Justice and Legal Studies faculty welcome the Class of 2016 at Campus Kickoff!

L to r: Prof. Deb Periman, Prof. Marny Rivera, Prof. Ryan Fortson,
and Prof. Kristin Knudsen.

The  2016 Campus Kickoff on Saturday, August 27 was a great success - loads of sunshine and tons of booths, food, and activities!  Justice Center faculty were on hand to talk to current and prospective Justice and Legal Studies students and their parents about  courses and career options.

Justice and Legal Studies faculty included Dr. Marny Rivera, Justice Undergraduate Program Coordinator; Prof. Kristin Knudsen, J.D., M.J.S., Legal Studies Program Undergraduate Program Coordinator; Prof. Deb Periman, J.D.; and Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Ph.D.

L to r: Prof. Deb Periman, Prof. Kristin Knudsen, and
UAA Chancellor Tom Case at the Justice Center exhibit table.

Alaska Victimization Survey results for Municipality of Anchorage to be released Friday, August 26, at UAA

WHAT:
Victimization Survey Results for Anchorage
This press conference will introduce the results of the 2015 victimization survey conducted in the Municipality of Anchorage by the UAA Justice Center through a contract with the Alaska Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA).

The survey was designed to measure lifetime and past-year experiences of sexual violence and intimate partner violence.  A brief overview of the survey will be followed by a presentation of the data and a discussion of the results.  The 2015 results will also be compared to results from the 2010-11 victimization surveys.

In addition, results from the 2015 survey of sexual violence against UAA students will also be presented.  Conducted in the spring of 2016, this survey measured the prevalence of sexual misconduct and sexual assault against UAA students, both on and off campus.

WHEN and WHERE:
Lucy Cuddy Hall, University of Alaska Anchorage
Friday August 26, 2016
1:30 pm to 2:30 pm

WHO:
Chancellor Tom Case, UAA - Introductory comments
Ms. Lauree Morton, Executive Director, Alaska Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
Dr. André B. Rosay, Director, UAA Justice Center
Dr. Lindsey Blumenstein, Assistant Professor, UAA Justice Center
Dr. Mara Kimmel, First Lady of Anchorage
Ms. Suzi Pearson, Executive Director, Abused Women’s Aid in Crisis
Ms. Keeley Olson, Executive Director, Standing Together Against Rape

MORE INFORMATION:
For more background on this project, visit http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/justice/avs
For more information about CDVSA, visit http://www.dps.state.ak.us/CDVSA/
To learn more about Abused Women’s Aid in Crisis, visit http://www.awaic.org 
To learn more about Standing Together Against Rape, visit http://www.staralaska.com/

 

Alaska Justice Information Center presents report to Alaska Criminal Justice Commission and Criminal Justice Working Group

Dr. Brad Myrstol speaks to the Alaska Criminal Justice Commission.

The Alaska Justice Information Center (AJiC) recently presented its first progress report and initial findings describing work on the Alaska Results First Initiative to the Alaska Criminal Justice Commission (ACJC) and the Criminal Justice Working Group (CJWG).  This work is in partnership with the Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative, a joint effort of The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Results First focuses on helping states identify evidence-based programs that reduce recidivism.

Dr. Brad Myrstol (center) and Dr. Araceli Valle (on right) discuss Results First
at the Criminal Justice Working Group meeting.

Dr. Brad Myrstol, AJiC Director, made the presentation in June to the Alaska Criminal Justice Commission and described the steps taken to identify adult criminal justice programs in Alaska that receive state funding, to match them to evidence-based programs in a national database, and to determine the benefit-cost of the programs. Five baseline cohorts of offenders have been identified and will be used in the benefit-cost model for the recidivism follow-up period of 7 years.

In August, Dr. Myrstol and Dr. Araceli Valle, AJiC Research Professional, discussed the Results First report with the Criminal Justice Working Group.  The CJWG will be working with the Alaska Criminal Justice Commission to evaluate data collected and analyzed by AJiC for the Results First project.

Legal Studies grad is a scholar and an athlete

Jessica Pahkala races at the NCAA Track and Field: GNAC Track
and Field Championships, Western Oregon University,
Monmouth,Oregon, May 2016. (Photo: Christopher Oertell)

Jessica Pahkala, BA, Legal Studies, '16, a cum laude graduate and a competitive runner, is featured in the Green & Gold News and on the UAA homepage.

The article notes that by her junior year Jessica still had not declared a major. But then she took an Intro to Law course with Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., Legal Studies faculty in the Justice Center.  Listening to Professor Brandeis discuss the intricacies of the law fired her interest, and Jessica now is looking forward to a career in the legal community.

Read the full story, "Scholar-athlete: Jessica Pahkala attributes success to friends, family and coaches," by Kathleen McCoy, UAA Advancement, 04 Aug 2016.

Alaska Victimization Survey results to be released Friday, August 26 at UAA

WHAT:
Victimization Survey Results for Anchorage
This press conference will introduce the results of the 2015 victimization survey conducted in the Municipality of Anchorage by the UAA Justice Center through a contract with the Alaska Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA).

The survey was designed to measure lifetime and past-year experiences of sexual violence and intimate partner violence.  A brief overview of the survey will be followed by a presentation of the data and a discussion of the results.  The 2015 results will also be compared to results from the 2010-11 victimization surveys.

