AJSAC Fact Sheet: Juvenile Justice Referrals in Alaska, 2003–2013

The October 2013 issue of the AJSAC Fact Sheet presents summary information on referrals made by Alaska law enforcement agencies to the Alaska Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) for state fiscal years 2003–2013. The report presents data on the number of juveniles referred to DJJ, number of referrals made, charges by class and offense type, and demographic information on referred juveniles.  The data show that the total unduplicated count of youth referred to DJJ in FY 2013 was 2,462 — a decline of 52.1% from FY 2003, with decreases seen across all administrative regions of DJJ. Overall, the number of referrals to DJJ declined both statewide — by 53.6%  from FY03 to FY13 — and regionally. The Fact Sheet is by Khristy Parker and Dr. Brad A. Myrstol of the Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center (AJSAC).

January 29 declared Homeless Awareness Day in Anchorage by Mayor Sullivan

January 29 has been declared Homeless Awareness Day in Anchorage by Municipality of Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan.

Project Homeless Connect Anchorage is also being held today at the Egan Center.

This event  is a one-day, one-stop event to provide housing, services, and hospitality in a convenient one-stop model directly to people experiencing homelessness in Anchorage.

It is a way to bring service providers, government agencies, and the general community together to address a problem that affects everyone. The goal is to move from simply managing homelessness towards really ending it.

Prof. Fortson volunteers at MLK free legal clinic

Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Justice faculty, was a volunteer lawyer for the Anchorage MLK Day 5th Annual Free Legal Clinic held in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., and his work.  Over 80 volunteer lawyers assisted 253 clients in Anchorage on January 20.

Prof. Fortson reviews
client information
during the legal clinic.

The clinic is a public service project of the Alaska Bar Association, Alaska Court System, and Alaska Legal Services Corporation, and was held at the Mountain View Boys & Girls Club.

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., attorneys answer legal questions for free on MLK Day in communities across Alaska.  These clinics are for low income Alaskans with civil legal needs that include family, landlord-tenant, and public benefits matters.

(Photo by Jamie Lang Photography)

Dr. Chamard directs Winter 2013/2014 Mat-Su Community Survey

The Winter 2013/2014 Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Survey will be directed by Dr. Sharon Chamard, Justice faculty.  She has directed the Mat-Su Surveys since 2008. The Winter 2013/2014  survey is in the process of being mailed to a random sample of Mat-Su residents.

The survey has been conducted annually since 2006 and is a cooperative research effort between the Justice Center and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough to collect information about the use of and satisfaction with Borough services, opinions about Borough policies and taxation, and household composition. These data will be used by Borough decision-makers to prioritize projects, improve services, and better plan for the future growth of the Mat-Su Borough.

The Winter 2013/2014 survey will include a new set of questions developed by the Nature Conservancy and focus on the importance and use of salmon by the survey respondents.

The Matanuska-Susitna Community Survey 2012 and Trends 2008 - 2012 report, and additional past reports of the Mat-Su Surveys are available on our website.

Justice Club meeting January 29 in LIB 307

Don't miss the Justice Club meeting!

Date: Wednesday, January 29
Time: 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Where: Consortium Library, LIB 307

Agenda items:

• Spring events
• Movie social
• Pizza study sessions
• Guest speakers
• Upcoming prison tour
• Executive committee elections

Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uaajusticeclub

Professor Wolfe featured in free webinar on snow impression evidence on January 29

Example of snow cast process -
Top: Fresh snow print.
Middle: Coating of gray primer on snow print.
Bottom: Plaster cast of snow print.

Prof. Jim Wolfe, Justice adjunct faculty, co-presents a free webinar on photographing and casting snow impression evidence such as shoe prints, tire tracks, and snow machine impression.  The webinar is sponsored by Forensic Science Education, RTI International.

 Title: Collecting Footwear and Tire Impressions in the Snow
Date: Wednesday,  January 29,
Time: 9:00 a.m. Alaska Standard Time
Cost: Free
To register: Click here to register for this free webinar.

From footwear to tire to snowmobile impressions, snow impressions can provide extremely valuable evidence in helping to resolve criminal investigations. Unfortunately, photographing and obtaining a cast of a snow impression is often a challenge for the crime scene examiner. This presentation will review techniques for photographing and casting snow impressions found at the crime scene. Methods for utilizing dental stone, fast setting plaster, and sulfur cement casting of snow impressions will be examined, showing how the type of snow and weather conditions may determine which casting technique to use.

