UAA Campus and Justice Center closed July 2 and 3 in honor of Independence Day

The Justice Center will be closed Thursday and Friday, July 2 and 3, in observance of Independence Day.

The Justice Center will reopen on Monday, July 6 at 8:00 a.m.

Have a safe and healthy July 4!

Justice major/UAA Honors College student presents at Law & Society Conference

Ruddy Abam at her presentation.

Ruddy Abam, Justice BA '15, presented at the Law & Society Conference in Seattle in May.  Ruddy received a UAA Honors College Discovery Grant to assist with her travel for the presentation. Dr. Cory Lepage, Justice faculty, was her Honors College advisor.

Ruddy discussed "Preventing Neighborhood Factors of Crime and Delinquency: The Efficacy of Early Childhood Community Intervention Programs." The panel theme was Instability, Change and Contingency in Crime and Deviance.


Dr. Lepage, as well Prof. Kristin Knudsen, J.D., and Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Ph.D., also presented at the conference.

Prof. Brandeis interviewed by KTVA Channel 11 News about pending U.S. Supreme Court cases

Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., Legal Studies faculty in the Justice Center, was interviewed by KTVA Channel 11 News on June 22 about two cases currently before the U.S. Supreme Court: same-sex marriage and Affordable Care Act tax credits. Prof. Brandeis noted that it is likely these will be close - 5 to 4 - decisions by the court.

Watch the segment here:
"Interview with UAA law professor on upcoming Supreme Court decisions." KTVA Channel 11 News, 22 June 2015.

Prof. Brandeis discusses the pending U.S. Supreme Court decisions.

Justice Center student clubs: A look back at events in AY 2014-2015

Below is a brief look back at AY 2014-2015 events sponsored by Justice Center student clubs.  The clubs will be gearing up for fall semester 2015. Join in the planning process and take advantage of networking opportunities with justice, law enforcement, and corrections experts!

Pre-Law Society 

• Informal LSAT study sessions - fall semester
• Visit with Alaska 3rd Judicial District Superior Court Presiding Judge William Morse  - discussion of Wellness Courts - spring semester
• Tour of Alaska Law Library in Anchorage - spring semester
• National Criminal Justice Month co-sponsor - spring semester

Justice Club

• Anchorage Police Dept. (APD) ride-alongs - fall and spring semesters
• APD and Alaska State Troopers career talk - fall and spring semesters
• Finals study sessions - fall and spring semesters
• National Criminal Justice month co-sponsor - spring semester
• Women in Law Enforcement Recruitment Fair - fall and spring semesters

Alpha Phi Sigma - National Criminal Justice Honor Society

• New member welcome event - spring semester

The faculty advisors for Justice Center student clubs are:
Pre-Law Society: Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D. and Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Ph.D.
Justice Club: Dr. Troy Payne and Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D.
Alpha Phi Sigma: Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Ph.D.

Alpha Phi Sigma - national criminal justice honor society - welcomed 4 new members in spring 2015

 Alpha Phi Sigma National Criminal Justice Honor Society welcomed 4 new members on Thursday, April 23 at a 12 noon meeting at the Justice Center.

The new members include Ruddy Abam, Jessica Hill, Erin Leaders, and April Ney.

Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Ph.D., is the faculty advisor.

Prof. Fortson and Erin Leaders.

Prof. Fortson and April Ney.

Not pictured: Ruddy Abam and Jessica Hill.

Justice faculty present at Law & Society Conference

Dr. Cory R. Lepage, Prof. Kristin Knudsen, J.D., and Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Ph.D., presented at the 2015 Law & Society Annual Conference in Seattle in May.

Presentations:

Prof. Fortson  (center) and other presenters on his panel:
(l to r) Veronica Flynn, Australian National University, and
Sonia Lawrence, Osgoode Hall Law School of York University.

"The Effectiveness of Tribal Courts in Alaska in Reducing Recidivism: Researching the Potential and Efficacy of Alternate Forms of Adjudication and Sentencing"
Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Ph.D., and Dr. Cory R. Lepage
(Panel theme: Indigenous Responses to the Promise and Pathos of "Protecting the Vulnerable")




"The Role of Justices in Rural Courts: An Explanation of How the Self-Perception of Professionalism and Legitimacy Influences Their Future"
Dr. Cory R. Lepage
(Panel theme:  The Future of Judging)

Dr. Lepage discussed reform efforts in rural courts.

