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.

Dr. Myrstol & Dr. Johnson on Hometown Alaska discuss sexual assault research

On Alaska Public Media's "Hometown Alaska — Justice Alaska," 19 Nov 2018:
(front, left to right) Judge Elaine Andrews (ret), host; Dr. Ingrid Johnson,
UAA Justice Center; Dr. Brad Myrstol, Director, UAA Justice Center; (back)
host Kathleen McCoy, Alaska Public Media.
Photo by Shelly Wozniak, UAA College of Health

Dr. Brad Myrstol, Director of the UAA Justice Center and the Alaska Justice Information Center (AJiC) and Dr. Ingrid Johnson of the UAA Justice Center joined hosts Kathleen McCoy of Alaska Public Media and Judge Elaine Andrews (ret.) on Alaska Public Media's Justice Alaska on Hometown Alaska on November 19.

The program focused on UAA Justice Center's research mission, with a particular emphasis on research being undertaken by Dr. Johnson to support the Alaska Department of Public Safety's sexual assault kit initiative (SAKI), which is focused on improving the Alaska State Troopers' and partner agencies' responses to sexual assault.

Learn more about the Alaska Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (AK-SAKI):

• "Sexual Assault Kit Initiative: Alaska Making Progress" by Pamela Cravez. Alaska Justice Forum 34(4) (Spring 2018).

Additional resources are available on the Alaska Public Media website, where the full program can also be heard:

• "UAA Justice Center Works for Data-Driven Public Policy on Sexual Assault Investigations" hosted by Kathleen McCoy and Elaine Andrews.  Alaska Public Media, 19 Nov 2018.

Dr. Myrstol & Dr. Johnson on Talk of Alaska discuss domestic violence in Alaska

Host and guests of Alaska Public Media's Talk of Alaska, 23 Oct 2019
(left to right): Dr. Angelina Trujillo, UAA School of Nursing; Lori Townsend,
Alaska Public Media; Dr. Brad Myrstol, Director of the
UAA Justice Center; and Dr. Ingrid Johnson, UAA Justice Center.

Dr. Brad Myrstol, Director of the UAA Justice Center and the Alaska Justice Information Center (AJiC) and Dr. Ingrid Johnson of the UAA Justice Center joined Dr. Angelina Trujillo of the UAA School of Nursing on Alaska Public Media's Talk of Alaska program to discuss the impacts of domestic violence and sexual assault on communities, public safety, and the healthcare system in Alaska. The program was hosted by Lori Townsend of Alaska Public Media, was part of Alaska Public Media's coverage of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

The program can be heard on the Alaska Public Media website:

• "The Emerging Science of Addressing Violence, Health Care and Law Enforcement" hosted by Lori Townsend.  Alaska Public Media, 23 Oct 2018.

Fortson provides legislative immunity background regarding Fansler allegations

Prof. Ryan Fortson

Prof. Ryan Fortson, Justice faculty, explained to KTVA reporter Liz Raines that Alaska legislators have immunity from prosecution for actions related to their legislative duties. For instance, he said, they have immunity from defamation for statements they may make during the legislative session.  But this immunity probably would not extend to actions such as those alleged against Rep. Zach Fansler,  Fortson added. Fansler has been accused of assaulting a woman in Juneau.

No Signs of Rep. Zach Fansler in the Capital, Jan. 30, 2018, KTVA CBS 11 news

Justice Center research shows need for continued work in Alaska during National Stalking Awareness Month

Andre Rosay, former Justice
Center Director, Associate Dean,
College of Health, AVS principal
investigator

Statistics from the Justice Center's Alaska Victimization Survey (AVS) were used throughout January, which is also National Stalking Awareness Month, to educate Alaskans about the need to make Alaska a safer place for women.  News outlets cited Justice Center research showing high rates of domestic violence - including that more than one in nine Alaskan women have experienced physical or psychological abuse in the last year -- and that one in four Anchorage women reported that they'd been stalked at some point in their lives. The Fairbanks Daily News Miner also highlighted a 2007 Justice Center report in partnership with Alaska State Troopers that documented high rates of sexual assault in the state.

