Save the date! December 8 at UAA - Criminal justice reform: A discussion of Senate Bill 91

 Criminal Justice Reform:
A discussion of Senate Bill 91

 

Reducing the prison population
while enhancing public safety

Day: Thursday, December 8, 2016
Time: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Place: Wendy Williamson Auditorium, UAA Campus
Parking: Free parking in lots next to auditorium

This event is free and open to the public, UAA students, faculty, and staff.

Panelists:
Jeff Jessee, Alaska Criminal Justice Commission member, Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority - Moderator
Lt. Kris Sell, Alaska Criminal Justice Commission member
Barbara Dunham, Alaska Criminal Justice Commission
Geri Fox, Alaska Division of Pretrial Services
Dr. Araceli Valle, Alaska Justice Information Center
Dr. Troy Payne, Justice Center faculty

This event is co-sponsored by the UAA Justice Center and the Justice Club.

Justice Center welcomes new staff

Jo Walker

Jo Walker has joined the staff of the Justice Center as Academic Program Specialist. Most recently, Ms. Walker worked for an Anchorage law firm. Prior to that position, she was on the staff at UAA with the College of Education and with Facilities Maintenance.  Following that, she was the executive assistant to the general manager of the Alaska Airlines Center during the Center's opening and first 1.5 years of operation.

Justice Center closed November 24 and 25 for Thanksgiving break

UAA and the Justice Center will be closed Thursday and Friday, November 24 and 25, for the Thanksgiving break.

We wish you and your families a very happy and safe holiday!

Dr. Chamard presents at CCEL Urban & Rural in Alaska Community Engagement Conference at UAA

Dr. Chamard (at podium) discusses her project.

Dr. Sharon Chamard, Justice faculty, presented at the October 21 Urban & Rural in Alaska: Community Engagement at UAA Conference sponsored by the Center for Community Engagement and Learning (CCEL).

A group of over 25 UAA faculty were part of the "Rapid-Fire Community Engagement at UAA" lunch session.  Faculty members each had 2 minutes to present information on their community-engaged project.  Dr. Chamard discussed, "Did closing a liquor store change the neighborhood?"

The conference also featured a keynote address, and break-out sessions with faculty, community partners and students presenting together on a variety of community-engaged projects.

Kara Joseph, CCEL Office Manager (seated at left), and
Dr. Judith Owens-Manley, CCEL Director, listen to Dr. Chamard's presentation.

 

Dr. Payne publishes article in Criminology, Criminal Justice, Law & Society on examining street segments over time for crime patterns

Dr. Troy Payne, Justice faculty, has published an article in Criminology, Criminal Justice, Law & Society.  The article is titled "The Importance of Small Units of Aggregation: Trajectories of Crime at Addresses in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1998-2012."  

With his coauthor, Dr. Kathleen Gallagher (The Analysis Group), Dr. Payne examined the long-term trends of crime at addresses in Cincinnati, OH 1998-2012.  The authors found that crime is concentrated within a relative handful of addresses.  They also found that high-crime addresses coexist with low-crime addresses on the same block.  The implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Prof. Brandeis speaks on marijuana law at APU MBA Business & Health Ethics intensive November 12

Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., Legal Studies faculty in the Justice Center, spoke at APU on November 12 about the impact and implications of the legalization of marijuana for the business community in Alaska.  His presentation was at the Three-Day Intensive for Business Ethics and Health Ethics  that is part of the APU MBA program.  Maria Bahr, J.D., Bar Counsel for the Alaska Bar Association is the coordinator for the intensive.

Prof. Brandeis teaches courses on the American legal system, constitutional law, and civil liberties, and is a frequent speaker on constitutional law and other legal topics.  Prof. Brandeis also maintains a private law practice through which he advises clients on marijuana law and policy questions.  This law practice preceded this presentation, and included providing legal services to the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska. 