In addition, results from the 2015 survey of sexual violence against UAA students will also be presented.  Conducted in the spring of 2016, this survey measured the prevalence of sexual misconduct and sexual assault against UAA students, both on and off campus.


WHEN and WHERE:
Lucy Cuddy Hall, University of Alaska Anchorage
Friday August 26, 2016
1:30 pm to 2:30 pm


WHO:
Chancellor Tom Case, UAA - Introductory comments
Ms. Lauree Morton, Executive Director, Alaska Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
Dr. André B. Rosay, Director, UAA Justice Center
Dr. Lindsey Blumenstein, Assistant Professor, UAA Justice Center
Dr. Mara Kimmel, First Lady of Anchorage
Ms. Suzi Pearson, Executive Director, Abused Women’s Aid in Crisis
Ms. Keeley Olson, Executive Director, Standing Together Against Rape

MORE INFORMATION:
For more background on this project, visit http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/justice/avs
For more information about CDVSA, visit http://www.dps.state.ak.us/CDVSA/
To learn more about Abused Women’s Aid in Crisis, visit http://www.awaic.org 
To learn more about Standing Together Against Rape, visit http://www.staralaska.com/

Professors Rivera and Knudsen to present at College of Health Howl Days Frosh Orientation on August 23

Dr. Marny Rivera, Justice Undergraduate Program Coordinator, and Prof. Kristin Knudsen, J.D., Legal Studies Undergraduate Program Coordinator, will present at the Fall 2016 Howl Days College of Health (COH) freshman orientation on Tuesday, August 23.

They will be describing the academic programs offered by the Justice Center, Justice student organizations, and career opportunities.

Justice Center Legal Studies faculty attend "Conversation with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor"

L ro r: Justice Sotomayor and
Judge Christen begin the conversation.

The Legal Studies faculty of the Justice Center attended the August 17 event, "A Conversation with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor," sponsored by the Alaska Bar Association at the Dena'ina Center in Anchorage.

Justice Sotomayor was appointed in 2009 by President Obama. She is the first Hispanic to sit on the court, and the third female justice.

Over 1,200 people attended the program which was moderated by 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Morgan Christen.  Justice Sotomayor delighted the crowd by coming down into the audience and shaking hands and giving hugs while she answered questions that been submitted in advance.

L to r: Legal Studies Faculty - Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D.;
Prof. Kristin Knudsen, J.D.; Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D.;
Prof. Deb Periman, J.D., at the event.

Justice Center welcomes new staff

Elaine Main

Elaine Main has joined the staff of the Justice Center as Academic Program Specialist. Most recently, Elaine worked for the UA Statewide Office of the Vice President for Finance and Administration in Fairbanks as Executive Assistant to the Chief Financial Officer.

Dr. Blumenstein presents on Intimate Partner Violence and Resilience at Alaska Maternal Child Health & Immunization Conference in September

Dr. Lindsey Blumenstein, Justice faculty, will be presenting at the 2016 Alaska Maternal Child Health & Immunization Conference in Anchorage in September.  She will be discussing "Intimate Partner Violence and Resilience" on September 27 at 10:30 a.m.

Click here for the conference agenda.

The conference is sponsored by the Alaska Native Epidemiology Center and the State of Alaska.

AJSAC Fact Sheets included in recent SAC Publication Digest

The Justice Research and Statistics Association (JRSA) has released the online Jan - June 2016 SAC Publication Digest.  The digest contains abstracts of reports from the nationwide statistical analysis center (SACs).

The volume includes three abstracts for Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center (AJSAC) Fact Sheets:

"Alaska Trauma Registry: Trauma Admissions Involving Alcohol or Illegal Drugs, 2014"
Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center Fact Sheet 16-01
Author: Khristy Parker, MPA, Research Professional

"Juvenile Justice Referrals and Charges in Alaska, FY 2006–2015"
Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center Fact Sheet 16-02
Author: Khristy Parker, MPA, Research Professional

"Alaska Trauma Registry: Trauma Admissions Involving Firearms, 2009–2014"
Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center Fact Sheet 16-03
Author: Khristy Parker, MPA, Research Professional

The Justice Research and Statistics Association (JRSA) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to the use of nonpartisan research and analysis to inform criminal and juvenile justice decision making. JRSA comprises a network of researchers and practitioners throughout government, academia, and the justice community.

National Institute of Justice research report by Dr. Rosay cited in White House blog by White House Advisor on Violence Against Women

Research from a recent National Institute of Justice (NIJ) report by Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center Director, was cited in the White House blog in a July 25, 2016 post by  Carrie Bettinger-Lopez, White House Advisor on Violence Against Women.  The report  by Dr. Rosay is titled, Violence against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and Men: 2010 Findings from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey.

The blog post, "Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls: Commitments from the North American Leaders Summit," describes how President Obama; Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau; and the President of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto joined forces to announce a tri-lateral commitment to address the scourge of violence against indigenous women and girls that exists across North America.

Ms. Bettinger-Lopez noted in her post, "This May, the magnitude of this violence in our own country was driven home by a new report from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) with simply staggering statistics. The researchers found that more than 84% of Alaska Native and American Indian women had experienced some form of violence in their lifetimes...."