Justice Center research in the news:

• Downtown assemblyman talks safety for Anchorage women, (includes video) Jan. 21, 2018 -- KTVA CBS 11 News
• Study: 1 in 3 Alaska women experience stalking (includes video) Jan 17, 2018 — KTVA CBS 11 News
• Least sexist state? Not yet, Alaska, not yet (opinion) Jan 13, 2018 — Anchorage Daily News
• Gathering brings #MeToo to Soldotna Jan 13, 2018 — Peninsula Clarion
• Looking Back: January 30, 2-018, Jan 30, 2018  — Fairbanks Daily News Miner. Article refers to research in Descriptive Analysis of Stalking Incidents Reported to Alaska State Troopers: 1994–2005 by André B. Rosay, Darryl S. Wood, Greg Postle, and Katherine H. TePas. Anchorage, AK: Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, Feb 2007. (JC 0601.01).

Cravez speaks at Tundra Vision and Justice Alaska about territorial lawyers

Pamela Cravez, editor of the Alaska Justice Forum, was featured speaker at the Tundra Vision Lecture Series this week. She told stories from her recent book, The Biggest Damned Hat: Tales for Alaska's Territorial Lawyers and Judges at the community history event.

Next week, Cravez will be a guest on Alaska Public Radio's Justice Alaska, a call-in radio show featuring topics on Alaska's justice system. The show will be broadcast on KSKA 91.1 FM at 2 p.m., Wednesday, December 20.

Troy Payne talks about how social media crime reports can distort world view

Dr. Troy C. Payne, Justice Center faculty,  discussed the ability of social media reports of crime to distort people's view of the world in a recent story in the Anchorage Daily News about the uptick in social media reports of crime.

Dr. Troy C. Payne, Justice faculty

Although there are few academic studies about the impact of social media crime reports, one recent study found that the amount of time that people consume social media about crime influences how they feel about their community, according to Dr. Payne.

"People who use social media are more likely to feel unsafe," Payne said. They may not see crime personally, but when they "look on their Facebook feed, or Nextdoor, they see crime all over the place."

"It can have this really strange distorting effect on how we view the world," Payne said.

While crime in some categories, such as car theft, is increasing, when combined with social media accounts, you have the perfect environment for people to perceive crime as pervasive, Payne said.

Northern Light cites Alaska Victimization Survey to highlight efforts to address intimate partner violence and sexual assault

The Northern Light used the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey (AVS) to underscore the need to address intimate partner violence and sexual assault, stating that nearly one in two Anchorage women experience intimate partner violence, sexual assault, or both in their lifetime.

Keeley Olson, executive director of Standing Together Against Rape (STAR), added that rates of child sexual abuse in Alaska are six times higher than those in the lower 48 and that once someone is harmed, they are more likely to be harmed again. It is very important to prevent the first occurrence of sexual violence, she said.

Open communication is important. “As it becomes more mainstream to speak about it, the stigma and blame will dissipate. If everyone would express belief and offer support to those impacted, rather than laying blame, or making excuses, it would make a world of difference,” Olson said in the Northern Light article.

The article listed several initiatives at UAA that are increasing awareness about intimate partner violence and sexual assault including the mandatory Title IX training and the Take Back the Night March in September. UAA has also done 21 bystander training presentations according to Betty Bang, a nurse practitioner at the Student Health and Counseling Center. The goal is to help students get involved in intervening.

Alaska Justice Information Center provides research necessary for evidence-based policy making

The Alaska Justice Information Center (AJiC) is well-positioned to provide Alaska policy makers and lawmakers with the information and research necessary to make evidence-based decisions, according to Brad Myrstol, AJiC director, in recent stories published in Alaska Business Monthly and Cordova Times.  AJiC released its first major report, the Alaska Results First Initiative, in October, and legislators have called upon Myrstol to provide information about crime rates numerous times this fall.

Nationally, and in Alaska, policy makers have historically relied upon "gut-feel" rather than data, according to Myrstol. That trend is changing and AJiC is making it possible for lawmakers to dig deeper and get the information they need to support policy decisions.  This year AJiC is building an integrated Alaska justice platform, a repository for justice data routinely collected by criminal justice agencies in Alaska. The platform will make it possible for AJiC to help answer the complex questions Alaska lawmakers face when creating justice policy for Alaskans.

"How UAA’s Justice Information Center Is Using Data to Help Policymakers" by Catalina Myers.

• Cordova Times (9 Nov 2017).
• Alaska Business Monthly (9 Nov 2017).

Myrstol discusses Justice Center research on Talk of Alaska

Dr. Brad Myrstol, interim Justice Center director and director of the Alaska Justice Information Center and Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center, spoke about SB91 and its impact on crime rates on KSKA Public Radio's Talk of Alaska on Tuesday, Oct. 3 as part of a panel including, Greg Razo,  chair of the Alaska Criminal Justice Commission, Susanne DiPietro, executive director of the Alaska Judicial Council, Jahna Lindemuth, Alaska Attorney General, and Clint Campion, Anchorage District Attorney. Myrstol told listeners to look at Justice Center research including the newly released Alaska Results First report and Alaska Victimization Survey to see data showing the effectiveness of current adult criminal justice programming at reducing recidivism and a downward trend in sexual violence and victimization, respectively.

