The Alaska Youth Law Guide: A Handbook for Teens and Young Adults, a web project of the Alaska Bar Association Law Related Education (LRE) Committee, is now online. Prof. Deb Periman, J.D., was chair of the drafting subcommittee for the guide; Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., was also a member of the law guide subcommittee. Former adjunct faculty member Virginia Rusch served as principal editor. Barbara Armstrong, editor of the Alaska Justice Forum; Toni Moras, former Alaska Justice Forum editor; and Legal Studies faculty members Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D. and Prof. Kristin Knudsen, J.D. were also among the more than 50 volunteers, lawyer and non-lawyer, who participated in this project.
The website is a public education resource presented by the Alaska Bar Association Law Related Education Committee to help young Alaskans understand the law and how it may affect them. It provides general information about many of the legal issues teens and young adults are likely to encounter, and resources for getting more information or assistance. A number of other states also have youth law guides to assist young people in understanding and navigating the legal system.
Nearly 150 articles appear in chapters on Law Enforcement; Sex, Drugs & Rock n' Roll; Entering the Real World; Cars and Guns; Family Life; and Schools. Art work was selected from entries in the 2011 "Justice For All" art contest sponsored by the Alaska Court System and the Alaska Bar Law Related Education Committee.