 
"Talking Judges: Framing a Political Debate Over a Judicial Nominating Commission"
Prof. Kristin Knudsen, J.D. and Dr. Cory R. Lepage 
(Panel Theme: The Composition of Judicial Institutions)

L to r: Dr. Lepage and Prof. Knudsen outside their session room.

 














Topic Chairs:
Going Beyond Judicial Decisions
Prof. Kristin Knudsen

Prof. Knudsen moderates a session on judicial decisions.

The Law and Society Association, founded in 1964, is a group of scholars from many fields and countries, interested in the place of law in social, political, economic and cultural life. Members bring training in law, sociology, political science, psychology, anthropology, economics, and history as well as in other related areas to the study of sociolegal phenomena.

Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center releases fact sheet on Alaska Department of Corrections admissions and population from 2004 to 2013

The most recent issue of the AJSAC Fact Sheet presents data on admissions to, and confined populations in, the Alaska Department of Corrections (DOC) from 2004 to 2013.

The report, "Alaska Department of Corrections: Admissions and Population, 2004–2013," focuses on incarcerated populations and rates in both in-state and out-of-state facilities, as well as populations and rates in special supervision programs such as Community Residential Centers (CRCs) and electronic monitoring (EM). Data was compiled using the annual DOC Offender Profile publications for 2004 to 2013.

The fact sheet is by Khristy Parker of the Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center (AJSAC). The AJSAC is housed within the UAA Justice Center and publishes Fact Sheets addressing various crime and criminal justice topics.

Spring 2015 issue of the Alaska Justice Forum

The Spring 2015 issue of the Alaska Justice Forum presents articles on the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and alcohol abuse in adulthood, limiting public access to criminal records, police–public contacts in Anchorage, and officer-involved shootings in Anchorage. The 20-page issue includes the following articles:

"Adverse Childhood Experiences and Their Association with Alcohol Abuse by Alaska Adults" by Marny Rivera and Patrick Sidmore

This article examines the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) — such as abuse and household dysfunction in childhood — and its association with adoption by Alaska adults of the health-risk behaviors of heavy and binge drinking. The behavioral health of Alaskans could be improved by addressing the association between ACEs and health-risk drinking behaviors, and establishing an integrated prevention system. A statistical web supplement provides supporting statistical information.

"Expungement and Limiting Public Access to Alaska Criminal Case Records in the Digital Age" by Barbara Armstrong and Deborah Periman

A criminal record results in a number of different barriers to reentry into the community for former offenders. These barriers — also called collateral consequences — can be mitigated by reducing the extent to which criminal records are visible to employers, landlords, and others. This article provides a brief overview of the complexity involved in limiting public access to criminal records, processes adopted in other states, and recent legislative proposals and current options in Alaska.

"Contacts between Anchorage Adults and Police" by Brad A. Myrstol

This article presents selected results from a pilot study of police–citizen contacts conducted in Anchorage, Alaska in May 2013. The pilot study was part of a larger effort to establish a statewide police–public contact survey that will allow for comparison between Alaska-specific and national police–public contact estimates.

"Officer-Involved Shootings in Anchorage 1993–2013" by Troy C. Payne

This article presents findings from the December 2013 report Officer-Involved Shootings in Anchorage 1993–2013, which describes shootings involving officers of the Anchorage Police Department (APD) for the period January 1, 1993 through May 11, 2013.

"Forum to Publish 3 Times Per Year"

The Alaska Justice Forum is changing from a quarterly publication schedule to publishing three times per year.

Expungement bill envisioned by UAA Justice grad attending Vermont Law School is signed into Vermont law

Governor Shumlin (center) signing the bill in Montpelier. Nessabeth Rooks (left)
and Karen Oelschlaeger (right) look on with Professor Sand (left of Rooks)
and Adjunct Professor David Cahill (far right).

Nessabeth Rooks, Justice BA '14, is currently attending Vermont Law School. She and her classmate Karen Oelschlaeger are in the Accelerated JD program.  Nessabeth and Karen originally created an expungement bill for Vermont while students in Professor Robert Sand's ‪Criminal Law‬ class.

The bill was signed into law on May 26 by Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin. Nessabeth and Karen envisioned an earned expungement program to encourage ex-offenders to engage in prosocial activities and reconnect with their community.

The process and the bill:
Nessabeth and Karen developed the idea of an earned expungement program for non-violent offenders while in Prof. Sand's Criminal Law class. Prof. Sand arranged for them to present the idea to Governor Shumlin last fall. The Governor had a very positive response to the idea of earned expungement. Prof. Sand and Nessabeth then reworked the outline and details of the proposed earned expungement bill and were able to get a sponsor to assist them in the Vermont Legislature. The bill that ultimately passed expanded the list of crimes that qualified for expungement after 10 years. Conduct that is no longer criminal became expungeable after 1 year. It also included an amendment proposed by Nessabeth allowing young offenders - under the age of 25 at the time of the offense - to earn expungement in half the time - 5 years instead of 10 years - through proactive, prosocial activities.

See the Vermont Law School Facebook post.

Dr. Blumenstein publishes article in Violence and Victims about intimate terrorism

Dr. Lindsey Blumenstein co-authored  the article,“Testing Johnson's Typology: Is There Gender Symmetry in Intimate Terrorism,” published in Violence and Victims 29(1), 2014.  Her co-authors were Dr. Jana Jasinski and Dr. Rachel Morgan of the University of Central Florida.

This study is a comparison of the female and male victims of intimate terrorism. Click here for the abstract.

Dr. Rosay, COH Dean Bill Hogan, and Professor Emeritus John Angell named to public safety subcommittee for mayor-elect's transition team

Three members of the UAA College of Health have been appointed to the public safety subcommittee of Mayor-elect Berkowitz's transition team: Dean Bill Hogan, College of Health; Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center Director; and Dr. John Angell, Professor Emeritus.

An article in the Alaska Dispatch News reported on the announcement.  The public safety subcommittee is chaired by Carmen Gutierrez and Craig Goodrich.

Read the full article:
"Berkowitz unveils full transition team, schedules town hall meetings" by Devin Kelly. Alaska Dispatch News, 02 June 2015.

Prof. Fortson publishes article on tribal court jurisdiction in Alaska in Alaska Law Review

 
 Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Legal Studies faculty in the Justice Center, has published an article, "Advancing Tribal Court Jurisdiction in Alaska," in the Alaska Law Review.

 Read the full article:

"Advancing Tribal Court Jurisdiction in Alaska," Alaska Law Review, June 2015

Abstract:
Extensive case law already exists in Alaska on the jurisdiction of tribal courts over domestic relations cases, with one of the seminal cases—John v. Baker—establishing that Alaska tribes have jurisdiction even in the absence of Indian country. A common assumption, though, is that Alaska tribes do not have jurisdiction over criminal offenses. This Article argues that both under the logic of John v. Baker and the development of Indian law in the Lower 48, Alaska tribes already possess inherent jurisdiction over criminal offenses within their Native villages. With the gamut of social challenges facing Alaska Natives in rural Alaska, tribes need to be empowered to exercise this jurisdiction.

The Alaska Law Review is published by Duke University School of Law for the Alaska Bar Association.


"Turtle Talk," the blog of the Indigenous Law and Policy Center at Michigan State University College of Law, published a post on May 26, 2015 about Prof. Fortson's article: "New Scholarship on Tribal Court Jurisdiction in Alaska."

Dr. Rivera and Prof. Periman meet with representative from Drug Enforcement Administration about federal career opportunities for students

L to r: Dr. Rivera, Prof. Periman, Angela Coleman.

Dr. Marny Rivera, Justice Undergraduate Program Coordinator, and Prof. Deb Periman, J.D., Legal Studies Program Coordinator, met in April with Angela Coleman, Program Manager, Equal Employment Opportunity Staff for the U.S. Department of  Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). They discussed opportunities for federal employment for Justice and Legal Studies students and ways to increase minority participation in federal career paths.

Ms. Coleman is responsible for the Minority College Relations Program (MCRP). The objective of the program is "to coordinate activities to increase employment and educational opportunities within DEA for students through the MCRP."

DEA career opportunities include special agent, intelligence research specialist, forensic chemist, diversion investigator budget analyst, communication equipment operators, and other administrative/technical positions.

For more info see www.dea.gov and www.studentjobs.gov