Alaska Justice Information Center welcomes new staff

Tristian Monterastelli

Tristian Monterastelli, MPP, recently joined the Alaska Justice Information Center (AJiC) staff as a Research Professional. Ms. Monterastelli received her Masters in Public Policy, with specializations in Economics and State & Local Policy, from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. While in graduate school, she was the Research & Development Analyst for Serving California, a nonprofit foundation, which works with ex-offenders, victims, and veterans experiencing PTSD.

She is a UAF alumna and formerly worked at the Alaska Division of Juvenile Justice Fairbanks Youth Facility as a Juvenile Justice Officer. 

The Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative in Alaska is being guided by AJiC and the AJiC steering committee made up of representatives from First Alaskans Institute, Alaska Judicial Council, Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, Alaska Division of Legislative Finance, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Alaska Department of Corrections, Alaska Department of Law, Alaska Public Defender Agency, and the Alaska Department of Public Safety. Dr. Brad Myrstol is the director of the Alaska Justice Information Center and director of the Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center.

AJiC is jointly funded by the state of Alaska and the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority and housed within the University of Alaska Anchorage Justice Center.

Drs. Blumenstein and Payne, APD officers, and AWAIC representative discuss domestic violence at roundtable

Dr. Lindsey Blumenstein and Dr. Troy Payne, Justice faculty, joined APD Officers  Lisa Whitmore and Rhonda Street, and  AWAIC Community Education Coordinator Emily Sannini, at a Domestic Violence Action Roundtable at UAA on October 20.

Panelists for the program (l to r): Dr. Lindsey Blumenstein, Justice Center;
Officer Lisa Whitemore and Officer Rhonda Street, Anchorage Police Dept.;
Emily Sannini, Community Education Coordinator, Abused Women's
Aid in Crisis (AWAIC); and Dr. Troy Payne, Justice Center.

The discussion centered on how frequently domestic violence occurs, how to help victims, and what the process of reporting to the police is like  — all with a focus on what everyone can do to prevent domestic violence.







View the short video clip of Dr. Blumenstein:
This event was co-sponsored by the UAA Justice Center and the Justice Club. Dr. Troy Payne is the faculty advisor for the Justice Club.

UAA Justice Club students address the attendees.
L to r standing: Jonathan Gonzalez, member-at-large;
Brianna Baldwin, treasurer; Bradley Foster, president.

Prof. Fortson's LEGL 487 students present a simulated trial before Alaska Superior Court Judge Sen Tan (Ret.)

Students pose for a photo with Judge Tan and Prof. Fortson prior to the opening of the simulated trial. L to r: Mya Johnson, Jennifer Ham, Madeline Rafferty, Judge Tan, Prof. Fortson, Taylor Lane, Josie Davis, and Sondra Smith.

Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Ph.D., Justice Center Legal Studies faculty, held a simulated trial in his Legal 487 - Trial and Advanced Litigation Processes course in October.

Students prepared arguments for a hypothetical case. They examined and cross-examined witnesses, and gave opening statements and closing arguments before Alaska Superior Court Judge Sen Tan (Ret.).  Judge Tan rendered a decision after the case was presented.

UAA Justice Club sponsors Outrun Hunger 5K Run/Walk on November 19

UAA Justice Club is sponsoring the Outrun Hunger 5K Run/Walk on November 19 to help support the Anchorage homeless. The race entry fee is $35, which includes a T-shirt with the Outrun Hunger design. The club will donate a portion of the entry fees to local homeless shelters.

What: Outrun Hunger 5K Walk/Run
Date: Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016
Time: 12 noon start - arrive at 11:45 a.m. for attendance count, t-shirts, and raffle entries
Where: Goose Lake Park

For information and registration application, please email blbaldwin2@alaska.edu

Dr. Troy Payne, Justice faculty, is the faculty advisor for the Justice Club.

