Alaska Victimization Survey results show that 45% of adult women in the Aleutian/Pribilof Island Region have experienced intimate partner violence or sexual violence or both

The results of the 2014-2015 Alaska Victimization Survey for the Aleutian/Pribilof Island region were released on March 13, 2018, to the Unalaska City Council. The troubling numbers show that:

• 45% of adult women in the Aleutian/Pribilof Island region have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence or both, in their lifetime;
• More than two out of every five adult women in the Aleutian/Pribilof Island region have experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime; and
• One in four women in the Aleutian/Pribilof Island region have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime.

Due to the survey’s limitations, estimates may be conservative.

The survey was designed to measure the lifetime exposure to sexual violence and intimate partner violence. It was conducted from April to June 2014 and from May to August 2015 through a contract with the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA). Respondents were randomly selected by phone (using both land lines and cell phones).

Details of the survey are available at the Alaska Victimization Survey website.

• Summary document
• PowerPoint presentation

More Information

For more background on this project, visit http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/justice/avs/
For more information about CDVSA, visit http://www.dps.state.ak.us/CDVSA/

Unalaskans Against Sexual Assault and Family Violence

Unalaskans Against Sexual Assault and Family Violence (USAFV) provides a safe haven for victims of sexual assault and family violence, and USAFV plays an active role in educating the public in how to recognize victimization and how to avoid becoming a victim. Contact USAFV for crisis intervention, referrals, immediate safety, legal advocacy and support, education and prevention programs. Their 24-hour crisis line is 907-581-1500 in Unalaska and 1-800-478-7238 throughout Alaska.

Justice Center research shows need for continued work in Alaska during National Stalking Awareness Month

Andre Rosay, former Justice
Center Director, Associate Dean,
College of Health, AVS principal
investigator

Statistics from the Justice Center's Alaska Victimization Survey (AVS) were used throughout January, which is also National Stalking Awareness Month, to educate Alaskans about the need to make Alaska a safer place for women.  News outlets cited Justice Center research showing high rates of domestic violence - including that more than one in nine Alaskan women have experienced physical or psychological abuse in the last year -- and that one in four Anchorage women reported that they'd been stalked at some point in their lives. The Fairbanks Daily News Miner also highlighted a 2007 Justice Center report in partnership with Alaska State Troopers that documented high rates of sexual assault in the state.

Justice Center research in the news:

• Downtown assemblyman talks safety for Anchorage women, (includes video) Jan. 21, 2018 -- KTVA CBS 11 News
• Study: 1 in 3 Alaska women experience stalking (includes video) Jan 17, 2018 — KTVA CBS 11 News
• Least sexist state? Not yet, Alaska, not yet (opinion) Jan 13, 2018 — Anchorage Daily News
• Gathering brings #MeToo to Soldotna Jan 13, 2018 — Peninsula Clarion
• Looking Back: January 30, 2-018, Jan 30, 2018  — Fairbanks Daily News Miner. Article refers to research in Descriptive Analysis of Stalking Incidents Reported to Alaska State Troopers: 1994–2005 by André B. Rosay, Darryl S. Wood, Greg Postle, and Katherine H. TePas. Anchorage, AK: Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, Feb 2007. (JC 0601.01).

Abuse of older women, lack of psychiatric beds, among articles in summer 2017 Alaska Justice Forum

Newly redesigned Alaska Justice Forum print and expanded web 2017 summer editions are now available. Articles include:

Print and web editions of Alaska Justice Forum

• Abuse Faced by Older Alaskan Women - by Andre Rosay
• L.Diane Casto and Andre Rosay Talk About Elder Abuse - video
• Consequences of Alaska's Lack of Psychiatric Beds - by Pamela Cravez
• Community Solutions to Liquor Store Problem - by Sharon Chamard (web edition exclusive)
• Justice Center Director Farewell - by Andre Rosay (web edition exclusive)
• New Alaska Justice Forum Editor Note - by Pamela Cravez

The Alaska Justice Forum is returning to quarterly publication. To make this possible, the Forum is limiting mailed delivery of the print edition and enhancing its web presence with expanded and updated print edition stories as well as articles and content exclusive to the web. Sign up to get delivery of the Alaska Justice Forum.

