Labor Day closure on Monday, September 1

Factory workers in early 20th century.

The UAA campus and the Justice Center will be closed Monday, September 1, in observance of Labor Day.

The Justice is closing early on Friday, August 29, at 2:00 p.m., for the 3-day weekend.

The Justice Center will reopen on Tuesday, September 2 at 8:00 a.m. However, there will be no classes that day.

Have a safe and healthy Labor Day!

AJSAC researcher Khristy Parker interviewed by Alaska Dispatch about Fact Sheet on law enforcement personnel in Alaska

Khristy Parker, Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center (AJSAC) researcher, was interviewed by Jerzy Shedlock of the Alaska Dispatch News about the recent AJSAC Fact Sheet, "State and Local Law Enforcement Personnel in Alaska: 1982-2012."  The Fact Sheet reports on the number of employed personnel, police-citizen ratio, ratio of sworn officers to civilian employees, and employment of women as sworn officers.

Read the article -  "Report: Alaska police officer staffing is below national average" by Jerzy Shedlock. Online at Alaska Dispatch News, 25 Aug 2014.

Prof. Brandeis interviewed by Alaska Dispatch News about access to medical marijuana in Alaska

Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., Legal Studies faculty in the Justice Center, was interviewed recently about access to medical marijuana in Alaska.  He talked about the lack of clarity in the current state law and potential conflicts with federal law.

"Alaska Cannabis Club hopes to provide access medical marijuana" by Laurel Andrews. Alaska Dispatch News, 24 Aug 2014.

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 he provided legal representation in administrative agency proceedings for the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska.

Drs. Lepage and Fortson present at 31st Annual Tribal Court Development Conference in Fairbanks

L to r: Dr. Cory Lepage, UAA Justice Center; Lisa Jaeger,
Tanana Chiefs Conference.  At podium: Dr. Ryan Fortson,
UAA Justice Center, discusses research possibilities.

Dr. Cory R. Lepage and Dr. Ryan Fortson, Justice Center faculty, presented at the 31st Annual Alaska Tribal Court Development Conference, August 5-7, in Fairbanks.  They discussed the research possibilities for exploring the effectiveness of tribal courts, particularly in the area of minor consuming alcohol (MCA) cases. Barbara Armstrong, editor of the Alaska Justice Forum, also attended the event.

Participants included state and tribal court judges, court clerks, tribal administrators, Native village representatives, as well federal and state agency representatives.  The event was hosted by the Tanana Chiefs Conference  (TCC).

Dr. Cory R. Lepage presents
possible research
methodology.

L to r: Alaska Supreme Court Justice Dan Winfree and
Chief Justice Dana Fabe, speak with Wilson Justin,
Tribal Administrator, Cheesh'na Tribal Council.

The agenda included presentations on the role of appellate courts, alcohol and substance abuse, misdemeanors and juvenile cases, current topics in children's cases, domestic violence, restorative justice and the use of circles, building state-tribal relations, and a panel of state and tribal judges sharing their perspectives.

Participants at the conference.

The conference is funded by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Bureau of Indian Affairs through the National Tribal Judicial Center at the National Judicial College, Tanana Chiefs Conference, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks Tribal Management Program.

Program materials from the conference are available on the Tanana Chiefs Conference website, including 3 articles related to tribal courts that will be appearing in an upcoming issue of the Justice Center's quarterly research publication, the Alaska Justice Forum.

See slideshow from the conference below.

Dr. Blumenstein joins Justice Center faculty

Professor Lindsey Blumenstein, Ph.D., has joined the Justice Center faculty as an assistant professor as of the Fall 2014 semester.  Dr. Blumenstein is a graduate of the University of Central Florida and received her doctoral degree in sociology.

Her areas of expertise include intimate partner violence, sexual assault and the college population, kidnapping, and research methods. This semester Dr. Blumenstein will be teaching Justice 201 Data Analysis and Justice 490 Domestic Violence.

Dr. Myrstol presents at national forum on criminal justice

Dr. Brad Myrstol, Director of the Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center (AJSAC), was a presenter at the recent National Forum on Criminal Justice in Colorado. This year's theme was "Integrating Research, Police and Technology to Improve Public Safety."

Dr. Myrstol was on the panel, "Police Responses to Crime: Community and Institutional Factors," and discussed police decision making in domestic violence and sexual assault cases in Alaska.

The forum was sponsored by the National Criminal Justice Association (NCJA), the Justice Research and Statistics Association (JRSA), and the Integrated Justice Information Systems Institute (IJIS).

Justice Center faculty welcome the class of 2014 at Campus Kickoff!

The 2014 Campus Kickoff on Saturday, August 23 was a great success. Members of the Justice faculty, were on hand to talk to current and prospective Justice and Legal Studies students and their parents about program offerings and career options. 

Faculty included Prof. Deb Periman, J.D., Legal Studies Program Coordinator; Dr. Marny Rivera, Justice Undergraduate Program Coordinator; Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D.; Prof. Kristin Knudsen, J.D.; Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Ph.D.; Dr. Allan Barnes; and Dr. Troy Payne.

