Founded in 1842 from parts of Union and Bradley County, Ouachita County is named after the Ouachita River. Located in the southern part of Arkansas, Ouachita County has a population of over 28,000 residents and spans about 740 square miles. Its county seat in Camden is the economic hub of the county, known for its timber and forestry, manufacturing, and agricultural industries.

Courts in Ouachita County

The Ouachita County court system comprises the Circuit and Districts. The Ouachita County Circuit Court has broad jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases, including felonies, misdemeanors, civil disputes for claims up to $25,000, injunctions, property disputes, and contract disputes.

The Circuit Court has Domestic Relations, Juvenile, and Probate Divisions. The Domestic Relations Division presides over divorce, child custody, child and spousal support, adoption, and other family-related matters. The Juvenile Court handles cases involving minors, including juvenile delinquency, foster care placement, emancipation, and child protection matters. The Probate Division specializes in estate administration, guardianships of minors, and conservatorships.

The Ouachita County District Court handles misdemeanor criminal and civil cases, including simple assaults, petty theft,  civil disputes involving amounts up to $25,000, landlord-tenant disputes, and preliminary hearings for felony cases.

Where to Find Public Court Records in Ouachita County

Public court records are documents from the courts that are accessible to the public. Public court records in Ouachita County are available online through the ARCourt web tool. In addition, the Clerk of Court is the record custodian for public court records and permits record seekers to view the documents in person at the courthouse or mail requests for the records.

Types of Public Court Records in Ouachita County

Public court records provide citizens with access to the operations of the country's judiciary. Except exempted by the courts, the following court records are accessible to the public in Ouachita County:

• Civil County Records: Boundary disputes, evictions, landlord-tenant disputes, injunctions, employment disputes, and business litigations
• Criminal Court Records: Felonies and misdemeanors, including homicide, arson, aggravated assaults, vandalism, shoplifting, and disorderly conduct
• Probate Records: Wills, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, and estates
• Family Court Records: Marriage dissolution, legal separation, annulment, child custody, and child and spousal support
• Traffic Records: Illegal parking, traffic tickets, driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license, and stop sign violations

Confidential Court Records in Ouachita County

Confidential court records in Ouachita County refer to papers and documents from the court that are inaccessible to the public. Confidential court records contain sensitive information and are sealed to protect the individual named on the court document. The following court records are exempted from public view in Ouachita County:

• Juvenile court records
• Adoption records
• Grand jury proceedings
• Mental health records
• Trade secrets are.

Likewise, personal information on court documents is confidential. Personal identifiers are redacted from public court records in Ouachita County to prevent misuse of personal information, fraud, and identity theft. Personal identifiers redacted from court records include:

• Financial account numbers
• Home addresses and phone numbers
• Health insurance identification numbers
• Driver's license numbers
• Social Security numbers.

Juvenile Delinquency in Ouachita, AR

Unfortunately, in many areas of the Ouachita County, juvenile delinquency issues are on the rise. There are many reasons for the rise in youth offenders. The juvenile sentence in Arkansas often depends on the severity of the crime, the number of crimes, and other family matters.

In 2017, a total of 146 juvenile cases were reported for every 100,000 people age 10 to adulthood in the jurisdiction of Ouachita County. Of that total, 31% of those proceedings were delinquencies which equaled 45 court cases. Another 27% were dependency cases that accounted for 40 of the juvenile cases.

A lot of counties, including, Ouachita County, are focusing on family therapy and relationships rather than punishment for juvenile crimes. Future Ouachita County juvenile delinquency numbers will show whether or not this approach is working.

Government of Ouachita County, AR

https://arkansas.gov/

County Seat:	Camden
Government Type:	County
Authority:	Home Rule
Year Organized:	1842
Total Square Miles:	740
2019 Population:	23,868
Persons/Square Mile:	0.03
County Contact:	PO BOX 644 County Courthouse Camden , AR 71711-0644 http://www.ouachitacounty.org/

Ouachita County, AR Courts