Vol 34 (2017–2018)
Volume 34 of the Alaska Justice Forum includes four issues. Each collection includes PDFs of complete issues (both print & online) and of individual articles from the online edition.
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Sequential Intercept Model: Framework for a ‘Wicked Problem’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.
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Sexual Assault Kit Initiative: Alaska Making ProgressVictim-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.
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Alaska Victimization Survey: Aleutian/Pribilof IslandsThis 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.
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Myrstol Is New Justice Center DirectorDr. 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.
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High Referral Rate for VPSO-Assisted Sex Assault CasesThis 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.]
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Alaska Justice Forum ; Vol. 34, No. 4 (Spring 2018) 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.
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Alaska Pretrial Risk Assessment Tool (Transcript)[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.
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Expanded View of Recidivism in AlaskaThis 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.
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Benefit vs. Cost of Alaska Criminal Justice ProgramsThe 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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Alaska's Evidence-Based Investment (editor's note)Pamela Cravez, editor of the Alaska Justice Forum, gives an overview of articles in the Winter 2018 edition, which focuses on evidence-based practices that have been incorporated into Alaska's criminal justice system.
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Pretrial Risk Assessment Tool Developed for AlaskaBeginning January 1, 2018, judicial officers, defense attorneys, and prosecuting attorneys in all Alaska courts began to receive information from a new pretrial risk assessment tool that 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. The tool, incorporated in Alaska’s new bail statute, aids in the judicial officer’s decision regarding pretrial bail conditions. This article looks at risk assessment tools in general and describes the development of Alaska’s pretrial risk assessment tool.
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Alaska Justice Forum ; Vol. 34, No. 3 (Winter 2018) The Winter 2018 print edition of the Alaska Justice Forum features articles on evidence-based practices that have been incorporated into Alaska's criminal justice system: a new pretrial risk assessment tool designed to calculate a defendant's risk of failure to appear at trial or of committing another crime if released pretrial; and the Alaska Results First benefit cost analysis of established evidence-based programs designed to reduce recidivism. The Results First analysis also provides a new eight-year study of recidivism rates in Alaska. The Winter 2018 online edition includes expanded versions of print stories and a video (with transcript) which further describes Alaska's new pretrial risk assessment tool.
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Is the Rate of Property Crime Increasing in Alaska? [transcript]Is the rate of property crime increasing in Alaska? Data from six Alaska jurisdictions show it’s a complex question. Dr. Brad Myrstol, interim Justice Center director developed a series of graphs to show how the rate of property crime in Alaska is impacted by factors including time, place of crime and type of crime. This presentation focuses on the property crimes of larceny-theft, shoplifting (which is a subcategory of larceny), burglary, and motor vehicle theft. The time period is from 1985 to 2016. The jurisdictions reviewed are: Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Kenai, North Slope Borough and Palmer. Each use the Uniform Crime Reports to report data. This is a transcript of the video presentation "Property Crime Rates 1985–2016: Is the Rate of Property Crime Increasing in Alaska? Trend Data from Six Alaska Police Agencies" which can be found at https://youtu.be/HiQqNyDgmas. Graphs by Brad A. Myrstol; produced & narrated by Pamela Cravez.
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When Mental Illness Becomes a Police MatterMental illness is not a police matter in and of itself and most people with mental illness (MI) are not involved in the criminal justice system. When police do interact with an individual with MI, care needs to be taken not to label the person as the problem but to focus on behavior that causes harm to self and others.
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Crisis Intervention Teams Assist Law EnforcementThe Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) is a police-based, first responders’ pre-arrest jail diversion model for individuals with mental illness and/or substance abuse disorder. A new CIT coalition is being developed in Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The online version of the article also includes additional information about specialized police responses.
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How Do You Determine the Right Size of a Police Department? Don’t Look to Crime Rates.Studies have shown that changing the number of police officers has no effect on crime rates. This article explains why and describes alternative measures. An accompanying chart compares rates of violent crime in Alaska for 1986–2015 with the number of police officers per 1,000 residents for the same period.
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Editor's NotePamela Cravez, editor of the Alaska Justice Forum, gives an overview of articles in the current edition of the Alaska Justice Forum.
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Crime Rates and Alaska Criminal Justice ReformDefinitive conclusions about the impact of Senate Bill 91 on the rate of property crimes in Alaska are not possible for a number of reasons, including that the most current data cover less than six months following implementation of the first phase of the law. Accompanying figures show rates of incidents of shoplifting, motor vehicle theft, burglary, and larceny theft reported to police in 1985–2016.
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Alaska Justice Forum ; Vol. 34, No. 2 (Fall 2017)The Fall 2017 print edition of the Alaska Justice Forum features two stories on crime rates — in relation to criminal justice reform and in relation to police staffing — that caution using crime rates as a single factor to determine policy. A story on Crisis Intervention Teams shows how specialized responses are helping law enforcement deal with calls from individuals with mental illness and/or substance use disorders. The Fall 2017 online edition includes expanded versions of print stories and a video (with transcript) on property crime rates in Alaska.
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Director's FarewellDr. André B. Rosay bids farewell to the UAA Justice Center, where he has been director since 2007. Dr. Rosay has been appointed associate dean for academic and student affairs in the College of Health at University of Alaska Anchorage.