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  • Legal Representation and Custody Determinations

    Fortson, Ryan; Payne, Troy C. (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2019-09-12)
    Do lawyers matter in case outcomes, and can this be shown empirically? A recently published study of initial custody disputes suggests that having an attorney can result in a more favorable outcome for the client, but only if the other side is not also represented by an attorney.
  • Academy Expands Medical Forensic Care and Response

    Casto, L. Diane; Trujillo, Angelia (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2019-09-12)
    The Alaska Comprehensive Forensic Training Academy, the first of its kind in the nation, trains nurses and health care providers to support victims of interpersonal violence in a trauma-informed manner and to preserve potential evidence and information for future prosecutions.
  • Alaska Sex Offense Law: What Has Changed

    Dunham, Barbara (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2019-09-12)
    Alaska’s sex offense laws fall into three broad categories: crimes and defenses, sentencing, and post-release supervision and registry. This article discusses each in turn, looking at how these laws have changed following the 31st legislative session.
  • Editor's Note

    Randolph, Henry (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2019-09-12)
    An update on the Alaska Justice Forum during times of change at the University of Alaska Anchorage, including the publication's transition to an all-digital format.
  • Study Examines Sexual Assault Survivor Experiences

    Johnson, Ingrid D.; Breager, Randi; TePas, Katherine H. (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2019-09-12)
    The Alaska Department of Public Safety is working with the University of Alaska Anchorage Justice Center to better understand how sexual assaults reported to the Alaska State Troopers are handled and perceived, and which factors shape the likelihood of achieving justice for sexual assault victim-survivors. A final report including recommendations for practice improvement is expected mid-2020.
  • Alaska Justice Forum ; Vol. 36, No. 1 (Fall 2019) 

    Johnson, Ingrid D.; Breager, Randi; TePas, Katherine H.; Randolph, Henry; Dunham, Barbara; Casto, L. Diane; Trujillo, Angelia; Fortson, Ryan; Payne, Troy C. (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2019-09-12)
    The Alaska Justice Forum has resumed publication with our Fall 2019 issue. In this issue we explore a study of Alaska sexual assault survivor experiences; recent changes to Alaska sex offense law; an innovative academy that trains health care providers to support victims of interpersonal violence; and how legal representation affects custody determinations in divorce cases.
  • Expanded Brownfields Program Supports Redevelopment in Alaska

    UAA Justice Center (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2018-07-16)
    The Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields Program support the redevelopment of property which may have contaminants from prior use. Anchorage, Mat-Su Borough, and Kodiak Island Borough are current recipients of Brownfields funds. This year Congress increased grant limits under the Brownfields Program and expanded eligibility requirements. Alaska Native villages and corporations that received a contaminated facility from the U.S. government under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) are now eligible for Brownfields grants.
  • Long-Term Impacts of Environmental Contaminants Are ‘Generational Game Changer’

    UAA Justice Center (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2018-07-16)
    Most Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) properties are in remote locations, placing a disproportionate impact on Alaska Native communities that depend upon environmental resources for their livelihood. After the 1972 closure of a U.S. Air Force base that had operated for 20 years on St. Lawrence Island, residents of the Yup'ik village of Savoonga began to experience a higher incidence of cancer, lower birth-weight babies, and higher numbers of miscarriages. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers eventually spent $125 million cleaning up the abandoned base. But there are concerns about continued impact from environmental contamination. While state and federal health studies recommend continued reliance upon traditional foods based on locally harvested berries, fish, and wildlife, St. Lawrence Island community members fear those foods may be contributing to elevated levels of PCBs and higher cancer rates.
  • Environmental Justice in Alaska

    Cravez, Pamela (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2018-07-16)
    Pamela Cravez, editor of the Alaska Justice Forum, gives an overview of articles in the Summer 2018 edition, which addresses environmental contaminants in Alaska, some of the programs in place to deal with them, and the lasting impact that they are having on Alaska Native communities.
  • Environmental Justice: Challenges of Contaminated Site Cleanup in Rural AK

    Williams, Paula; Cravez, Pamela (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2018-07-16)
    Efforts to clean up contaminated sites from military installations and other sources have been ongoing in Alaska since the 1980s, and new sites continue to be identified. Most Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) properties are in remote locations, placing a disproportionate impact on Alaska Native communities that depend upon environmental resources for their livelihood. Cleanup projects that are begun may take many years to complete due to the complicated nature of each site. Since 1990, over 5,300 sites have been cleanup up; more than 2,200 sites remain open, including military installations (both abandoned and active), bulk fuel storage and gas stations, airports and airfields, maintenance facilities, and oil exploration, transport, and refining facilities.
  • Alaska Justice Forum ; Vol. 35, No. 1 (Summer 2018)