Rosay appointed associate dean in College of Health, Myrstol interim Justice Center director

Dr. Andre Rosay, newly
appointed associate dean
for academic and student affairs
in the College of Health

Dr. Brad Myrstol appointed
interim Justice Center director

Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center director since 2007, has been appointed associate dean for academic and student affairs in the College of Health. Dr. Rosay bids farewell to the Justice Center here.

Dr. Brad Myrstol, director of the Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center and the Alaska Justice Information Center, has been appointed interim director of the Justice Center.

Dr. Myrstol received his Ph.D in Criminal Justice from Indiana University in 2006. He has served as the principal or co-principal investigator on a variety of Alaska justice topics including the offending trajectories of juveniles, the criminal case processing of domestic violence, sexual assault and sexual abuse of a minor cases, the role and impact of Alaska’s Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO) program on the state’s response to domestic violence and sexual assault, sex offender recidivism trajectories, sexual violence victimization among university students, the structure and organization of policing in Alaska, as well as factors impacting charging, time-to-disposition, and sentencing outcomes in felony cases.

While at UAA, Dr. Myrstol has received over $1 million in research funding from sources including the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, as well as Alaska state and local agencies.

Dr. Myrstol is currently the principal investigator on Alaska's Results First Initiative, a partnership with the Pew-MacArthur Trust that provides analysis of evidence-based programs giving policymakers  a tool to better understand the relationship between the state’s monetary investment in programs and the return on that investment in terms of the benefits of reduced recidivism.

A nationwide search for a new director will be launched in the future.

Senior Voice highlights Rosay research on abuse of older Alaskan women

The July issue of Senior Voice features  research conducted by Dr. Andre Rosay, Justice Center director, on the prevalence of psychological and physical abuse among Alaskan women aged 60 and older.  According to Dr. Rosay's research, one in nine Alaska women aged 60 and older experienced psychological or physical abuse in the past year.  Results are based upon the Alaska Victimization Survey (AVS), an annual survey conducted from 2010 through 2015 by the Justice Center and funded by the Alaska Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. Dr. Rosay is the principal investigator for the survey.

Dr. Rosay used data from both a state survey (AVS) and national survey (National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey), and found Alaska rates for psychological and physical abuse higher than the national rates.

A more comprehensive article on Dr. Rosay's research appears in the Summer edition of the Alaska Justice Forum, published later this month. Sign up to receive the summer edition of the Forum at http://eepurl.com/cDlViD.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day: 1 in 9 Alaska women 60+ experienced psychological or physical abuse in past year

Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center director, presents findings from the Alaska Victimization Survey, funded by the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA), with L. Diane Casto, CDVSA executive director. Results show that 11.5% or 1 in 9 Alaskan women aged 60 and older experienced psychological or physical abuse in the past year.

The Alaska rate for psychological or physical abuse is 1.7 times as high as the national rate. The Alaska rate for physical abuse is 2.4 times the national rate and the Alaska rate for psychological abuse is 1.6 times the national rate. Overall, more than 7,000 women in Alaska aged 60 or older experienced psychological or physical abuse in the past year.

Casto calls the number of women experiencing abuse unacceptable. The CDVSA will use data from Justice Center research to inform future work on elder abuse. Women who are experiencing abuse are urged to contact CDVSA, (907) 465-4356, for resources and information.

A detailed article on Dr. Rosay’s findings will be in the summer 2017 edition of the Alaska Justice Forum.

Watch the video:

Justice Center research provides opportunity to move CDVSA forward

Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center director, Dr. Brad Myrstol, director of the Alaska Justice Information Center and the Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center, and Dr. Lindsey Blumenstein, Justice faculty, met with Alaska's Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA) yesterday to provide updates on ongoing DVSA research.

"Having a group like the Justice Center provides a huge opportunity to move us forward," said CDVSA Executive Director L. Diane Casto in response to Justice Center faculty reports on research.

Justice faculty provided a Powerpoint with status updates that included:

• Survey on Alaskans’ Knowledge, Attitudes and Beliefs (KAB) regarding Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault
• Results First Initiative cost-benefit analysis of batterer intervention programs which will be formally presented to the Alaska Criminal Justice Commission on June 15
• Update on psychological and physical abuse against women 60 and older from the Alaska Victimization Survey (2010-2015) (AVS) and comparison to national data from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (2010).
• Update on the AVS and release of additional results in the coming months including in the Alaska Justice Forum in July.

