The National Inventory of Collateral Consequences of Conviction (NICCC) Project recently completed its inventory of Alaska statutes and regulations and found that 492 of these create collateral consequences for offender reentry in our state. Additional states are being added to the inventory, and project completion is scheduled for April 2014.Launched in 2012, the NICCC is a joint initiative of the American Bar Association and the National Institute for Justice to document the collateral consequences of criminal conviction in all U.S. jurisdictions. The current inventory with Alaska data is now available on NICC’s interactive website: www.abacollateralconsequences.org
Alaska Senate Majority Leader John Coghill and Senate Minority Leader Johnny Ellis sent a request this spring to the NICCC Director that Alaska be moved to the top of the list of inventories to be completed so that work could advance on efforts to reduce recidivism in the state. After receiving a positive response from the NICCC, plans were made to hold legislative hearings this summer on collateral consequences and other issues related to criminal recidivism.
A Joint Judiciary Committee Hearing will be held on Thursday, July 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Menard Sports Complex in Wasilla to discuss SB 64 --“Omnibus Crime/Corrections Bill.”
The Collateral Consequences Work Group, chaired by former Alaska Department of Corrections Deputy Commissioner Carmen Gutierrez, will analyze the results of the Alaska inventory, report on the findings, and develop a set of recommendations to make the restrictions more compatible with public safety. This includes developing a set of recommendations to make the information about restrictions more accessible and transparent to job seekers, employers, workforce providers, and state policymakers.
Prof. Deb Periman, J.D., Justice faculty, is a member of the Work Group. Her article, "The Hidden Impact of a Criminal Conviction: A Brief Overview of Collateral Consequences in Alaska" (2007) is included in the Bibliography/Resources List on the NICCC website.
