degree murder and first-degree sexual assault carry an 85% minimum.

Arkansas has 23 men on death row, held at the Varner Supermax, and executions take place at the Cummins Unit. None has been carried out since April 2017, though lawmakers authorized nitrogen gas executions in 2025. Death penalty cases require defense counsel with special qualifications, and the Arkansas Public Defender Commission has a dedicated capital office. Homicide prosecutions in Pulaski County commonly take one to three years.

The Sixth Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney’s victim-witness staff work with victims and families, who under Arkansas law can be notified of court dates, attend proceedings, give an impact statement at sentencing and seek restitution.

Pulaski County prosecutors may take a 14-year-old straight to adult court on accusations such as capital or first-degree murder, a terroristic act, kidnapping, rape, first-degree battery or aggravated robbery. Juvenile judges may also designate a case for Extended Juvenile Jurisdiction, which allows juvenile treatment backed by a suspended adult sentence and supervision beyond age 18. Minors tried as adults are shielded from execution and, under Arkansas’s 2017 sentencing reforms for minors, becomes parole-eligible after 30 years even on a capital murder conviction.

Felonies are tried in circuit court in downtown Little Rock. Misdemeanors and early felony hearings are spread across several district courts:

• Pulaski County Circuit Court: 401 West Markham Street, Suite 100, Little Rock, AR 72201, circuit clerk 501-340-8500
• Little Rock District Court: 600 West Markham Street, Little Rock, AR 72201; criminal 501-371-4739, traffic 501-371-4733
• Pulaski County District Court: 3001 West Roosevelt Road, Little Rock, AR 72204; main 501-340-6824, criminal and traffic 501-340-6832, warrants 501-340-6850
• North Little Rock District Court: 200 West Pershing Boulevard, North Little Rock, AR 72114, 501-791-8559
• Jacksonville District Court: 1400 West Main Street, Jacksonville, AR 72076, 501-982-9531
• Sherwood District Court: 2201 East Kiehl Avenue, Sherwood, AR 72120, 501-835-3693
• Maumelle District Court: 100 Millwood Circle, Maumelle, AR 72113, 501-851-7800
• Cammack Village: 501-663-4593

Juvenile cases are heard by circuit judges assigned to juvenile work. The circuit clerk can say which division has a youth's file.

Pulaski County, home to Little Rock, North Little Rock, Jacksonville, Sherwood and Maumelle, has the busiest criminal docket in Arkansas. Serious charges are decided by the Pulaski County Circuit Court, part of the Sixth Judicial Circuit, which it shares with neighboring Perry County. Several of the circuit’s divisions are assigned to criminal work and others to juvenile matters. The Pulaski County Circuit Clerk keeps felony files at the Pulaski County Courthouse, 401 W. Markham Street, Suite 100, Little Rock, AR 72201, phone (501) 340-8500. More is in our bond guide.

Misdemeanors and first felony hearings start in district court. Each department covers its own territory:

• Little Rock District Court, 600 W. Markham Street, Little Rock: Division 1 takes non-traffic misdemeanors plus felony probable-cause and bond hearings, (501) 371-4739; Division 2 takes traffic offenses, including DWI, (501) 371-4733
• Pulaski County District Court, 3001 W. Roosevelt Road, Little Rock, for arrests in unincorporated areas and video felony arraignments: (501) 340-6832
• North Little Rock District Court, 200 W. Pershing Boulevard: (501) 791-8559
• Jacksonville District Court, 1400 W. Main Street: (501) 982-9531
• Sherwood District Court, 2201 E. Kiehl Avenue: (501) 835-3693
• Maumelle District Court, 100 Millwood Circle: (501) 851-7800

The Sixth Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney handles felonies across Pulaski and Perry counties. City attorneys, such as the Little Rock City Attorney’s office at (501) 371-4527, prosecute city ordinance violations, and misdemeanor dockets in some city courts are handled by city prosecutors as well. Jailed adults, whichever agency made the arrest, are processed at the Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility at 3201 W. Roosevelt Road.