Casto and the Council will be recommending additional areas for Justice Center study to help focus future CDVSA efforts.

Dr. Andre Rosay and L. Diane Casto discuss domestic violence and sexual assault on radio show

L. Diane Casto, Executive
Director, Council on Domestic
Violence and Sexual Assault

Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center director, and L. Diane Casto, executive director of the Alaska Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA), discussed domestic violence and sexual assault in Alaska on Line One: Your Health Connection on Alaska Public Media on Monday, June 5. Using information from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey, Dr. Rosay reported that half of all women in Alaska have experienced intimate partner violence and/or sexual violence. He pointed out that the prevalence of intimate partner violence and sexual violence decreased by more than 30% since 2010. Unfortunately, the numbers remain unacceptably high.  In addition, they are high everywhere in Alaska.  But as Diane Casto said, women in rural Alaska face the additional challenge of having few services available for support.

As the new CDVSA executive director, Casto plans to continue to work with UAA's Justice Center to develop data-informed interventions. It is important to determine which interventions are working, Casto said. She added that programs aimed at prevention are extremely important.  In the long run, it costs much less to prevent abuse than to intervene once it is occurring, she added.

Rosay and TePas talk about importance of researcher-practitioner partnership

L-R: Dr. Judith Owens-Manley, director of the Center for
Community Engagement & Learning with Katie TePas
 and Dr. Andre Rosay at Faculty Intensive.

Dr. Andre Rosay, Justice Center director, and Katie TePas, appointed by Governor Sean Parnell as Alaska's first domestic violence and sexual assault response coordinator, spoke about their long-term researcher-practitioner partnership addressing violence against women. TePas was a partner on Dr. Rosay's work with the Alaska State Troopers, then with the Governor's Office on the Choose Respect campaign. They discussed the researcher-practitioner partnership as part of a Faculty Intensive and "Community-Campus Network for Civic Action Symposium" last week.

Dr. Rosay appears on Frontiers episode highlighting Choose Respect Campaign

Dr. Andre Rosay, Justice Center director, appeared on a recent episode of "Frontiers" on KTVA CBS 11 with Rhonda McBride to talk about results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey for which he is principal investigator. He talked about how rates of domestic violence and sexual assault have gone down since the 2010 Survey, but that they are still very high in Alaska. The Frontiers episode highlighted how one community - Old Harbor in Kodiak -- is addressing domestic violence and sexual assault by embracing the Choose Respect Campaign begun by Gov. Sean Parnell. Children and adults in Old Harbor are integrating Choose Respect in cultural celebrations.

• "Frontiers, Episode 105: Choose Respect Marches On" (includes video 28:21) by Rhonda McBride.  KTVA CBS 11 News, Apr 30, 2017.

Justice faculty celebrate 2017 graduates

Justice faculty L-R: Dr. Brad Myrstol, Prof. Deborah Periman, Dr. Ron Everett, Dr. Marny Rivera, Dr. Cory Lepage,
 Dr. Allan Barnes, Prof. Kristin Knudsen, Dr. Andre Rosay, and Dr. Sharon Chamard. Not pictured: Prof. Ryan Fortson,
 who was performing on the French horn in the pit orchestra during UAA's Commencement. Sunday, May 7.

Congratulations 2017 graduates! Best wishes on your future success!

Justice faculty celebrate opening of new advocacy center

L-R: Dr. Brad Myrstol, director of the Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center and Alaska Justice Information Center,
 Dr. Lindsey Blumenstein, Justice faculty, UAA Chancellor Tom Case and Dr. Andre Rosay, Justice Center director, attend the opening of the Center for Advocacy, Relationships, and Sexual Violence
  on UAA's campus, April 21. (Photo by Charlotte Titus)

Media stories:

• "Standing Together against Rape Opens Office in the Student Health and Counseling Center"  by Brenda Craig.  The Northern Light, 20 Mar 2017.
• "UAA Opens on-Campus Center to Address Sexual Violence" (includes video 2:36) by Lauren Maxwell.  KTVA Channel 11 News, 21 Apr 2017

Moving in the right direction on domestic violence but still a long way to go

More than half of  adult women in the state of Alaska have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence or both, Dr. André Rosay, director of the Justice Center, said in an interview with Ammon Swenson for the Anchorage Press.  The findings are from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey, for which Dr. Rosay is principal investigator.

