Justice Center to Publish News Solely on Website

Dear Justice Center blog readers,

After several years of our blog, the Justice Center will now be posting fresh news content exclusively on our website, uaa.alaska.edu/justice. We appreciate the opportunity we've had to share our updates with our blog readers, and we thank everyone who counts themselves a reader and supporter of our work.

You will still be able to explore older stories and news on our blog. But to keep up with our latest--from faculty research to notable students and alumni--head over to our website! You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Sincerely,

Henry Randolph
Editor
University of Alaska Justice Center

Dr. Troy Payne Examines Place Management in Neighborhood Context

In apartment complexes, managers can attempt to reduce crime rates by changing how they train staff, screen tenants, and carry out other management practices. But how do broader neighborhood conditions influence the effectiveness of those practices?

In a new article in Security Journal, Dr. Troy Payne and co-authors address this question by analyzing manager survey data from 238 apartments across 29 neighborhoods in Cincinnati. 

“The study demonstrates that crime is impacted by many factors including both place-level and neighborhood-level effects that interact in complex ways,” said Dr. Payne. “Our findings suggest that crime mitigation measures by property owners in advantaged neighborhoods reduce crime. However, preventative building management practices in disadvantaged neighborhoods have lesser benefit.” 

You can access the full article here.

Alumna April Stone: Up For Every Challenge

We sat down to talk with alumna April Stone about what it’s like to be a nontraditional student pursuing a law career. In 2017 April graduated from the Justice Center’s accelerated justice major, which allowed her to enter law school—something she always knew she wanted to do—after her third year as an undergrad. In addition to being a parent, April worked as a paralegal before and during her time at UAA. She is currently finishing her JD at the University of Oregon School of Law.

How would you describe your experience as a nontraditional student at the Justice Center?

It was nothing like I thought it would be. I was expecting to be the old person in college when I started at 27 years old. I realized very quickly that many students at UAA were both older than me and younger than me, and I was relieved that there was so much age diversity.

I also didn’t want my undergraduate program to be so time consuming that it took away from my ability to be a parent. Balancing full-time work, school and parenting required a lot of organization—I needed to block time out to do homework, and also to be a parent. But I found that with careful planning it was totally manageable.

I also found that online classes worked really well for me, because I wanted to be at home more and minimize the amount of time I had to take off work. I was surprised at how many classes I could take without going to campus.

What do you like about law as a career?

I like the challenge! There’s so much strategy involved, and that makes it intellectually stimulating. I also like the ability to help someone in a way that they can’t help themselves. People depend on lawyers for all kinds of things—sometimes in critical situations, sometimes to plan for the future, or sometimes just to handle a problem that’s been nagging at them. But each of those things involves a lawyer offering something that people couldn’t do on their own. I like the responsibility that comes with that. No matter what type of work I’m doing, it really benefits someone.

What advice would you give students who want to go to law school?

Becoming a lawyer is a lot of work. You can expect your class workload to double or triple in the first year of law school, so make sure you’re fully invested and put in everything you’ve got. But I’d also say: Don’t underestimate yourself. Don’t assume that you’re not capable of the work, and don’t self-select out of opportunities by saying “I’m not good enough so I’m not even going to try.” Because that’s how you miss out on the best opportunities.

Any words of wisdom for nontraditional students?

I would definitely recommend that every student—nontraditional or not—take advantage of UAA’s tuition waiver opportunities. Those helped me through a lot of semesters, and some years they covered up to half of my tuition.

For working students: Ask questions. As a working parent, I approached my boss and said, “I want to go to college if you’re supportive of it.” I was able to work a crazy schedule so that I could leave for a few hours in the middle of the day to go to class. Reach out to everyone—your family and friends, your childcare provider, your boss, your school. There’s more support and resources for non-traditional students than I ever expected.

Also, talk to your professors! I got some great advice from the faculty in the Justice Center by just knocking on doors and saying, “Here’s what I want to do—help me get there.” Students don’t always take advantage of the wealth of knowledge in the Justice Center, and the resources there that help you reach your goals beyond college. I’m grateful to the faculty who helped me put this career plan together.

You can learn more about degrees and certificates offered at the Justice Center here. 

Dr. Johnson seeks study participants for study to improve sexual assault reporting system: Media reports

KTVA Channel 11 News in Anchorage and the Anchorage Press reported this week on the Alaska SAKI research study being conducted by Dr. Ingrid Johnson of the UAA Justice Center. The study, funded by a Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice, will interview victims who experienced sexual assaults in Alaska between 2006 and 2016 that were reported to the Alaska State Troopers, seeking to learn how the sexual assault reporting process is experienced by sexual assault victims, as well as the participant’s perspectives on how the process of investigation and prosecution of sexual assaults could be improved for victims.

"What we know is that there's improvements that can be made to the reporting process more generally," Dr. Johnson told KTVA, "so to not only encourage people to report in the first place, but also to make sure those who do report have a positive experience."

Dr. Johnson will personally interview participants from throughout the state who are willing to talk about their experiences. Study participants will remain anonymous and will be paid for their time. Study participants must have been at least 18 years old at the time of the assault. Both women and men are encouraged to participate.

The interview process includes questions about the sexual assault reporting experience, as well as the participant’s perspectives on justice and how improvements could be made to the reporting system.

For further information, contact Dr. Ingrid Johnson at idjohnson@alaska.edu or 907-786-1126, or see the Alaska SAKI study Facebook page.

Media reports

• "UAA Seeks Sexual Assault Victims for New Study."  KTVA Channel 11 News, 17 Apr 2019.
• "Sexual Assault Victim-Survivors Have Opportunity to Shape Better Response System through UAA Justice Center Project." Anchorage Press, 17 Apr 2019.

AJiC releases Fact Sheet on property crime, with particular focus on motor vehicle theft

The most recent issue issue of the AJiC Fact Sheet, "Property Crime in Alaska 1985–2017," describes Alaska property crime trends from 1985 through 2017, with a focus on motor vehicle theft rate trends. Overall property crime in Alaska increased by 28.6% from 2011 to 2017. Burglary and larceny theft increased moderately, but motor vehicle theft rates tripled from the lowest recorded rate 2011 to the highest recorded rate in 2017. Data is drawn from the annual Crime in Alaska report of the Alaska Department of Public Safety, which represents the State of Alaska's contribution to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) program.

The fact sheet is by Yevgenii Kisarauskas, Research Professional, Alaska Justice Information Center (AJiC). The AJiC Fact Sheet series addresses various crime and criminal justice topics.

Citation:

• Kisarauskas, Yevgenii. (2019). "Property Crime in Alaska, 1985–2017."  AJiC Fact Sheet 19-01 (Mar 2019).