    UAA Justice Center; Cravez, Pamela; Williams, Paula (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2018-07-16)
    The Summer 2018 print edition of the Alaska Justice Forum focuses on environmental justice, exploring the ongoing challenges of cleaning up contaminated sites in Alaska in terms of the costs of cleanup and long-term impacts upon people and the environment. Alaska is ranked third in the U.S. for Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) properties. Most of these properties are in remote locations, placing a disproportionate impact on Alaska Native communities that depend upon environmental resources for their livelihood. This issue also looks at expanded eligibility and increased limits on Brownfields Program funds, which provide monies for assessment and cleanup of contaminants on property targeted for redevelopment. The Summer 2018 online edition includes all print stories, one of which has been expanded.
  • Sequential Intercept Model: Framework for a ‘Wicked Problem’

    Cravez, Pamela (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2018-04-02)
    The Sequential Intercept Model offers conceptual points at which a person with serious mental illness could be diverted from the criminal justice system and into community-based treatment. This article reviews the 2015 book "The Sequential Intercept Model and Criminal Justice" (New York: Oxford University Press), which looks at the success of programs along the intercept continuum. A workshop on the model sponsored by the Alaska Department of Corrections will be held in Anchorage in May 2018.
  • Sexual Assault Kit Initiative: Alaska Making Progress

    Cravez, Pamela (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2018-04-02)
    Victim-centered policies being developed by the Alaska Department of Public Safety for processing unsubmitted and untested sexual assault kits collected by Alaska State Troopers are one part of the state’s efforts to tackle more than 3,000 untested kits under grants from the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice.
  • Alaska Victimization Survey: Aleutian/Pribilof Islands

    UAA Justice Center (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2018-04-02)
    This article provides an overview of key results from the 2014–2015 Alaska Victimization Survey (AVS) for the Aleutian/Pribilof Island region, which was conducted from April to June 2014 and May to August 2015. Among the survey's results was the finding that 45 percent of adult women in the region have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence or both in their lifetime.
  • Myrstol Is New Justice Center Director

    Cravez, Pamela (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2018-04-02)
    Dr. Brad Myrstol is announced as the new director of the UAA Justice Center, and Pamela Cravez, editor of the Alaska Justice Forum, gives an overview of articles in the Spring 2018 edition.
  • High Referral Rate for VPSO-Assisted Sex Assault Cases

    Myrstol, Brad A. (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2018-04-02)
    This article reports findings from a recent study examining the impact of Alaska’s Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO) program on the criminal justice response to sexual abuse of a minor (SAM) and sexual assault (SA) cases closed by the Alaska State Troopers (AST) between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2011 in western Alaska. The study found that the likelihood that a sexual assault or sexual assault of a minor case will be accepted for prosecution in western Alaska is enhanced when VPSOs are first responders. [This article also appeared on p. 1–4 of the Spring 2018 print edition.]
  • Alaska Justice Forum ; Vol. 34, No. 4 (Spring 2018)  

    Myrstol, Brad A.; Cravez, Pamela; UAA Justice Center (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2018-04-02)
    The Spring 2018 print edition of the Alaska Justice Forum features articles on Village Public Safety Officers (VPSOs) as first responders in sexual abuse of a minor and sexual assault cases, findings from the 2014–2015 Alaska Victimization Survey for the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands, Alaska's progress on the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, and a review of a book on the Sequential Intercept Model, which offers conceptual points at which a person with serious mental illness could be diverted from the criminal justice system. The Spring 2018 online edition includes expanded versions of print stories.
  • Alaska Pretrial Risk Assessment Tool (Transcript)

    Fox, Geri; Cravez, Pamela (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2018-01-16)
    [This is a transcript of a video presentation, which can be found at https://youtu.be/wYEP3wDnVVQ.] Geri Fox, Director of the Pretrial Enforcement Division of the Alaska Department of Corrections, is interviewed by Pamela Cravez, editor of the Alaska Justice Forum, about the advantages and limitiations of Alaska’s new pretrial risk assessment tool. The tool, incorporated in Alaska’s new bail statute, calculates whether a defendant is at low, moderate, or high risk for failure to appear at trial or to commit another crime if the defendant is released pretrial, and aids in the judge's decision regarding pretrial bail conditions.
  • Expanded View of Recidivism in Alaska

    Valle, Araceli (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2018-01-16)
    This article describes findings on recidivism over an eight-year period for individuals released from Alaska Department of Corrections facilities in 2007. These findings emerged from the Alaska Results First (RF) analysis released by Alaska Justice Information Center (AJiC) in October 2017. In general, the RF findings corroborate previous analyses which examined recidivism patterns one to three years after release, but by following offenders for eight years, AJiC is expanding our understanding of recidivism patterns in Alaska for a large group of offenders, beyond any prior study.
  • Benefit vs. Cost of Alaska Criminal Justice Programs

    UAA Justice Center (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2018-01-16)
    The Alaska Results First report released by Alaska Justice Information Center (AJiC) in October 2017 shows the benefit to cost ratio (monetary return on the state’s investment) for Alaska's adult criminal justice programs, provides tools for assessing how changing the cost structure and delivery method can impact benefit to cost ratios, and provides a new eight-year study of Alaska recidivism rates. This article briefly summarizes the report and provides an introduction to an accompanying article about the report's findings on recidivism in Alaska.

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