Results of the  2015 survey showed consistently high rates throughout Alaska, according to Dr. Rosay. He added, that even though rates are very high, results from the 2010 Victimization Survey were even higher.

"We're moving in the right direction, but we have a very, very long way to go," Dr. Rosay said.  People recognize the problem and prevention programs are increasing, he said.  "We've turned a curve and proven we can make a difference."

Still, he's concerned that budget cuts are beginning to make the emphasis on domestic violence go away.

The Justice Center conducts the Alaska Victimization Survey for the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA).

Read the complete story:

• "Victims of Silence: A Conversation About Domestic Violence in Alaska" by Ammon Swenson.  Anchorage Press, Mar 22, 2017.

Dr. André Rosay awarded competitive Visiting Fellowship with National Institute of Justice

Dr. André Rosay

Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center director, was awarded a competitive Visiting Fellowship with the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) in the Office of Justice Programs at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington DC. NIJ's Visiting Fellows Program brings experienced practitioners, policymakers, and — in exceptional circumstances — researchers into residency at NIJ to make important policy and scholarly contributions with practical application to the criminal justice field and to infuse research into policy and practice. According to NIJ Acting Director Howard Spivak, Dr. Rosay's collection of data and reports regarding American Indians and Alaska Natives "is one of the seminal projects in [NIJ's] portfolio of research about violence against women in tribal communities." During his Fellowship, Dr. Rosay will be working on peer reviewed publications using data from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey. This is Dr. Rosay’s second Fellowship with the National Institute of Justice.

Dr. Rosay Appointed to 2017 Program Committee for American Society of Criminology

Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center Director was appointed to serve as Chair of the Sexual Violence sub-area for the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American Society ofCriminology.  The American Society of Criminology is an international organization whose members pursue scholarly, scientific, and professional knowledge concerning the measurement, etiology, consequences, prevention, control, and treatment of crime and delinquency.  The theme of the 2017 Annual Meeting is “Crime, Legitimacy and Reform: Fifty Years after the President’s Commission.”  The 2017 Annual Meeting marks the 50th Anniversary of the publication of the report by President Johnson’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice titled “The Challenge of Crime in a Free Society.”

Alaska Victimization Survey results show that 1 in 4 women in the Municipality of Anchorage have experienced stalking

New results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey for the Municipality of Anchorage were released on January 27, 2017. The 2015 survey was conducted by the University of Alaska Anchorage for the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA). These new results describe the number of women in the Municipality of Anchorage that have experienced stalking in their lifetimes and in the past year.

In defining stalking, the Alaska Victimization Survey includes eight of the common forms of nonconsensual contacts (being watched or followed; being approached at home, work, or school; finding strange or threatening items; having your home or car intruded; receiving unwanted voice or text messages; receiving unwanted phone calls; receiving unwanted emails or messages; receiving unwanted cards, flowers, or gifts). Respondents were instructed not to include bill collectors, telephone solicitors, or other sales people. Respondents experienced stalking if they experienced these nonconsensual contacts multiple times and expressed fear.

Results

The 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey for the Municipality of Anchorage was conducted from May to August 2015. Findings include:

• 1 in 4 women in the Municipality of Anchorage have experienced stalking in their lifetime.
• 1 in 18 have experienced stalking in the past year.
• More than 30,400 women in the Municipality of Anchorage have experienced stalking in their lifetime.
• More than 6,100 have experienced stalking in the past year.

The 2015 survey also showed that stalking was particularly common among women who experienced intimate partner violence or sexual violence.

• Among women who experienced intimate partner violence or sexual violence in their lifetime, 46% (more than 24,400) were also stalked in their lifetime.
• Among women who experienced intimate partner violence or sexual violence in the past year, 28% (more than 2,200) were also stalked in the past year.

