Mansfield Juvenile Treatment Center

Youth committed by a juvenile judge to the Arkansas Division of Youth Services may be placed at the Mansfield Juvenile Treatment Center, 36 Johnny Cake Road, Mansfield, AR 72944-0487, 479-269-8000. A treatment team makes a plan for the child, then refers the child to a treatment center or a DYS group home (DYS family guide). Call 479-269-8000 or the Division of Youth Services at 501-682-8654. After a judge commits a child to DYS, the child is usually driven 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 to wait for a bed. Give your name, your relationship, and the child's full name and date of birth, and ask for the case manager.

Visiting days and hours:

• Saturday and Sunday: two-hour visits, starting from 8:00 AM to noon or from 1:00 to 5:00 PM
• Can't make those times? Call your child's case manager to set a visit on another day. Your child can't schedule a visit for you.

Hours can change, so call 479-269-8000 before you go.

Who may visit: Up to four visitors at a time (children under 12 don't count toward the four). Visits are limited to immediate family: mother, father, sisters, brothers, step-family and legal guardians. A pastor or clergy member can visit your child any day. Visits by girlfriends, boyfriends and family friends aren't allowed. Your child can choose to accept or refuse a visit.

When you arrive:

• You can't give your child anything during a visit: no stamps, batteries, phone cards, magazines, pictures, letters or other items.

Parents and guardians can call 479-269-8000 to ask whether they are on the child's approved visitor list. These details are kept private to protect the minor, so staff share them with a parent or guardian by phone.

Yes. The mail section of this page has the address and the rules for letters.

School runs every weekday, with high school, GED, career and vocational classes, along with therapy groups, counseling and recreation (DYS family guide). Call 479-269-8000 to ask about your child's school work, medicine or counseling. Such details are kept private to protect the minor.

We never show the names of youth held in juvenile treatment centers; that protects children. Call 479-269-8000 or the Division of Youth Services directly. Only a parent or guardian gets these details from staff; they are kept private to protect the minor.

Call the center at 479-269-8000 and ask for your child's case manager. The Division of Youth Services main office is 501-682-8654. On weekdays, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, parents may call the case manager. The juvenile court in the committing county answers questions about the court order.

DYS places committed youth from any Arkansas county by age, gender, risk and treatment needs. The committing county's juvenile court keeps the case.

The length of stay turns on your child's risk assessment, treatment plan and the judge's review of progress. In an extended juvenile jurisdiction (EJJ) case, the committing judge has the final say (DYS family guide). The treatment team checks progress every 60 to 90 days. After the plan is complete, the judge decides on going 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).

Your child may call a legal guardian or approved immediate family member within 24 hours of arriving, then one call a week from the case manager's office, to family on the approved phone log made at intake. Staff help set a call time with you. If there is a family emergency, staff try to have your child call you back right away. Parents may call the case manager on weekdays, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, to ask about progress or leave a message. Call 479-269-8000 to ask how calls work for your child. This information is kept private to protect the minor.

Two paths lead to adult court. The direct path: the prosecutor files there for a 16- or 17-year-old accused of any felony, or for a 14- or 15-year-old accused of rape, kidnapping, aggravated robbery, first-degree battery, a terroristic act, capital murder or first-degree murder (Ark. Code 9-35-412(c)). The transfer path: for some other serious offenses at 14 or 15, the state asks the juvenile judge to move the case or to treat the child as an extended juvenile jurisdiction offender (Ark. Code 9-35-412(b)). In adult court, adult release and bail rules govern, and a youth facing felony charges can be held in an adult jail (Ark. Code 9-35-425(b)). Your child's lawyer should hear from you right away.