AJiC Fact Sheet presents data on drug-related cases filed in Alaska courts, FY 2008–2017

The 18-03 issue (August 2018) of the AJiC Fact Sheet, "Drug Cases Filed across the Alaska Court System, FY 2008–2017," presents data on drug-related court filings throughout the state of Alaska for fiscal years (FY) 2008 through 2017 and the 10-year trend of misdemeanor and felony drug case filings for Alaska and for the Anchorage, Palmer, Kenai and Fairbanks courts over the same period.

Overall, felony drug case filing rates remained stable or increased in all locations until FY15 or FY16, before decreasing dramatically from FY16 to FY17. The exception is the Fairbanks court, which maintained an overall decrease in felony drug case filing rates over the 10-year period. Misdemeanor drug case filing rates, regardless of whether they increased or decreased between FY 2008–2014, decreased in all locations from FY 2014–2016 before increasing from FY 2016–2017. The year with the lowest felony drug case filing rate, for all locations, was in FY17. The lowest misdemeanor drug case filing rate, for all locations, was in FY16. Data is drawn from annual reports of the Alaska Court System for the FY 2008 through 2017.

The fact sheet is by Daniel Reinhard, Research Professional, Alaska Justice Information Center (AJiC). The AJiC Fact Sheet series addresses various crime and criminal justice topics.