Details of the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey are available at the Alaska Victimization Survey website:

• Summary of estimates
• Media release

More Information

For more background on this project, visit http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/justice/avs/
For more information about CDVSA, visit http://www.dps.state.ak.us/CDVSA/

Video of Justice Center research wins Vega Digital Award

The National Institute of Justice video on Dr. Rosay’s research on “Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and Men” has received the Arcturus (3rd place) award in the 2016 Vega Digital Awards. Vega Digital Awards recognize and honor the outstanding performance, talent and effort of the best digital and creative professionals around the world.

Dr. Rosay’s video was produced by Palladian Partners Inc., whose mission is to drive positive change through engaging, evidence-based communication.  The video summarizes the research completedby Dr. Rosay as an Executive Visiting Research Fellow at the National Institute of Justice.

Watch the video:

Alaska Victimization Survey results show that 1 in 3 women in Alaska have experienced stalking

New results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey for Alaska statewide were released on January 17, 2017. The 2015 survey was conducted by the University of Alaska Anchorage for the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA). These new results describe the number of women in Alaska that have experienced stalking in their lifetimes and in the past year.

In defining stalking, the Alaska Victimization Survey includes eight of the common forms of nonconsensual contacts (being watched or followed; being approached at home, work, or school; finding strange or threatening items; having your home or car intruded; receiving unwanted voice or text messages; receiving unwanted phone calls; receiving unwanted emails or messages; receiving unwanted cards, flowers, or gifts). Respondents were instructed not to include bill collectors, telephone solicitors, or other sales people. Respondents experienced stalking if they experienced these nonconsensual contacts multiple times and expressed fear.

Results

The 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey for Alaska statewide was conducted from May to August 2015. Findings include:

• 1 in 3 women in Alaska have experienced stalking in their lifetime.
• 1 in 17 have experienced stalking in the past year.
• More than 80,800 women in Alaska have experienced stalking in their lifetime.
• More than 15,300 have experienced stalking in the past year.

The 2015 survey also showed that stalking was particularly common among women who experienced intimate partner violence or sexual violence.

• Among women who experienced intimate partner violence or sexual violence in their lifetime, 50% (more than 66,800) were also stalked in their lifetime.
• Among women who experienced intimate partner violence or sexual violence in the past year, 27% (more than 5,800) were also stalked in the past year.

Details of the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey are available at the Alaska Victimization Survey website:

• Summary of estimates
• Media release

More Information

For more background on this project, visit http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/justice/avs/
For more information about CDVSA, visit http://www.dps.state.ak.us/CDVSA/

Drs. Rosay and Myrstol present at the 15th Annual National Indian Nations Conference

Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center Director, and Dr. Brad Myrstol, Justice Center faculty, recently presented at the 15th National Indian National Conference.  Drs. Rosay and Myrstol joined a panel of experts at a day-long workshop to discuss "National Institute of Justice Sponsored Research Initiatives in Indian Country and Alaska Native Villages."

Dr. Rosay discussed "Impact of Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and Men," and Dr. Myrstol presented on "Tribal Research Stakeholder Guidance" and "From Periphery to Center: Stakeholder Input as Data."  The all-day workshop highlighted several relevant National Institute of Justice programs and research that can provide a deeper understanding of the issues faced by American Indian and Alaska Native people and communities to help formulate public policies and prevention strategies to decrease the incidence of crimes.

Justice Center faculty present at American Society of Criminology 2016 Annual Meeting in New Orleans

Drs.  André Rosay, Troy Payne, Marny Rivera, Brad Myrstol, Sharon Chamard, Allan Barnes, Cory R. Lepage, and Lindsey Blumenstein made presentations at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology in New Orleans in November. This year's conference theme was "The Many Colors of Crime & Justice."

Justice Center faculty made 10 presentations on a range of topics: data from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) -- including elder abuse and polyvictimization, homeless young adults in Anchorage, civil legal needs of crime victims in Alaska,  data centers for criminal justice research, police referrals for prosecution in sexual assault and sexual abuse of a minor cases, public inebriates, and classroom teaching methods.

The American Society of Criminology is an international organization whose members pursue scholarly, scientific, and professional knowledge concerning the measurement, etiology, consequences, prevention, control, and treatment of crime and delinquency.

L to r: Dr. Cory R. Lepage and Dr. Marny Rivera at
their ASC presentation.