Presenters:
Jim Wolfe became interested in snow impression evidence in the early 1980’s while working with the Alaska Fish and Wildlife Protection Crime Lab. He transferred to the Alaska State Crime Lab in 1985 and began researching innovative ways to document and collect snow impressions, teaching these techniques to law enforcement officers across Alaska. After retiring from the crime lab in 2004, Jim continues to work as a traveling trainer providing local and regional instruction in impression evidence, forensic photography, and general physical evidence collection.He is an adjunct faculty member at the UAA Justice Center.

Lesley Hammer is a Forensic Examiner with experience in latent print, footwear and tire track, and crime scene disciplines. She holds professional certifications in Forensic Footwear Examination (IAI, CIS), Criminalistics (ABC) and Crime Scene Analysis (IAI) and an MSc in Forensics from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland.

Drs. Rosay and Rivera picked as co-conveners for Healthy Alaskans 2020 workgroup

Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center Director, and Dr. Marny Rivera, Justice faculty, have been selected as co-conveners for the Healthy Alaskans 2020 Strategy Workgroup responsible for identifying key strategies and actions steps related to reducing the:

• rate of child maltreatment, 
• rate of rape, and 
• percentage of adolescents who were ever physically hurt on purpose by their boyfriend or girlfriend.

Drs. Rosay and Rivera will be working with content experts over the next several months and will facilitate the discussion and activities of this workgroup.  Results from all the Healthy Alaskans 2020 Workgroups will be submitted by April 2014.

Other UAA participants in the Healthy Alaskans 2020 project include College of Health Dean Bill Hogan, a past member of the Healthy Alaskans 2020 Advisory Team, and Dr. David Driscoll, Director of the Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies, the 2014 UAA representative on the team. The advisory team has been key in establishing the vision, mission, and values of the project; prioritizing health goals; and in 2014 will be finalizing actions for success to reach those goals.

Healthy Alaskans 2020 is a joint effort of the state of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC). Together they have identified 25 Leading Health Indicators — a list of critical health priorities for Alaska.

The 25 leading health indicators include reducing the rates of cancer, suicide, and interpersonal violence and sexual assault. The indicators provide a science-based framework for identifying public health priorities and are designed to guide efforts in Alaska over the next decade to improve health and ensure health equity for all Alaskans.

Selecting the indicators is a collaborative effort among a wide spectrum of partners statewide and was both data‑ and community-driven and involves teams of expert reviewing Alaska-specific quantitative data related to a broad range of health factors. To establish the 25 indicators, the teams look at information gathered from subject matter experts, and input from two public statewide surveys conducted in the fall of 2012 and the spring of 2013.

Prof. Periman and Dr. Everett ramp up Making Learning Visible for spring 2014 semester

L to r: Paul Wasko, Academic Innovations & eLearning; Prof. Periman; Prof. Terry Nelson, College of Business &
Public Policy; Dr. Everett; and Prof. Deborah Mole, Consortium Library, discuss strategies to use in the classroom.

Prof. Periman, J.D., and Dr. Ron Everett, Justice faculty, met recently with the Spring 2014 UAA faculty participants in the Making Learning Visible project.  This project of the Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence (CAFE) is UAA’s venture into the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL).

The January 17 program focused on "Jumping into Scholarly Teaching." Participants are part of a book group where faculty from diverse fields gather and engage in a discussion around a common book of case studies on the scholarship of teaching.

Another aspect of the project involves a portfolio group where faculty engage in a scholarship of teaching project in their own classrooms.

The outcome of these efforts is increased evidence of teaching effectiveness, and  faculty members who have evidence beyond the student course evaluation form (IDEA form) of what is working (or not) in their classroom.

Prof. Knudsen and Prof. Kessler receive College of Health interdisciplinary education grant

Prof. Kristin Knudsen, J.D., Justice faculty and Prof. Bree Kessler, Department of Health Sciences, have been awarded a College of Health Interdisciplinary Education Grant.

Together they will be developing a half-day mock trial event related to a health care topic. The mock trial will take place in Fall 2014 and provide an interactive learning environment for the discussion of health and law.

