WHY IT MATTERS IN ARKANSAS
ARKANSAS DEMOGRAPHICS
Poverty is the dominant factor affecting access to the justice system. Over 550,000 Arkansans live at or below 125% of the federal poverty level. That means that one-in-five Arkansans are eligible for free legal aid. But legal aid providers, who have limited resources, are overwhelmed by the magnitude of low-income Arkansans with legal needs. And the legal problems of the working poor often have a snowball effect, where one legal problem leads to more. Without adequate legal assistance, the working poor exist in a world with no hope. No access to justice means many people lose faith in the system and resort to other means to solve their problems. For specific statistics, check out the links below:
1 in 5 Arkansans are eligible for free civil legal aid
[see the status of your county by clicking here]
Arkansas ranked 48th among the 50 states in personal income per capita
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/ranks/rank29.html
Arkansas has the 6th highest percentage of its total population living in poverty (17.2%)
http://www.myonlinemaps.com/arkansas.php
Arkansas has the 5th highest percentage of children under 18 living in poverty (24.9%)
http://www.myonlinemaps.com/arkansas.php
Arkansas has one of the highest number of divorces/1,000 population
http://www.divorcereform.org/StateChart2004.html
Arkansas is ranked 49th in number of people over 25 holding college degrees
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/ranks/rank19.html
Arkansas is ranked 48th in dollars spent per poor person on civil legal aid
(click here to see ranking chart)
4 of every 5 dollars going to legal aid comes from the Federal Government
(click here to see all sources of funding)
27 states provide state appropriations for legal services -- Arkansas is not one of them
(click here to see all sources of funding for surrounding states)
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