SB455 Summary

• Eliminates financial penalties and fees imposed on juveniles and their parents/guardians in juvenile court proceedings, including court costs, probation fees, diversion fees, and fines

• Presumes all juveniles indigent regardless of parental resources and prohibits courts from ordering juveniles or parents to pay attorney's fees, mental health services, evaluations, or other court-ordered program costs

• Voids all unpaid balances of costs and fees previously imposed against juveniles and their families under specified Arkansas Code sections before the bill's effective date

• Requires appointed counsel and court-appointed special advocates be provided at no cost to juveniles and their families in delinquency, dependency-neglect, and family-in-need-of-services cases

• Redirects any cost savings from eliminating these fees to community initiatives through the Division of Youth Services reinvestment plan