Here is a broad outline of Pulaski County criminal cases, offered as background only. Once charges are filed, a defense lawyer is the best guide. You can also call the Pulaski County Circuit Clerk at (501) 340-8500 to learn how a public defender is requested.

To check a date before going downtown, call the circuit clerk at 501-340-8500 for felonies, or the district court listed on the citation, such as 501-371-4739 in Little Rock or 501-340-6832 at Roosevelt Road.

Use Search ARCourts with the case number or party name. Match the court and division, then check future events. Coverage varies by court. For a person held at the detention facility, ask the assigned clerk whether the appearance is in person or by video and how the public may attend. The sheriff’s detention page explains the jail’s role in court transport and video arraignments.

The sheriff's office serves warrants across the county, and the detention facility line at 501-340-6963 can point you to the right unit. For court records, the Arkansas judiciary's Search ARCourts site offers a statewide case search covering circuit court and many district courts, including Little Rock. To clear a warrant, most people hire a defense lawyer who arranges a surrender at the regional detention facility on West Roosevelt Road and asks for bond in advance. The Circuit Clerk handles felony files at 501-340-8500.

Little Rock is also the seat of federal justice for central Arkansas. Central Division trials of the federal Eastern District of Arkansas are held in the federal courthouse at 500 W. Capitol Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72201; for the clerk, dial (501) 604-5351. Offenses written into Arkansas law by legislators in the State Capitol are pursued by the elected Prosecuting Attorney. Federal crimes are written by Congress and charged by the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District, typically after work by federal agents. Interstate drug and gun trafficking, armed bank robbery, online child exploitation, large-scale fraud and gang racketeering are frequent examples, along with offenses on federal property such as Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville. The federal government and the state may each prosecute the same conduct.

Pulaski County belongs to the Central Division of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. That division sits at the federal courthouse in Little Rock, 500 West Capitol Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72201, 501-604-5351. A case lands there when it breaks a federal law, such as a drug ring that crosses state lines, a gun held by a barred person, a bank robbery, or a crime on Little Rock Air Force Base.

• First comes an initial appearance before a magistrate judge.
• Pretrial Services gives the judge a background report.
• The prosecutor may seek detention. A hearing on that is usually set within three to five days.
• Felony charges need a grand jury indictment.
• People who stay locked up are held by the U.S. Marshals at U.S. Marshals Service, 600 West Capitol Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72201, 501-324-6256.
• Free federal counsel comes from the Federal Public Defender, 1401 West Capitol Avenue, Suite 490, Little Rock, AR 72201, 501-324-6113.

The state and the federal government may each bring charges for the same act. A plea in one court does not close the other case.

• Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility: Pulaski County Inmate Search. Search by last name and check the booking date, charges and bond.
• VINE: VINELink (https://vinelink.vineapps.com/). Choose Arkansas, then search the name. You will see whether the person is held and in which facility.
• Federal prisons: Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator (https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/). Enter a register number or full name to see the federal site and expected release.
• State prisons: Arkansas Division of Correction Inmate Search (https://apps.ark.org/inmate_info/). Look up an ADC number or name to find the unit and parole date.

A detainer is a request from ICE asking the jail to hold someone up to 48 hours beyond the time they would go free. Weekends and holidays count toward the 48 hours. The Pulaski County case continues no matter what ICE does.

The ICE New Orleans Field Office, 181 James Drive W, St. Rose, LA 70087, 504-318-2360 oversees Arkansas. Detainees from Little Rock are often sent to one of these Louisiana sites:

• LaSalle ICE Processing Center: 830 Pinehill Road, Jena, LA 71342 · 318-992-1600
• Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center: 1133 Hampton Dupre Road, Pine Prairie, LA 70576 · 337-599-2400

The ICE Online Detainee Locator System (https://locator.ice.gov/odls/) finds a detainee by A-number or by full name with country of birth.