Zoya Miller, who lived in Eureka Springs from age three through middle school before her family moved to Valley Springs, says Eureka has a different energy than anywhere else she has lived.
“It is where I was raised, and I take a piece of it with me wherever I go,” said Miller, the daughter of Greg and Victoria Miller. “I credit Eureka Springs for most of who I am. I visit whenever I can find an excuse. My heart belongs to Eureka. Growing up in Eureka Springs crafted my identity and creativity. I don’t think I would have gotten that anywhere else. It is such a unique city that allowed me to grow as a person.”
Miller has chosen public service over joining a big law firm after graduating from the UofA William H. Bowen School of Law in Little Rock. She is currently employed as a program director for the Center for Racial Justice and Criminal Justice Reform at the law school.
“The co-directors of the Center, Professor Anastasia Boles and Associate Dean André Cummings, were talking about creating this center even before the murder of George Floyd,” Miller said. “We received several grants this past year to fund Center projects in light of everything happening with law enforcement and justice reform.”
Miller is also the program director of the Court Observation Arkansas Project (COAR) funded by a $1-million grant from Walmart, Inc. that involves students collecting data from around the state to be compiled into an official university research study. Observers will collect more than 150 different data points from each court session observed.
“Students are trained to recognize exactly what to look for,” Miller said. “We collect a lot of data very quickly. Our goal is to provide objective empirical data about the Arkansas criminal justice system. This is the first statewide observation study of its kind in the country. We are starting with the district courts. We won’t be in every county but have sampled counties throughout Arkansas to get a better understanding of what the whole system is like.”
She is managing a team of 10 to 20 law students, depending on availability, to observe in district courts in 14 counties over the course of two years. The statewide project was launched Sept. 19.
District courts were chosen because they often are the first contact people have with the criminal justice system. It is known as “the court of the people” and is primarily for minor offenses such as misdemeanors and traffic violations. Defendants are rarely represented by an attorney. The project will gather information about charges, pleas, bail decisions, courtroom demographic information and courtroom procedures and rules with an intention of finding out how they differ from court to court in Arkansas.
“We are hoping our data will be used to improve procedural fairness in court,” she said. “We personally aren’t the advocates. We are just generating this body of research. After the research is done, we will compile, digest and hand off the deidentified information to stakeholders and advocates. Our goal is not to target any court or judge, but to create a general picture of district court operations throughout Arkansas by collecting the most objective data possible.”
The project also aims to provide valuable experiences for student fellows and observers, who will be the next generation of lawyers and judges in the Arkansas legal system.
Miller graduated from high school in 2015 before getting a degree in English language and literature at Lyon College, a small liberal arts college in Batesville. Originally Miller planned on getting a master’s degree in social work, but found more interest in the systemic side of social justice issues. “I decided my best route would be to go to law school,” Miller said. “I obtained a JD degree and it ultimately led me to exactly where I want to be working on systemic issues in the Arkansas criminal justice system.”
As a student, Miller worked with the Center on a $10,000 grant from the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation that included a Judicial Listening Series in every region in Arkansas where people were invited to give input before a panel of judges. The listening sessions were an opportunity for a more neutral environment than a courtroom. Miller said feedback was that the judges and community members who attended the sessions got a lot out of it.
“It is important for the judiciary to listen to people who have been hurt by the criminal justice system,” Miller said. “It is also important for people to get an understanding of how the judicial system operates. Having judges in the panels speaking to members of the public generates a certain level of trust and collaboration between these individuals. There are lots of educational programs where judges will go speak to people, but we had judges in the position of listening rather than lecturing. It felt like a good community builder event. It helped humanize the judges and helped the community understand what goes on in the judicial system. We are hoping to do more projects like that.”
She applied to work on this project as a student, and said the experience is what generated her interest in continuing to work for the racial justice center.
Go Zoya!