Alcohol-affected offenders: Alaska's crime conundrum

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Harwood, Maureen Frances
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URI
http://hdl.handle.net/11122/6344
Abstract
Offenders with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) are being inadequately identified and addressed in Alaska's criminal justice system. Without recognition of the problems associated with FAS (e.g., slow cognitive pacing, language impairments, impaired ability to deal with abstract concepts such as time) the alcohol-affected individual's ability to understand and effectively participate in the criminal justice process is compromised. This thesis examines the challenges that people with FAS and other prenatal alcohol exposure conditions present for Alaska's criminal justice system. Ways of protecting people prenatally exposed to alcohol against poor life outcomes, like trouble with the law are explained. Additionally, I present effective steps that criminal justice system entities utilize to assist people with disabilities who commit crimes and discuss their adaptation to the problems of people with FAS.
Description
Thesis (M.A.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2002
Table of Contents
Ch. 1. Introduction -- The problem -- Purpose -- Terminology -- Background -- Literature review -- Methods: overview -- Survey of probation officers -- Participants -- Survey design -- Procedure -- Exploratory interviews -- Site visits -- Organization of thesis -- ch. 2. Understanding Fetal Alcohol Syndrome -- Alcohol's possible impacts "In Utero" -- Defining and diagnosing Fetal Alcohol Syndrome -- Primary manifestations of FAS -- Thinking and memory skills -- Language processing -- Behavior and associated abilities -- Secondary manifestations -- Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in Alaska -- ch. 3. Risk and alcohol-affected individuals -- Viewing multiple influences -- Multifactorial influences of life outcomes for people with FASD -- Guarding against poor outcomes -- Why discuss protective factors -- Defeating factors -- Why people with FASD make bad choices -- Alaska's protective responses to the needs of people with FASD -- People with FASD -- State law -- Surveillance -- Office of FAS -- ch. 4. The offender with FASD -- The concerns -- Misunderstanding the process and their rights -- Legal issues related to intentional behaviors -- Behaviors that can lead to victimization -- Informal strategies to address the needs of alcohol-affected offenders -- Communication adaptations -- ch. 5. Issues offenders with FASD present for Alaskan probation officers -- ch. 6. Solutions: "Trying differently rather than harder" -- ch. 7. Conclusion -- References.
Date
2002-05
Type
Thesis
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