VICTORY - But Our Fight Continues

Today, we achieved a crucial victory in the battle to keep Philip Reynolds in the State Hospital rather than releasing him to a less secure facility. After presenting evidence and testimony, the court ruled that Reynolds should remain in the State Hospital at this time.

I want to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who has supported this effort - from those who contacted the Prosecuting Attorney's office, to those who shared our story, to everyone who kept our family in their thoughts and prayers. Your support made a meaningful difference.

However, it's vital that everyone understands: this victory is temporary. Under Act 911, Reynolds can petition for release again in just 180 days. This means that in less than six months, we may be fighting this same battle all over again.

This cycle of repeated hearings is just one of many problems with Act 911 that needs to be reformed. Consider the case I recently discovered of James Earl Lambert, who was released from the Act 911 program on June 28, 2022, despite documented violations of his conditional release terms. Just six months later, Lambert was involved in the death of Calvin Perkins Jr. These tragedies can and will continue until we fix the broken system that allows them to happen.

Our victory today was by the slimmest of margins. We were fortunate and blessed today. But we cannot rely on winning these battles every 180 days indefinitely.

That's why I'm asking you to join me in pushing for meaningful reform of Act 911.

If you care about public safety in Arkansas, please contact your state legislators and ask them to support reform of Act 911. Together, we can create meaningful change that protects families like mine from having to repeatedly fight these battles while living in constant fear.

Thank you again for standing with us. Today, we celebrate this victory - tomorrow, we continue our work to ensure it lasts.