Fall 2014 students in Prof. Knudsen's LEGL 385 Health Care Law and Prof. Kessler's HS 220 Core Concept in Health Sciences classes will participate in the mock trial as one of the lawyers, judges, or jurors in the case. They will be given relevant court case information and course materials to assist them in preparing.

Prof. Knudsen and Prof. Kessler note that the goal of this collaboration is to allow students to better understand each others' areas of study and to interact in a classroom prior to interacting in their real world field.  Students training in a science-based curriculum are accustomed to evidence-based protocols, while students in legal training are taught to navigate uncertainty and risk. 

Prof. Brandeis speaks to paralegals about Alaska's marijuana laws

Prof. Brandeis discusses Alaska's marijuana laws.

Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., Justice faculty, addressed the monthly lunch meeting of the Alaska Association of Paralegals (AAP) on Thursday, January 9.  He discussed the current state of Alaska's marijuana laws and the conflict between state and federal laws.

About 20 paralegals attended the event, including a number of former Justice Center graduates who are currently working as paralegals for firms and agencies in Anchorage.

Prof. Brandeis teaches courses on constitutional issues and civil liberties, and is the author of an article published in the December 2012 Alaska Law Review,  "The Continuing Vitality of Ravin v. State: Alaskans Still Have the Right To Possess Marijuana in the Privacy of Their Homes." Prof. Brandeis also maintains a private law practice through which, subsequent to the date of this program, he provided legal representation in administrative agency proceedings for the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska.

Prof. Fortson elected vice-president/president-elect of Anchorage Bar Association

Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Justice faculty, was recently elected Vice-President/President-Elect of the Anchorage Bar Association Board of Directors. 

The Anchorage Bar Association is a voluntary association of Anchorage-area lawyers and other law office professionals serving the legal profession by fostering public respect for and trust in the members of the legal profession, encouraging collegiality and lifelong learning among its members, and promoting equal access to justice for all persons.  The Anchorage Bar provides direct member benefits and law-related public service.  

Alaska Victimization Survey results highlighted in LeeShore Center Newsletter

The LeeShore Center Winter 2013 Newsletter highlights the Alaska Victimization Survey 2013 estimates for intimate partner violence and sexual violence experienced by adult women who reside in the Kenai Peninsula Borough.

The survey found that:

• 52% of adult women in the Kenai Peninsula Borough have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence or both, in their lifetime;
• 6% have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence or both, in the past year;
• More than 3 out of every 10 adult women in the Kenai Peninsula Borough have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime; and 
• More than 4 out of every 10 have experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime.

Located in Kenai, the LeeShore Center provides services to women and children who are victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.  The center has a 32-bed emergency shelter, a transitional living center, and also provides crisis intervention, group support, and children's services.

Dr. Rosay discusses intimate partner violence with Master of Public Health students

Dr. Rosay presents information on the Alaska Victimization Survey.

Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center director, spoke on the justice perspective on intimate partner violence (IPV)  at the UAA Master of Public Health Student Symposium on December 9, 2013
at the Anchorage Hilton Hotel.

Click here for his PowerPoint presentation.

The Master of  Public Health degree is a distance-delivered program.  The student symposium is  mandatory event for degree candidates to meet face-to-face with faculty, advisors, and alumni.

Over 80 candidates from around the state, the lower 48, as well as Japan, Saipan, and Denmark attended the symposium

The program was coordinated by Dr. Nancy Nix, UAA Department of Health Sciences.

Dr. Payne publishes article in Policing journal

Dr. Troy Payne, Justice faculty, recently co-authored an article, "Problem framing in problem solving: a case study," which was published in Policing: An International Journal.

His co-authors are Kathleen Gallagher, John E. Eck, and James Frank of the University of Cincinnati.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how initial frameworks for understanding police problems influence how police analyze and address those problems in the context of problem-oriented policing. The paper shows why researchers, and police, should pay more attention to problem theories.

Prof. Brandeis speaks to paralegal association about current Alaska marijuana laws

Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., Justice faculty, will address the monthly lunch meeting of the Alaska Association of Paralegals (AAP) on Thursday, January 9.  He will discuss the current state of Alaska's marijuana laws and the conflict between state and federal laws.

Prof. Brandeis teaches courses on American government, constitutional law and civil liberties, and is a frequent speaker on constitutional law and other legal issues. Prof. Brandeis also maintains a private law practice through which, subsequent to the date of this program, he provided legal representation in administrative agency proceedings for the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska.