Justice Center collaborates with other UAA units on behavioral health needs assessment funded by Alaska DHSS

Dr. Marny Rivera, Justice faculty, is collaborating with faculty in other UAA units in conducting a community behavioral health needs assessment. 

The UAA research team will analyze data from the assessment to help determine behavioral health priorities concerning mental health, substance use, and suicide for youth and young adults in Anchorage.

The UAA Center for Human Development heads the research team which includes the Justice Center, Behavioral Health Research Services, and the Department of Health Sciences. The project is funded by the State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Behavioral Health through the Anchorage Collaborative Coalitions (ACC) which contracted with the UAA research team.

The first phase of the project involves examining existing secondary data; the second phase will involve collection of primary data that fills identified data gaps. The team is nearing completion of the first phase of the project. A presentation is scheduled to be held at UAA on May 11 to present to the community results from the analysis of secondary data.

Dr. Rivera interviewed by KSKA about making underage drinking a ticketed offense, rather than a misdemeanor

Dr. Marny Rivera, Justice faculty, was interviewed recently by KSKA Public Radio - Alaska Public Media about Minor Consuming Alcohol charges and ways to help at-risk kids.

The article notes that Dr. Rivera believes "if underage drinking is a simpler offense [a misdemeanor] it will become easier for officers to write those tickets. And the kids getting ticketed all the time will bring them to the attention of the justice system, and potentially be screened for treatment that could have significant impact."  This article is part of a series, "The Blind Spot: Troubled Teens and the Safety Net."

Read and listen to the story:
"The Blind Spot: No-Man's Land" by Zachariah Hughes and Anne Hillman. KSKA Public Radio 24 Apr 2015.

Dr. Lepage of UAA and Prof. May of UAF to conduct evaluation of pre-trial diversion program in Anchorage

Dr. Cory R. Lepage, UAA Justice Center faculty, and Prof. Jeff D. May, J.D., UAF Justice Department, will be conducting an evaluation of  a pre-trial diversion program in the Anchorage Municipal Prosecutor's Office.  Phase 1 of the evaluation will focus on justice system cost savings as a result of this program.

The general goal of pre-trial diversion (PTD) programs is to "divert" offenders from adjudication and possible incarceration to a program with specific conditions for compliance.  The Municipal Prosecutor's Office established a pre-trial diversion alternative in 2001 which is typically offered for non-violent offenses to individuals with no or minimal criminal history.  Early in the processing of a case - often at arraignment - if program criteria are met, the offender is offered diversion as an alternative to traditional court case processing.

Participation in the program by the offender is voluntary, and the offender agrees to comply with PTD conditions which can include the payment of fines, community work service (CWS), and other applicable requirements.  If the offender successfully completes the PTD conditions, the case is dismissed.  If the pre-trial diversion conditions are not completed, the offender is subject to traditional court case processing.

Grant awarded to Dr. Lepage and Dr. Blumenstein to conduct survey about attitudes in Alaska toward sexual assault and domestic violence

Dr. Cory R. Lepage and Dr. Lindsey Blumenstein, Justice faculty, were recently awarded a grant by the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA) to conduct a statewide survey to obtain valid and reliable estimates of knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about sexual assault and domestic violence.

This Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs (KAB) Survey will be sent to adult men and women in Alaska. Surveys are in the process of being mailed out, and respondents will also have the option of filling out the survey online. A final report on the data collected from the survey will be submitted to CDVSA later this spring. 

Dr. Payne interviewed by Alaska Dispatch News about changes in marijuana law and impact on law enforcement

Dr. Troy Payne, Justice faculty, was interviewed for an article in the Alaska Dispatch News about the upcoming changes in marijuana law and enforcement in Alaska. Dr. Payne was asked about arrests for marijuana possession in Anchorage and searches for marijuana.

He noted that seizures of marijuana by police are the only available data for how often police come in contact with the drug. Moreover, marijuana is common, and a small amount of the drug often "opens the door to a search that turns up something else." In effect, marijuana possession has been “a valuable tool for police and prosecutors” in criminal and other drug interdiction, and it is unknown what impacts losing that tool will have, according to Dr. Payne.

"For Anchorage police, legal pot means changes big and small" by Michelle Theriault Boots. Alaska Dispatch News, 3 Feb 2015.

Dr. Rivera awarded competitive grant from Alaska Dept. of Health and Social Services to evaluate Chronic Inebriate Anti-Recidivism Treatment Program - Permanent Supportive Housing Program

Dr. Marny Rivera, Justice faculty, was recently awarded a competitive research grant from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services to evaluate Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) and Intensive Case Management (ICM) programs that are part of an anti-recidivism pilot project for the chronically homeless population in the Anchorage area, many of whom have co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders. The pilot project is unique in the provision of intensive community-based treatment services in addition to permanent and supportive housing.

Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) is a client-centered, recovery-oriented behavioral health service delivery model that has received substantial empirical support for reducing psychiatric hospitalizations, facilitating community living, and enhancing recovery for persons with serious mental illness.  ACT is designed specifically for persons who have the most severe and persistent mental illnesses, and who historically have not benefited from traditional outpatient programs.  ACT in Anchorage will prioritize treatment toward individuals with a history of chronic homelessness and interactions with the criminal justice system, and/or high use of psychiatric emergency services.

Intensive Case Management (ICM) is a service delivery model in which case managers, working in teams, provide intensive community-based treatment, coordinate with other service providers, and develop strong therapeutic relationships with individuals.  This approach helps individuals get access to needed treatment and supports necessary to achieve stability and an improved quality of life.  ICM in Anchorage will serve individuals who have been identified as top users of the Anchorage Safety Center (ASC) for public intoxication.

Both service models are based on stable housing as the platform for recovery using the Housing First approach, which minimizes barriers to housing entry by not excluding an individual from services or housing based on sobriety; this ensures that individuals who are in the most need of services are prioritized.

Using these two approaches, the goal is to see housing stability, decreased use of acute care settings, reduced interactions with the criminal justice system, and an improved quality of life for the individuals served through these programs.  

Dr. Rivera's evaluation will provide an important quantitative and qualitative assessment of how these evidence-based best practices - ACT and ICM - will work here in Alaska.

Alaska Victimization Survey research noted in USA Today article on crime in the U.S.

Research from the 2010 statewide Alaska Victimization Survey was noted in a recent USA Today article on crime in the U.S.

Read the article:
"The most dangerous states in America" by Alexander Kent and Thomas C. Frohlich. USA Today. 3 Jan 2015.

The Alaska Victimization Survey is conducted annually by the State of Alaska Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault and the University of Alaska Anchorage Justice Center. The survey provides estimates of intimate partner violence and sexual violence experienced by adult women in Alaska.

2010 statewide estimates and regional estimates for 2011, 2012, and 2013 are available on the website.  Results from the 2014 regional survey will be published shortly.