Arkansas Juvenile Assessment and Treatment Center

Youth committed by a juvenile judge to the Arkansas Division of Youth Services may be placed at the Arkansas Juvenile Assessment and Treatment Center, 1501 Woody Drive, Alexander, AR 72002-9420, 501-682-9800. Call 501-682-9800 or the Division of Youth Services at 501-682-8654. The child's treatment team writes a plan and refers the child to a treatment center or a DYS group home (DYS family guide). A child committed to DYS is usually driven either to the DYS Admissions and Records unit at the Arkansas Juvenile Assessment and Treatment Center near Alexander, or to an approved county juvenile detention center until a bed opens. Share your name, how you are related, and your child's full name and date of birth, then ask for your child's case manager.

When visits happen:

• Visiting days are on weekends. DYS treatment centers hold two-hour visits on Saturday and Sunday, starting from 8:00 AM to noon or from 1:00 to 5:00 PM (DYS family guide). AJATC sends each parent or guardian a copy of the visiting schedule and rules.
• Call your child's case manager to arrange another day if those times don't work for you. Special visits for siblings or a youth's own children can be set up by the case manager.

Hours can change, so call 501-682-9800 before you go.

Who may visit: Only people on your child's approved visitation list may visit, up to four visitors at a time. A spouse must show a marriage license. Everyone 14 or older must show a driver's license or official state photo ID, and the center may ask for a certified birth certificate. Visitors must be immediate family: mother, father, sisters, brothers, step-family and legal guardians (DYS family guide). Lawyers and clergy may visit at reasonable times by appointment.

When you arrive:

• You can't give your child gifts or personal items during a visit, such as pictures, cards or food, unless the facility administrator approves it. A personal Bible is the exception.
• Staff supervise every visit, and visits can end early if any rule is broken.

Parents and guardians can call 501-682-9800 to ask whether they are on the child's approved visitor list. Because these details are kept private to protect the minor, staff go over them by phone with a parent or guardian.

Every youth committed to DYS from any of Arkansas's 75 counties starts here for intake and assessment. The case stays with the juvenile court in the county that committed the child.

This site never shows the names of youth in juvenile treatment centers, to protect children. Call 501-682-9800 or the Division of Youth Services directly. These are kept private to protect the minor, and staff give them to a parent or guardian.

Students attend a year-round accredited on-site charter high school. They can earn a GED or a high school diploma, with special education, credit recovery and career and technical classes (AJATC). Family therapy is part of each treatment plan. AJATC holds regular family visitation days, graduations and ceremonies, and invites families to special events. Call 501-682-9800 to ask about your child's school work, medicine or counseling. Those details are kept private to protect the minor.

Your child gets one 10-minute phone call to family each week at the center's expense, at a day and time the case manager sets. The case manager takes parent calls weekdays, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Three-way calls aren't allowed. Calls from the child's lawyer and emergency calls from family are accepted; if your child can't come to the phone, staff take a message. The case manager dials the number, and calls go only to people on the approved phone list. If distance makes visits hard, AJATC can help with video calls, transportation or phone cards. Call 501-682-9800 to ask how calls work for your child. Those specifics are kept private to protect the minor.

Call the center at 501-682-9800 and ask for your child's case manager. The case manager takes parent calls weekdays, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. The main Division of Youth Services office number is 501-682-8654. For the court order, ask the juvenile court in the county that committed your child.

Yes. See the mail section of this page for the address and mail rules.

Your child's risk assessment, treatment plan and the judge's progress review set the length of stay. Progress is reviewed by the treatment team every 60 to 90 days. For an extended juvenile jurisdiction (EJJ) case, the committing judge has the final say (DYS family guide). When your child completes the plan, the judge decides when your child can go home, usually with an aftercare plan. Before release, DYS must explain the aftercare terms to your child and to you (Ark. Code 9-35-436).

Ages matter. For a 16- or 17-year-old, any felony can be filed in adult (criminal) court; for a 14- or 15-year-old, the list is capital murder, first-degree murder, kidnapping, aggravated robbery, rape, first-degree battery or a terroristic act (Ark. Code 9-35-412(c)). For some other serious offenses by a 14- or 15-year-old, the state can ask the juvenile judge for a transfer or for extended juvenile jurisdiction offender status (Ark. Code 9-35-412(b)). Adult release and bail rules apply in adult court, where a youth facing felony charges may be held in an adult jail (Ark. Code 9-35-425(b)). Talk with your child's lawyer right away.