The
most recent issue of the Alaska Justice Forum features articles on civil legal assistance in Alaska and the U.S., a history and guide to Alaska pro bono programs, a comparison of gun ownership in Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, and two pilot programs initiated by the Criminal Justice Working Group.
The 12-page issue includes the following articles:
Concern about access to justice for low-income individuals prompted
to founding in 1876 of the first legal aid society in the U.S.
Currently, the largest provider of civil legal assistance to the poor is
the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit created by
Congress in the 1970s, which funds programs in all 50 states, including
the Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALCS). This article desribes
civil legal assistance and pro bono programs provided by LSC, ALSC, and
other legal aid and pro bono organizations in Alaska and the U.S. which
are attempting to address the "justice gap" for impovershed persons.
A
web supplement
provides additional map and tables with statistics from Alaska pro
bono organizations describing lawyer participation, cases, and number of
clients assisted, as well as additional information on poverty rates
and Alaska Court System service locations.
This article gives a history and overview of programs in Alaska
which provide pro bono legal services — free legal representation — by
volunteer attorneys to low-income persons.
Data from two residential surveys conducted by the Justice Center —
the 2009 Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Survey and the 2009–2010
Anchorage Community Survey — provides the basis for this descriptive
comparison of correlates of firearm ownership in the Municipality of
Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.
This article describes two pilot projects in Alaska initiated by
the Criminal Justice Working Group (CJWG). The goal of PACE (Probationer
Accountability with Certain Enforcement), modeled on Hawaii's
successful Project HOPE, is to reduce substance abuse, technical
violations, and incarceration for probationers. Electronic Exchange of
Discovery will allow law enforcement agencies and state and municipal
prosecutors in Juneau (the pilot location) to electronically share
discoverable information and reports in criminal cases.
Professors Troy Payne and Jason Brandeis have joined the Justice Center faculty as of the Fall 2010 semester.
Dr. André B. Rosay has been awarded a contract from the Office of
the Governor to provide research services to support the Governor’s
Initiative to end the epidemic of domestic violence and sexual assault
in Alaska.
"Unmet Legal Needs in the U.S. and Alaska" by Barbara Armstrong