UAA College of Health faculty and students present at Housing and Homelessness Conference in October

Drs. Troy Payne and Sharon Chamard, Justice Center faculty, presented at the "University and Community Partnerships" session at the Alaska Coalition on Housing and Homelessness (ACH2) Annual Conference in Anchorage on October 11.

Dr. Payne and Dr. Donna Aguiniga, UAA School of Social Work, discussed their research project, "Space, Place & Home: Mapping the Social Environment of Anchorage Homeless Populations." Their research, in partnership with Covenant House, focused on homeless youth. Through interviews and the use of maps, the researchers asked youth to trace the locations they traveled to throughout the day and evening, and where they slept at night.

Dr. Sharon Chamard presented on "Homeless Encampments" and discussed her research that  examines why homeless encampments exist where they do and the factors that make one location preferred over another. She often works with the Anchorage Police Department Community Action Policing (CAP) Team to address public safety concerns, including homelessness and the use of public space.

Dr. Travis Hedwig, UAA Department of Health Sciences, explained the project, "Increasing Retention, Graduation, and Educational Success Among UAA Students Experiencing Homelessness." Dr. Kathy Trawver, School of Social Work, and Isabel Hakala, a Health Sciences Dept. student, are also working on this project. They used publicly available information on Free Student Application for Federal Aid (FAFSA) forms from UAA students to gauge the number of UAA students experiencing homeless - the form specifically asks about experience of homelessness. The goal is to ascertain the needs of homeless UAA students and assist them in their college career.

UAA College of Health nursing students also presented about their service learning project from the Nursing Therapeutic II class - the Senior Nursing Capstone Project - and their partnership with Karluk Manor, a Housing First model residence in Anchorage. This cohort of nursing students began a community nursing project to provide home visits to residents of Karluk Manor. Their goal was to determine how this experience of a home visit project influenced student nurses' views about community nursing and its value. Asst. Prof. Rachel Muir, FNP-BC, was the faculty for this class.

The session was moderated  by Dr. Travis Hedwig with the UAA Department of Health Sciences.

 

Dr. Hedwig opens the program and discusses the number of students
at UAA experiencing homelessness

Dr. Aguiniga describes the Anchorage youth homelessness project she and
Dr. Payne have been working on.

Dr. Payne explains the mapping and interview process used with
the Anchorage homeless youth who volunteered to participate in the study.

Dr. Chamard discusses homeless encampments and her future research
on social networks that are often part of the camps.

 

UAA student nurses present data on their community nursing project.

UAA presenters at the Housing and Homeless Conference - l to r: UAA Health Sciences Student Isabel Hakala,
Dr. Donna Aguiniga, UAA School of Social Work; Asst. Prof. Rachel Muir, UAA School of Nursing;
School of Nursing students: Mary Mills, Mai Lor, Glory Ramirez, Katie Krueger, Jessi Pepper, Angelene Ketah, Amanda Bedrosian, and Kailyn Vaughn; Asst. Prof. Travis Hedwig, UAA Dept.of Health Sciences;
UAA Justice Center faculty Dr. Sharon Chamard and Dr. Troy Payne.

Khristy Parker interviewed by KTUU Channel 2 News about recent AJSAC Fact Sheet on homicide in Alaska

Khristy Parker, Research Professional, was interviewed by KTUU Channel 2 News about the Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center (AJSAC) newly released Fact Sheet, "Homicide in Alaska, 1986-2015."

The Fact Sheet presents data from the Alaska Department of Public Safety’s annual report Crime in Alaska. Overall, homicide rates have declined steadily during the 30-year period 1986-2015 in Alaska. The Fact Sheet also presents data on homicide weapons used, victim-offender relationships, and clearance rates for homicide crimes during this time period.

Story: "Homicides in Alaska" by Kyle Hopkins. KTUU Channel 2 News, 1 Nov 2016.

Alaska Native Law Symposium co-sponsored by Justice Center draws lawyers, Native village and corporation representatives, and state and federal agency staff

Keynote speaker, Raina Thiele, former Associate Director of Intergovernmental Affairs and
Public Engagement for the White House, addresses the symposium.

