Friday, November 6, 2015

Summer-Fall 2015 issue of the Alaska Justice Forum

Alaska Justice Forum 32(2–3), Summer/Fall 2015
The Summer/Fall 2015 issue of the Alaska Justice Forum presents articles on a survey of studies on judicial selection methods used by U.S. states, selected milestones from the UAA Justice Center's 40-year history, an intervention to reduce public disorder in Anchorage's Town Square Park, 2014 institutional populations under authority of the Alaska Department of Corrections, and smart justice initiatives in Alaska.The 12-page issue includes the following articles:

"A Survey of Studies on Judicial Selection" by Ryan Fortson and Kristin S. Knudsen

The Alaska legislature is considering a bill — Senate Joint Resolution 3 — that would put before voters a state constitutional amendment to change the composition of the Alaska Judicial Council and the way its members are selected. The Alaska Judicial Council plays a constitutionally-mandated role in the selection of Alaska’s judges and also makes recommendations to voters concerning retaining or not retaining judges as part of the judicial retention election process. This article reviews selected existing studies relevant to potential effects of this proposed change to the council composition — studies that examined judicial effectiveness, responsiveness of judges to public opinion, and public perception of judges.

"UAA Justice Center 40th Anniversary 1975–2015"

In celebration of its 40th anniversary, the UAA Justice Center presents a timeline of selected milestones from its history.

"'Activating' Park Spaces in Anchorage’s Town Square Park (Research Note)"
by Troy C. Payne and Daniel Reinhard

This brief research note describes an intervention designed to increase activity in Anchorage's Town Square Park in an effort to reduce public disorder in the park. An abbreviated evaluation of the intervention is included.

"2014 Alaska Department of Corrections Institutional Population"

This article looks at highlights from the 2014 Alaska Offender Profile published by the Alaska Department of Corrections (DOC), with a focus on the 2014 institutional population defined as pretrial detainees, post-conviction inmates, and probation and/or parole violators housed in a correctional facility. A brief sidebar describes Alaska's unified system of corrections.

"Smart Justice in Alaska" by Barbara Armstrong

Smart justice initiatives seek to reform criminal justice systems by reducing correctional populations and recidivism while lowering costs, maintaining offender accountability, and ensuring public safety. This article describes two smart justice initiatives underway in Alaska, “Results First” and “Justice Reinvestment."

"Faculty Notes"

Dr. Brad Myrstol and Prof. Kristin Knudsen have been recognized with Chancellor's Awards for Excellence. Prof. Deb Periman has been promoted to Professor of Justice. Prof. Jason Brandeis has been awarded tenure and been promoted to Associate Professor.

"Alaska Justice Information Center Welcomes Staff"

Araceli Valle, Ph.D., and Karin Thomas, M.S., have joined the staff of the Alaska Justice Information Center (AJIC) as Research Professionals.