The Arkansas Youth Justice Reform Board will soon release its  recommendations for reforming the state’s juvenile justice system. Last week the State of Kansas showed us that real change might still be possible, when it passed legislation to reduce the number of incarcerated youths and expand community services. Republican leaders in the Senate and House led this effort.

Kansas Senate Bill 367 recently passed the House by a vote of 117-6. It enacts a series of changes in the state’s juvenile justice system and places an emphasis on therapeutic options that allow nonviolent youthful offenders to remain at home. The 112-page bill includes some 40 policy changes with evidence-based solutions. It’s expected to reduce the out-of-home juvenile population by 62 percent in five years and reduce costs by about $75 million. Money saved will be re-invested in community programs and treatment alternatives to incarceration.

The bill shifts the state’s reliance from detention centers to community-based programs. Supporters say research has shown that these programs are more effective at curbing recidivism, and they help offenders remain in school and graduate.

The Kansas Senate passed a version of the bill earlier in the session. The House made changes to the bill. The Senate bill would phase out the state’s use of youth residential facilities by 2018. The House version would keep 50 beds in youth residential facilities. Both chambers will have to reach a consensus before the bill heads to the Governor’s desk.

House members agreed to invest any savings back into the juvenile justice system and not allow it to be “swept into some other general fund.” This was a big concern, given the lack of tax revenues needed to meet other needs in the state.

So how likely is it that Arkansas will make major changes like those proposed in Kansas? Similar reforms in Arkansas have been proposed for the past decade. Arkansas stakeholder groups, oversight committees, and administrative officials agree that reform is needed. Retired Division of Youth Services Director Ron Angel recently even wrote a Letter to the Editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette calling for investment in community-based alternatives. However, our current reform effort faces the same hurdles that blocked previous efforts: limited resources, inadequate data, disagreements about next steps, and resistance to major change that might disrupt “business as usual.”

It will take political leadership and courage to make the much-needed leap forward. Youth and their families are harmed by a system built on punitive approaches. The facts that support change and the models for creating statewide reforms are compelling. Restoring the lives of these youth through community-based, proven-effective programs really does work. It has never been more evident.