 "Adapting for the Next Generation:  The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) at 45 and the 32d Annual Alaska Native Law Conference" drew over 75 attendees on October 14 including lawyers, Native village and corporation representatives, state and federal agency staff, and UAA faculty and students. The free day-long symposium was co-sponsored by the UAA Justice Center, the Alaska Law Review (ALR), and the Alaska Native Law Section of the Alaska Bar Association, and was held at the UAA/APU Consortium Library.

Raina Thiele, former Associate Director of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement for the White House, was the keynote speaker.

Symposium topics included: "ANCSA and the Future of Tribal Jurisdiction in Alaska," "Challenges and Opportunities for Alaska Native Corporations," "Federal Legislative Update," "State Legislative Update," "Case Law Update," and "Protection of the Attorney-Client Privilege in the Joint Representation of Parent Companies and Their Subsidiaries" (legal ethics session).

Read/download the materials from the symposium  on the Justice Center website.  The video of the symposium will be uploaded to the Justice Center YouTube channel in early November. The Alaska Law Review will be publishing an issue at a later date with the articles prepared for this symposium.

Prof. Ryan Forston, J.D., Ph.D., Justice Center faculty, was the UAA coordinator; Christian Vazquez, Articles Editor, Alaska Law Review, was the ALR coordinator; and Bruce Anders, co-chair of the Alaska Bar Alaska Native Law Section, was the Section coordinator; for the symposium.

Read KYUK Bethel's story which is partially based on interviews conducted at the symposium:
 "The State, Native Corporations Stake Their Positions As The Push For Indian Country Begins" by Johanna Eurich, KYUK Bethel Public Media for Alaska's Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. 17 Oct 2016.

More photos from the conference:

Prof. Ryan Forston, J.D., Justice Center (at podium), opens the symposium.

William Robinson (at podium), Executive Articles Editor with the Alaska Law Review, co-sponsor of the symposium, discusses the goals of the event and the publication of the articles prepared for the symposium.

Bruce Anders (at podium), co-chair of the Alaska Bar Alaska Native Law Section,
co-sponsor of the symposium, welcomes the attendees.

Panelists (far right - l to r) Liz Medicine Crow, First Alaskans Institute; Elizabeth Hensley and John "Sky" Starkey,
Landye Bennett Blumstein, LLP; Natalie Landreth, Native American Rights Fund; and Prof. Ryan Fortson,
Justice Center; discuss tribal jurisdiction in Alaska.

Panelists (l to r) Bruce Anders, CIRI; Maude Blair, Alaska Federation of Natives; Aaron Schutt, Doyon Ltd.;
William Robinson and Christian Vazquez, Alaska Law Review; and Kim Reitmeier, ANCSA Regional Association;
speak about challenges and opportunities for Alaska Native corporations.

Christine Williams, Outlook Law LLC (at podium), presents during the Federal Legislative Update.

Miranda Strong (l), Alaska Department of Law, a panelist for
the Federal Legislative Update, speaks after the program
with Johanna Eurich of KYUK Bethel. 

Panelists (l to r) for the State Legislative Update session: Jana Turvey, Leisnoi, Inc.; Matt Singer, Holland & Knight; and Kevin Anselm, Alaska Division of Banking & Securities.

Brennan Cain, The Eyak Corporation  (seated center), and Matt Mead, Landye Bennett Blumstein LLP (at podium),
present the Case Law Update.

Matt Newman, Native American Rights Fund, presents during the Case Law Update.

L to r: Moderator Peter Boskofsky, Afognak Native Corporation, and Peter Jarvis, Holland & Knight, during the
legal ethics session of the symposium.

Prof. Ryan Forston, UAA Justice Center (left), and the Alaska Law Review student editors who assisted with the symposium
pause for a photo following the event - (l to r)  Austin Freeman, William Robinson, Christian Vazquez, Evan Glustrom, Michael Paparozzi, Andrew McMillan, Savannah Best, Jeremy Muhlfelder, and Michael Rosengart.

