Children's Rights Advocate Dee Ann Anthony Newell Dies at 80

Dee Ann Anthony Newell, an educator and an advocate for the children of incarcerated parents, died on October 23, 2026, at Hospice Home Care in Little Rock. She was 80 years old. A lifelong resident of Arkansas, Newell spent decades bridging the gap between the state’s correctional facilities and the families fractured by them, creating a specialized support system for a demographic often ignored by the broader legal and social services landscape.

Her passing marks the end of a career that moved from the classroom to the halls of the White House. As reported by Legacy, Newell’s life was defined by a transition from traditional education to systemic advocacy, specifically through the founding of Arkansas Voices for the Children Left Behind. For those in the Arkansas justice system, Newell wasn’t just an administrator; she was the primary architect of a lifeline that served more than 38,000 children over 23 years.

From the Anthony School to the New York Psychiatric Institute

Newell’s commitment to psychology and education was an inheritance. Her parents, Allen Anthony and Jeanne Wilson Anthony, established Arkansas’ first secular independent school, The Anthony School, in their own home in 1944. Growing up in an environment where education was a family mission, Dee Ann eventually took the helm of the institution, serving as headmistress from 1974 to 1992.

But her intellectual curiosity pushed her beyond the boundaries of a private school. After graduating from Little Rock Hall High School in 1964, she moved to New York to pursue rigorous academic training. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and statistics from Finch College and a master’s degree in psychology from Columbia University. While studying in New York, she interned as a social worker at the New York Psychiatric Institute.

The Architecture of Arkansas Voices for the Children Left Behind

The pivot point of Newell’s life came in 1994. After spending time teaching parenting to inmates within jails and prisons, she recognized a systemic failure: the state provided some support for the incarcerated, but almost nothing for the children they left behind. In response, she founded the nonprofit Arkansas Voices for the Children Left Behind.

This was the only organization in Arkansas specifically dedicated to serving women in jail and their children.

In 2006, she was awarded a Soros Justice Fellowship via the Open Society Institute, which allowed her to advise networks across 14 states. By 2011, her expertise took her to Geneva, Switzerland, where she participated in a working group hosted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child.

Fighting the Shackling of Pregnant Inmates

Newell’s advocacy often placed her in direct opposition to standard correctional protocols. One of her most visceral battles was against the practice of shackling pregnant inmates during labor—a practice widely condemned by human rights organizations as inhumane and medically dangerous.

This commitment to civil liberties earned her the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Arkansas’ Civil Libertarian of the Year Award in 2018. Her ability to translate on-the-ground suffering into policy debate was recognized at the highest level of government when the Obama White House named her a “Champion of Change” in 2013.

Arkansas Voices offered a lifeline to the parents and relatives of the children “left behind.”

A Legacy of Non-Convention

A service of remembrance is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Monday, November 9, at Ruebel Funeral Home, located at 6313 W Markham St., Little Rock, AR. A reception will follow from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The question that remains for Arkansas is whether the protections for children of the incarcerated that Newell advocated for will be codified into permanent law.

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