AJSAC releases "State and Local Law Enforcement Personnel in Alaska: 1982–2012"

The most recent issue of the AJSAC Fact Sheet presents data for 1982–2012 on state and local law enforcement personnel in Alaska, including size of law enforcement agencies by number of employed personnel, police-citizen ratio, ratio of sworn officers to civilian employees, and employment of women as sworn officers. Data is drawn from the annual Crime in Alaska report of the Alaska Department of Public Safety and the annual Crime in the United States report of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, both of which are part of the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program. The fact sheet is by Khristy Parker of the Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center (AJSAC).

Justice Center participates in College of Health frosh orientation pilot project

L to r: Carey Brown, COH Academic Advising Coordinator; Dr. Marny Rivera, Justice Undergraduate Program
Coordinator; and Prof. Deb Periman, J.D., Legal Studies Program Coordinator, chat before the orientation sessions begin.

Prof. Deb Periman, J.D., Legal Studies Program Coordinator, and Dr. Marny Rivera, Justice Undergraduate Program Coordinator, participated in the Fall 2014 College of Health (COH) freshman orientation pilot project on August 11. COH is the first college to experiment with a new type of orientation schedule for students.  Over 60 students attended the sessions which included presentations by COH departments, schools, and centers.

COH Dean Bill Hogan announced at the August 15 COH All-College Meeting that this innovative format for orientation will now serve as the model for other UAA colleges.

Dr. Rivera and Dr. Garcia present at international epidemiology conference on Wednesday, August 20, in Anchorage

Dr. Marny Rivera, Justice Center faculty, and Dr. Gabriel Garcia, UAA Department of Health Sciences, present their collaborative research,  "Is Race a Factor in Disparate Health Problems Associated with Violent Victimization in Alaska?" at a poster session for the 20th IEA World Congress of Epidemiology in Anchorage.

The poster session is Wednesday, August 20, from 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. in the exhibit hall of the Dena'ina Center. This year's conference theme is "Global Epidemiology in a Changing Environment: The Circumpolar Perspective."

The mission of the International Epidemiological Association  (IEA) is to facilitate communication among individuals engaged in research and the teaching of epidemiology worldwide, and to foster the use of epidemiology in all fields of health including social, community, and preventative medicine.

Justice Center academic programs prioritized for enhancement

The University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) recently completed a program prioritization process. An independent taskforce of  faculty comprehensively reviewed how effectively each academic program was fulfilling UAA’s mission.

The Bachelor of Arts in Justice was “prioritized for enhancement,” meaning that enhancing this academic program is integral to UAA’s opportunity to excel. Only 46 of the 313 academic programs at UAA were “prioritized for enhancement.” 

The taskforce also concluded that 3 Justice programs should be “considered for enhancement”  -- the general education requirement course in Justice, the Minor in Justice, and the Justice sponsored research program; and 1 should be “maintained”  -- the general education requirement course in Legal Studies.
 
The new program options in Legal Studies were not yet included in this review, and the Certificate in Paralegal Studies had been previously suspended and replaced by an Associate of Applied Science degree.

Overall, the taskforce concluded that each of the ongoing Justice Center programs supports UAA’s priorities and meets community needs.  Evaluators found that Justice Center programs were:

• actively seeking out new opportunities for research, teaching, and service,
• pursuing ways to conduct programs and research efficiently,
• performing robust assessments of how well students meet the educational outcomes of Justice   programs, 
• using these assessments to improve course offerings,
• strengthening UAA’s research productivity, 
• making important contributions to the public square, and
• providing significant research and mentoring opportunities for students.

The Justice Center is proud of its history and of its current role in UAA’s success. We look forward to enhancing our contributions toward making Alaska a safer, healthier, and more just society.

Click here for the prioritization website and links to the reports.

Dr. Chamard attends summer institute on academic freedom and shared governance

Dr. Sharon Chamard, Justice Center faculty, attended the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) Summer Institute, held in July at Hofstra University on Long Island, New York.

She participated in a number of workshops, including “At a Crossroads: Organizing, Faculty Rights, and Academic Freedom,” “The Art of the Information Request,” “Using Communication to Motivate Action,” “Using Chapter Structure for Leadership Development” and “Embracing the 21st Century Classroom: Challenges and Opportunities.”

Dr. Chamard is a member of the United Academics (UNAC) Representative Assembly, one of the three faculty unions at the University of Alaska, and also serves as the UNAC Grievance Officer for UAA.

KSKA broadcasts U.S. Senate Republican candidates debate moderated by Prof. Brandeis

Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., Justice Center Legal Studies faculty, moderated a debate among the three U.S. Senate Republican candidates on August 11. The debate was hosted by the  Anchorage Chamber of Commerce as part of its  "Make It Monday" series.

The debate will be broadcast on KSKA's "Addressing Alaskans" on Tuesday, August 12 at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., and will be archived on their website.

L to r: Prof. Jason Brandeis, Dan Sullivan,
Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell, and Joe Miller at the debate.

