Alaska data workshop with National Governors Association highlights progress toward one state ID number for persons in Alaska justice system

Alan McKelvie, Director of the Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center, presented at the data workshop in Anchorage sponsored by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices on August 23.

The Alaska In-State Policy Workshop was part of the efforts to "improve Alaska's ability to link data across justice agencies to help the state measure recidivism rates." This day-long workshop focused on status reports from the various agencies involved in the project to adopt a single type of person identifier to be used by the Alaska justice system. Mr. McKelvie gave an overview of the APSIN (Alaska Public Safety Information Network) ID Query Project. The APSIN ID number is set to become the official person identifier used in Alaska.

Currently, an individual in the justice system may have a different ID number assigned to him/her by various justice agencies with whom the individual is involved, e.g., Alaska State Troopers, corrections, the courts, etc. The lack of a single ID number across all justice agencies creates tremendous problems when attempting to analyze data to determine recidivism rates.   

Other panelists included Thomas MacLellan, Director,and Jeff McLeod, Senior Policy Analyst, Homeland Security and Public Division, National Governors Association Center for Best Practices; Scott Came, Deputy Executive Director, SEARCH-National Consortium for Justice and Information Statistics; Carmen Gutierrez, Deputy Commissioner, Prisoner Rehabilitation & Reentry, Alaska Department of Corrections; Kathy Monfreda, Chief, Criminal Records and Identification Bureau, Alaska Department of Public Safety; other members of the Department of Public Safety Development Team; and additional agency representatives.  The program was moderated by Helen Sharratt, Integrated Justice Coordinator, Alaska Court System.

Alaska project members will be meeting to discuss the next steps for implementation.

Far right: Alan McKelvie, Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center Director, gives an update
on the APSIN Project.  Other participants left to right: Joe Butler, IT Manager, Alaska Department of
Corrections, and Carmen Gutierrez, Deputy Commissioner, Alaska Department of Corrections.

Workshop participants listen to agency status reports.