Smart Justice

Send us Fan Mail On November 20th, 2025, leaders in Pulaski County reached a pivotal moment in the fight against violence. After two years of discussions and research on bringing Group Violence Intervention to the area, they joined forces and made a commitment to fund the strategy.  The announcement happened at a press conference that marked a new chapter for the community. In this episode, you’ll...

Send us Fan Mail Violence has left deep scars across Pulaski County, touching children, parents, and entire neighborhoods. LaShanna Bruce and Deanna Walderns of the 100 Families Initiative sit down with Restore Hope's Paul Chapman to explain how the initiative helps families in crisis and offers real alternatives to a life of violence. Support the show [Website]: https://smartjustice.org/   [...

Send us Fan Mail Pastor Rodney McIntosh knew something had to change in Fort Worth, Texas. Drawing inspiration from the Advance Peace model in Richmond, California, he launched Violence Intervention and Prevention Fort Worth (VIPFW) – a program that's transforming how communities address gun violence by focusing on individual. VIPFW's success lies in who they hire: respected community me...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Smart Justice podcast, we sit down with Reverend Kevin Crumpton, pastor, community leader, and project manager for Pine Bluff’s Group Violence Intervention (GVI) strategy. Crumpton has worn many hats throughout his career—from probation officer and jail lieutenant to school PTO president—but his lifelong passion has always been serving young people and famil...

Send us Fan Mail Yolanda Harrison and Tina Dobbins share raw, heartbreaking accounts of receiving the calls that changed everything—learning their sons had been shot, rushing to hospitals, and facing the brutal reality that their children were gone. Both women describe how this trauma fundamentally changed them, triggering serious health issues and requiring them to forge new identities in the aft...

Send us Fan Mail One of the most powerful tools in the fight against violence isn’t found in the courtroom—it’s in the community. Credible messengers are people with lived experience in gangs, incarceration, and the streets who now use their past to build trust and guide others toward a different future. In this episode, we meet Julius Buie, who spent more than two decades in gang life before beco...

Send us Fan Mail Gun violence is devastating Pulaski County families and weakening community bonds. But what if there were proven strategies to interrupt this cycle of violence before more lives are shattered? This episode captures the first of three public meetings where local leaders come together to confront this challenge head-on. Little Rock Police Chief Heath Helton shares encouraging statis...

Send us Fan Mail "When violence drops, hope rises." These powerful words capture the remarkable transformation occurring in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where an innovative approach called Group Violence Intervention (GVI) has helped the city achieve over 500 consecutive days without a juvenile homicide. Once regularly appearing on lists of America's most dangerous places, Pine Bluff is no...

Send us Fan Mail Pulaski County Prosecutor Will Jones started his role in 2023 following the deadliest year for homicides in Little Rock's history. He says it was time to find a different approach to fighting crime—one that would require him to think outside of the traditional prosecutor role.  In this interview with Jones, we discuss crime trends, community trust, and a new path forward thro...

Send us Fan Mail Pastor Mark DeYmaz leads Mosaic Church, a multiethnic congregation in Little Rock, Arkansas. He’s spent decades working across lines of race, class, and politics to try to rebuild broken trust in some of the most wounded neighborhoods. He intentionally built his church in an area of the city with some of the highest crime rates—an area with significant homelessness and opioid issu...

Send us Fan Mail In 2021, Indianapolis was facing one of the highest homicide spikes in the nation. By 2024, the city had reduced criminal homicides by an astounding 54%.  Smart Justice travels to Indiana to explore a bold new strategy that’s transforming how cities tackle gun violence. Known as Indy Peace, the city’s violence reduction model is a three-pronged approach built on intervention, prev...

Send us Fan Mail Around the nation, gun violence is destroying families and weakening communities. And it's becoming a leading cause of death among young people. How can we move beyond just talking about this tragedy to implementing solutions that actually work?  Join us for A Shot at Hope , a special series from Smart Justice . We're examining an evidence-based strategy that has already...

