Opinion No.

The Honorable Carolyn Pollan State Representative 400 North Eighth Street Ft. Smith, AR 72901

Dear Representative Pollan:

This is in response to your request for an opinion on the following question:

Is it the responsibility of the Prosecuting Attorney or the staff member of the Circuit Clerk's office to prepare written criminal judgments?

While it is clear that a trial court must follow Rule 36.4 of the Arkansas Rules of Criminal Procedure in pronouncing sentence and judgment [see, Hunter v. State, 278 Ark. 428, 645 S.W.2d 954 (1983)], the rules do not specify the actual means of preparation of…