Kathie Hess

Professional career

• Advocacy for systemic change in juvenile justice
• Kathie M. Hess is a judge of the First Judicial Circuit Court of Arkansas, serving in Department Division 5 and covering Cross, Lee, Monroe, Phillips, St. Francis, and Woodruff counties

Education

Additional information

• She was admitted to the Arkansas Bar in 2001 and was elected circuit judge in 2020.
• Drug Court leadership in reducing recidivism and promoting rehabilitation Arkansas Judiciary.
• Contact (Court Office): First Judicial Circuit Court of Arkansas, Department Division 5, Box 2232, Forrest City, AR.
• Phone: +1 (870) 633‐5995.
• focusing on rehabilitation over punishment.
• As a circuit judge, Hess presides over a wide range of cases in her jurisdiction, including criminal, civil, and juvenile matters.
• Also active in specialized programs such as the St. Francis County Success Program, designed to deter juvenile crime, and the St. Francis County Drug Court Treatment Program, which integrates substance abuse treatment with case management for non-violent offenders.