Over 150 people attended the event at the Egan Center to hear Dan Sullivan, Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell, and Joe Miller present their viewpoints at one of the last debates before the primary election August 19. Topics included social security, the national debt, federal spending, immigration reform, natural resources, and economic development.

Prof. Brandeis teaches courses on American government, constitutional law and civil liberties, and is a frequent speaker on constitutional law and other legal issues. 

Justice Center alum spotlight: Sayard Schultz

Corrections Deputy Sayard Schultz.

Sayard Schultz, BA Justice ’05, has been a Corrections Deputy with the Oregon Sheriff’s Office at the Benton County Jail for 6 years.  Sayard has also volunteered with the Sheriff’s Patrol Division as a Reserve Patrol Deputy.

She was recently accepted at Oregon State University and will be pursuing a Master’s of Public Policy degree with a concentration on environmental issues.

Please send news for our" Justice Center alum spotlight" to alumni.justice@uaa.alaska.edu

Prof. Brandeis moderates U. S. Senate Republican candidates debate for Chamber of Commerce

Prof. Brandeis (l) introduces the candidates (l to r) Dan Sullivan, Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell, and Joe Miller.

Before the debate begins, Prof. Brandeis (l) discusses the rules
with the candidates (l to r) Joe Miller,
Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell, and Dan Sullivan.

Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., Justice Center Legal Studies faculty, moderated a debate among the three U.S. Senate Republican candidates on August 11. The debate was hosted by the  Anchorage Chamber of Commerce as part of its  "Make It Monday" series.

Over 150 people attended the event at the Egan Center to hear Dan Sullivan, Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell, and Joe Miller present their viewpoints at one of the last debates before the primary election August 19. Topics included social security, the national debt, federal spending, immigration reform, natural resources, and economic development.

The debate will be broadcast on KSKA's "Addressing Alaskans" on Tuesday, August 12 at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., and will be archived on their website.

Prof. Brandeis teaches courses on American government, constitutional law and civil liberties, and is a frequent speaker on constitutional law and other legal issues. 

L to r: Prof. Brandeis and Andrew Halcro,
President/CEO of the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Chamard interviewed for New York Times blog The Upshot about surveys in Alaska

Dr. Sharon Chamard, Justice Center faculty and Director of the Survey Research Center, was interviewed by Josh Katz of The New York Times for the NYT blog, "The Upshot", about difficulties in conducting polls in Alaska.

The blog post mentions low response rates (which are a problem everywhere), and Alaska's small population which compounds the problems of low response rates.  Dr. Chamard commented that in addition to these issues, residential transiency - people moving in and out of state - makes it a challenge to compile a sample of sufficient size to yield reliable data.

"Yes, Alaska Is Hard To Poll. So Is Everywhere Else." The Upshot blog, by Josh Katz, The New York Times, 7 Aug 2014.

Town Square Park research project by Dr. Payne featured in Alaska Dispatch News

Town Square Park during "It's Hip To Be Square" week.

The Town Square Park research project by Dr. Troy Payne, Justice Center faculty,  in collaboration with the Anchorage Police Department was featured on the front page of the Alaska Dispatch News on August 8.

The online version of the article can be viewed below:

"University uses social experiment to study Town Square Park behaviors" by Devin Kelly. Alaska Dispatch News, 7 Aug 2014.

Dr. Payne and student researcher Daniel Reinhard have been observing activity in the Town Square Park as part of a crime study for the Anchorage Police Department (APD).  APD Chief Mark Mew had made safety in the part one of his priorities.  Local businesses had noted disorder in the park and were concerned about safety. Dr. Payne will be completing a report later this year for APD analyzing the results of the crime survey. Violent crime is not rampant in the park, but there are issues of chronic inebriates and disorderly conduct.

The article notes: “Nobody really likes to hear this, but there’s no magic bullet when it comes to crime and disorder problems,” Payne said. “What it’s probably going to take is a little bit of design change in the park, a little bit of change in how the park is used, plus the citizens of Anchorage wanting to take the park back and really engaging in the park.”

L to r: Dr. Troy Payne, APD Chief Mark Mew, and
student researcher Daniel Reinhard observe activity in the park
from windows in the upper level of Performing Arts Center.

Dr. Payne interviewed by KTUU Ch 2 News about Town Square Park crime survey

Dr. Troy Payne, Justice Center faculty, was interviewed by KTUU Channel 2 News about the ongoing Town Square Park crime survey being conducted in partnership with the Anchorage Police Department (APD).  A Justice student researcher, Daniel Reinhard, and Dr. Payne, have been observing activity in the park over the past several weeks. APD Chief Mark Mew will be looking at the results of the study to determine the most effective way to combat crime in the park.

The Anchorage Downtown Partnership scheduled daily activities for the public in the park July 21 - 25. Dr. Payne will be evaluating the change in park use before and after those events based on  the observations of activities over the study period.  A report will be published later this year.

See the story: "Social Experiment in Downtown Park May Change Crime Patterns" by Mallory Peebles. KTUU Channel 2 News, 30 July 2014.