National Institute of Justice releases video based on research report by Dr. Rosay on violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women and men

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) recently released a video - "Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and Men" -  based on the NIJ report authored by Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center director.   The video was shown for the first time in Alaska on October 19 at the Alaska Native Listening Session in Fairbanks sponsored by the Office of Violence Against Women.

See the video here:
"Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and Men"
Click here to read the transcript of the video. 



Read Dr. Rosay's report here:
Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and Men: 2010 Findings from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey.

The UAA Justice Center gratefully acknowledges the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice, for allowing us to reproduce, in part or in whole, the video "Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and Men." The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this video are those of the speaker(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

Dr. Rosay publishes article on elder abuse in Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect

Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center Director, recently published an article, "Prevalence and Correlates of Elder Abuse in the United States: The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey," in the Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect.  His co-author is Dr. Carrie Mulford, National Institute of Justice.

Read the article at Taylor & Francis online:
"Prevalence and Correlates of Elder Abuse in the United States: The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey,"

This study examines the prevalence and correlates of psychological abuse and physical abuse against women and men aged 70 or older. More than 1 in 10 adults who are 70 years of age or older (14.0%) have experienced some form of abuse in the past year, with 12.1% experiencing psychological abuse and 1.7% experiencing physical abuse. One in five victims (20.8%) were abused by both intimate and non-intimate partners. Health care insecurity was the strongest correlate of past-year abuse.

UAA Justice Club general meeting on Friday, November 4

UAA Justice Club will hold a general meeting Friday, November 4 at 5:30 p.m. in SSB 119.

Drop by and join us! 

Dr. Troy Payne, Justice faculty, is the faculty advisor for the Justice Club.

Dr. Blumenstein interviewed for KTUU Channel 2 News series The Red Zone: Part 1

Dr. Lindsey Blumenstein, Justice faculty, was interviewed by KTUU Channel 2 News recently about  UAA student and the risk of sexual assault and rape.  The news report was part 1 in a 3-part series called the "Red Zone," a term describing the first 13 weeks of the fall semester on a college campus when students are at a higher risk of being sexually assaulted or raped. 

Dr. Blumenstein described the courses she teaches about this issue and her recent research. When asked about how to stay safe, she noted, ""I think the idea that it's always going to be this stranger is a bad idea to put into a person's head because it's actually more likely to be somebody you're in a relationship with or somebody you were in a relationship with."

See the full story here:
"The Red Zone, Part 1," by Ariane Aramburo. KTUU Channel 2 News. 01 Nov 2016

Part 2 of this series airs November 2, and Part 3 on November 3.

AJSAC Fact Sheet released - Homicide in Alaska, 1986-2015

The most recent issue of the AJSAC Fact Sheet, "Homicide in Alaska, 1986-2015," presents data on homicide rates in Alaska over a 30-year period.  Homicides rates were calculated for Alaska (AK), the Municipality of Anchorage (MOA) only, and Alaska - excluding the Municipality of Anchorage (AK-MOA). Data show that homicide rates have declined steadily over the 30-year period.

The Fact Sheet also presents data on the most commonly used weapons in homicides, victim-offender relationships, and clearance rates for homicides.

The fact sheet is by Khristy Parker, Research Professional, Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center (AJSAC).

Citation:

• Parker, Khristy. (2016). "Homicide in Alaska, 1986–2015." AJSAC Fact Sheet 16-06 (Nov 2016).

---

Media coverage:

• "Homicides in Alaska" by Kyle Hopkins. KTUU Channel 2 News, 1 Nov 2016.
• "34 Homicides and No Clear Solution in Anchorage" by Zachariah Hughes. Alaska Public Media, 29 Dec 2016.
• "Death Count Rising" by Craig Medred. craigmedred.news, 3 Feb 2017.