Send us Fan Mail "Everyone sees a side on the news, but I live it. I have to live this every day." These powerful words from Yolanda Harrison capture the devastating reality of gun violence in America—not as a headline that fades, but as an unending journey of grief that transforms lives forever. Yolanda's story begins with her son Devan: a talented musician, church youth group memb...

Send us Fan Mail This season of Smart Justice has explored the complexities of juvenile justice, the efforts to straighten the curves of the next generation's lives, and the solutions that are being developed to make a real change in Arkansas. In this final bonus episode, Paul Chapman is joined by some of the prominent voices from throughout this season including the Arkansas Department of Hu...

Send us Fan Mail Imagine being 15 years old, handcuffed, and sitting in a detention cell with no idea what comes next. For Emma (not her real name), this became her reality—not once, but eight times. Her journey from childhood trauma through addiction and into the juvenile justice system reveals how quickly vulnerable youth can spiral when their basic needs go unmet. "You don't know how...

Send us Fan Mail Loss and disconnection lie at the heart of juvenile crime and substance abuse. That's the powerful message from those working on the frontlines of youth justice, including Crystal Davis, who transformed her life after 26 years of addiction to mentor young people in detention. "The biggest reason that I've seen is loss—the loss of a family member, the loss of a paren...

Send us Fan Mail What if there was a smarter way to approach juvenile justice? One that identifies troubled youth before they commit serious crimes and connects them with resources instead of sending them to detention? Kevin Hunt knows firsthand how easily young people can slip into criminal behavior. Growing up in Little Rock during the notorious "Banging in the Rock" era, Hunt started...

Send us Fan Mail This is not just a story about youth crime—it’s a story about what’s possible when we stop asking ‘what’s wrong with them?’ and start asking ‘what happened to them?’ In this episode of Smart Justice , we explore what it means to change the game plan for youth on the edge. We hear powerful testimony from former gang member Antoine Jones, who lost his daughter to gun violence. He sh...

Send us Fan Mail When young people find themselves isolated and without essential support systems, they go down some dangerous paths. Many communities around the nation are seeing a rise in violent crime among youth—and it’s more serious than ever. We take you inside the crisis and highlight solutions. You’ll hear from prosecutors, judges, outreach workers, and teens who’ve lived it.  In the wake...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when a community decides to reimagine juvenile justice? Across Arkansas, dedicated professionals are discovering that evidence-based interventions not only reduce crime but transform lives and strengthen communities. Meet Amber Govan, who at just eight years old learned sign language to facilitate her father's drug deals. Her path seemed predetermined—drug dealin...

Send us Fan Mail Many communities across Arkansas are seeing an uptick in youth crime, especially violent offenses. We travel the state to talk to judges, law enforcement, juveniles in the system, and others to examine what's happening, solutions being implemented, and how we can continue to improve outcomes for families going forward.  Subscribe on your favorite platform. Season 4 dives deep...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered how early childhood experiences shape a lifetime? Dr. Sufna John from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences gives her profound insights into infant and early childhood mental health. This special bonus episode kicks off with a compelling discussion on the real-world impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and PTSD. Dr. John’s expertise sheds light on...

Send us Fan Mail Interested in becoming a foster parent? Find info here Every Child Arkansas Read the SmartJustice Season 3 magazine Welcome to season 3 of SmartJustice we're calling 'A Chance At Life'. This season we focus on the well-being and future of children, youth and families in the child welfare system. In this final episode we talk with Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and...

Send us Fan Mail Guests Judge Troy Braswell and Project Zero Executive Director Christie Erwin.  If you would like to explore adoption visit https://theprojectzero.org/index.php  Emmy award winning film maker Nathan Willis is a long time partner with Project Zero to help find waiting children the right forever home.  https://nathanwillisfilms.com/about  https://www.youtube.com/@ProjectZero1/videos...

Send us Fan Mail Interested in becoming a foster parent? Find info at Every Child Arkansas . Want to support a foster family? In this episode we talk with Darneshia Allen with Zero to Three , Christen Butler with The CALL , Dr. Derek Brown with Arkansas Baptist Children and Family Ministries , Pastor Chris Massey with Fellowship Bible  Church Searcy, and Dennis Berry, foster parent and The CALL bo...