Alaska as a Case Study of OJJDP-Mandated Jail Monitoring

Abstract

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency prevention has mandated that all states monitor jail records for the presence of juveniles and inspect jails and lock-ups in which juveniles might be detained for sight and sound separation. The experience of Alaska in complying with this mandate is instructive. In the largest state in the union 99 facilities in a monitoring universe of 111 (89.1 %) are accessible only by air or water. Alaska's jail monitoring plan accommodated this inaccessibility. The plan and 1989 monitoring activities are explained and discussed. As the largest state in the Union Alaska has had some unique problems complying with the mandate of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Act to monitor secure facilities for the presence of juveniles. In spite of these problems Alaska has produced a model monitoring plan and has successfully completed three years of compliance monitoring activities. The monitoring process and the problems associated with monitoring activities are useful for other states to consider as they review their monitoring plans.