Gov. Walker cites Justice Center research, urging Alaskans to reduce violence

Gov. Bill Walker cited statistics from the Justice Center's Alaska Victimization Survey, "that 59% of adult women in Alaska have experienced intimate partner violence or sexual violence - or both - in their lifetime," as  he urged Alaskans to do everything in their power to reduce and eliminate violence. In his One Alaska Update, Governor Walker wrote: "October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. In Alaska, this is particularly significant, because 59% of adult women in Alaska have experienced intimate partner violence or sexual violence - or both - in their lifetime. Domestic violence thrives on indifference; it is our responsibility to acknowledge the prevalence of this plague, and do everything in our power to reduce and eliminate violence in our homes and communities."

Myrstol presents information on property crime rates

Dr. Brad Myrstol, interim Justice Center director and director of the Alaska Justice Information Center told a group of Anchorage business owners that the impact of SB91, a bill providing sentencing and corrections reforms to reduce the prison population and save an estimated $380 million in 10 years, on property crime rates is difficult to assess given that it's been just over a year since its passage. He encouraged members of the group to view current levels of crimes known to police in historical context, and discussed the limitations of using crime rates to assess the effects of SB91.

Myrstol presented graphs showing the number of property crimes reported to the Anchorage Police Department between from 1985 through 2016. Pronounced increases in larceny thefts, motor vehicle thefts and burglaries reported to the police all started well before the passage of SB91, Myrstol said. He added that although numbers are going up, put in context, some are well below historical highs.

Click on the image below to see rates per 100,000 population for property crimes in Anchorage.

In the news:

•  "Anchorage Business Owners Vent Frustrations About Crime" by Michelle Theriault Boots. Alaska Dispatch News, 21 Sep 2017.
•  "Anchorage Property Crime Rates Are Rising, but They’ve Been Worse" by Michelle Theriault Boots. Alaska Dispatch News, 26 Sep 2017.

Myrstol cautions linking crime trends with SB91

Dr. Brad Myrstol, interim Justice Center director and director of the Alaska Justice Information Center and the Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center, is quoted in the Alaska Dispatch, cautioning linking passage of SB91 with Alaska crime trends. The bill, passed last year with bipartisan support, is projected to save $380 million over 10 years by, among other measures, reducing sentences for nonviolent offenders.

While certain types of violent and nonviolent crime have been rising in recent years, that trend in some categores dates back decades, Myrstol told the Dispatch. "[SB91] legislation hasn't really had time to cool yet. It's hot off the presses," he said, adding, "we should always be careful extrapolating recent events."

Myrstol's remarks came as the Dispatch reported that Alaska Gov. Bill Walker announced that he would call legislators into special session in October and ask them to increase penalties for low level offenses, reversing parts of SB91.

Myrstol said that it would probably take two to three years after SB91 passage before researchers would be able to assess its effectiveness.

"The challenge is people don't have much patience for that sort of research question," he said. "And I understand why they don't."

Sex offender low recidivism in NYT and AJSAC research

The New York Times highlighted low recidivism rates among sex offenders in a recent Op-Docs commentary, including an Alaska rate of 3.4% from a 2001 study. A more comprehensive analysis of Alaska's sex offender recidivism rates can be found in a report co-authored by Dr. Brad Myrstol, interim Justice Center director and director of the Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center (AJSAC) and Alaska Justice Information Center. The Alaska Sex Offender Recidivism and Case Processing Study confirms that Alaska sex offenders are infrequently rearrested or reconvicted for the new commission of new sex offenses.

Myrstol endorses thoughtful approach when testing sexual assault kits

Interim Justice Center Director
Dr. Brad Myrstol

Dr. Brad Myrstol, Interim Justice Center Director, urged patience regarding the use of $1.1 million that the state received for testing DNA evidence from sexual assaults from around the state. “It requires patience, and on a topic, frankly, that people may not have much patience,” Myrstol said in an interview reported in a recent Juneau Empire story.

Myrstol, a member of the statewide Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) working Group, endorsed the thoughtful and deliberative approach the group is taking both to determine factors that have led to a backlog in testing and how best to protect victims from being re-traumatized when kits are tested.

AJiC's Results First research in the news

Alaska Dispatch columnist Charles Wohlforth cited research produced by the Alaska Justice Information Center (AJiC) in a recent article about the cost-effectiveness of Alaska Department of Correction's (DOC) sex offender treatment program. Information regarding the state's monetary investment in the DOC program and its return on investment in terms of reducing recidivism comes from work that AJiC is doing as part of  Alaska's partnership with the Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative.  Results First uses innovative research tools to analyze the benefit to cost ratio of evidence-based programs in Alaska's criminal justice system intended to reduce recidivism.

Dr. Andre Rosay and L. Diane Casto discuss domestic violence and sexual assault on radio show

L. Diane Casto, Executive
Director, Council on Domestic
Violence and Sexual Assault

Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center director, and L. Diane Casto, executive director of the Alaska Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA), discussed domestic violence and sexual assault in Alaska on Line One: Your Health Connection on Alaska Public Media on Monday, June 5. Using information from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey, Dr. Rosay reported that half of all women in Alaska have experienced intimate partner violence and/or sexual violence. He pointed out that the prevalence of intimate partner violence and sexual violence decreased by more than 30% since 2010. Unfortunately, the numbers remain unacceptably high.  In addition, they are high everywhere in Alaska.  But as Diane Casto said, women in rural Alaska face the additional challenge of having few services available for support.

As the new CDVSA executive director, Casto plans to continue to work with UAA's Justice Center to develop data-informed interventions. It is important to determine which interventions are working, Casto said. She added that programs aimed at prevention are extremely important.  In the long run, it costs much less to prevent abuse than to intervene once it is occurring, she added.

Dr. Fortson comments on two bills introduced in the Alaska House of Representatives

An Alaska House bill to criminalize abortion would be unconstitutional under both the Alaska and U.S. constitutions, Dr. Ryan Forston told the Alaska Dispatch News recently. House Bill 250 , introduced by Rep. David Eastman (R-Wasilla), would revoke the right of women to obtain abortions under Alaska's constitutional right to privacy. "The intent of the bill seems to be to legislatively outlaw abortion," Dr. Fortson said. "And that is not only a violation of the Alaska Constitution — it would also be against the U.S. Constitution, at least as it's currently interpreted.... The courts won't allow the Legislature to define how a constitutional provision is being interpreted — that's the job of the courts."

House Bill 251, also introduced by Rep. Eastman, would authorize the Alaska Legislature to impeach judges for "exercising legislative power" without judicial review. The Legislature has the power under the Alaska Constitution to impeach judges, according to Dr. Fortson, but "where the limits of that power are is unclear," he said. "If this were passed and the Legislature were to try to exercise it, it's hard to say exactly how it would play out."

According to the article, neither measure is likely to pass.

Read the story:

• "Wasilla Lawmaker's Bill Would Criminalize Abortion"  by Nathaniel Herz.  Alaska Dispatch News, 16 May 2017.

Dr. Rosay appears on Frontiers episode highlighting Choose Respect Campaign

Dr. Andre Rosay, Justice Center director, appeared on a recent episode of "Frontiers" on KTVA CBS 11 with Rhonda McBride to talk about results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey for which he is principal investigator. He talked about how rates of domestic violence and sexual assault have gone down since the 2010 Survey, but that they are still very high in Alaska. The Frontiers episode highlighted how one community - Old Harbor in Kodiak -- is addressing domestic violence and sexual assault by embracing the Choose Respect Campaign begun by Gov. Sean Parnell. Children and adults in Old Harbor are integrating Choose Respect in cultural celebrations.

• "Frontiers, Episode 105: Choose Respect Marches On" (includes video 28:21) by Rhonda McBride.  KTVA CBS 11 News, Apr 30, 2017.

Need to break the silence continues beyond April

Justice Club wraps up "Breaking the Silence" event during April, Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Every Tuesday and Thursday in April, club members  provided an opportunity for people to share their words or story to raise awareness and break the silence about sexual assault.

Media coverage:

 "UAA Breaking the Silence" (video) by Joshua Maxwell.  KTBY Fox 4 / YourAlaskaLink.com, 26 Apr 2017.

Justice Club member Joseph Mizel being interviewed
by KTBY Fox 4 reporter about "Breaking the Silence."

Justice Club member Joseph McMahon pins
Break the Silence button on Dr. Allan Barnes,
Justice faculty.

Justice Club members L-R Austin Rogers, Brad Foster,
Alex Cole and Joey Sweet.