Corrections aiming to be gold standard in treatment of mentally ill

The Department of Corrections (DOC) is the largest provider of mental health services in the state of Alaska. With 33,000 bookings a year, 65% of those booked qualify as beneficiaries of the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, including 23% with a serious mental illness, according to Adam Rutherford, Chief Mental Health Officer for DOC.

In many areas, Alaska lags behind other states, but not in its treatment of the mentally ill in its correctional institutions, Rutherford said.“We are practicing evidenced-based interventions, we are a leader in this area,” he said, adding, “We want to be the gold standard in mental health care.”

L-R: DJJ Clinical Director Shannon Cross-Azbill, DJJ Chief Probation Officer
Heidi Redick, DOC Director of Health and Rehabilitation Services
Laura Brooks and DOC Chief Mental Health Officer Adam Rutherford.

Rutherford, along with Laura Brooks, Director of Health and Rehabilitation Services for DOC, Shannon Cross-Azbill, Clinical Director for the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) and Heidi Redick, DJJ Chief Probation Officer, spoke at UAA earlier this month in a program sponsored by the UAA Justice Club on how the mentally ill are being served in both the adult corrections and juvenile justice.

While it is often difficult to diagnose juveniles, DJJ Clinical Director Cross-Azbill said that the majority of those in DJJ have a mental health diagnosis including substance abuse, ADHD, depression and trauma-related disorders. They’ve recently been keeping track of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorders and found 47% of the juveniles may be experiencing this, she added.

The panelists attributed the high numbers of those with a mental illness in both juvenile and adult systems to be partly in response to a lack of resources outside their systems.

Laura Brooks, who oversees all of DOC’s Health and Rehabilitative Services (HARS), explained the growth in prison treatment of the mentally ill as symptomatic of a shift in the 1960s away from funding state psychiatric hospitals and moving toward community mental health centers that were inadequately funded. Eventually, many of those with mental health issues ended up in correctional institutions, she said.

Not only is DOC Alaska’s largest behavioral treatment center it is also the state’s largest health care provider.  It is also the largest medical facility, largest detox center, and substance abuse treatment center. The behavioral health staff has 21,000 contacts with offenders a year, according to Rutherford. The HARS staff of 200 sees 5,000 patients a day inpatient and 4,000 a day outpatient, according to Brooks.

DOC has followed the national movement to screen people coming into the system to assess : 1) criminogenic risk, 2) need for substance abuse treatment, and 3) need for mental health treatment.

The goal is to have people in a better position when they leave the facilities than when they entered, Rutherford said. This is important, he added, because most of those who are incarcerated return to the community.

Mental health care among juvenile and adult correctional populations discussion April 6

Join the UAA Justice Club for a panel discussion of mental health care among juvenile and adult correctional populations, the last in our National Criminal Justice Month 2017 series of discussions.

Date: Thursday, April 6
Time: 7:00–8:30 p.m.
Location: UAA/APU Consortium Library, LIB 307
Admission: Free and open to the public

Providing mental health care has become an increasingly crucial aspect of modern correctional rehabilitation.  Nationally, more than half of prison and jail inmates have mental health problems, and probation/parole departments provide essential mental health services to their clients.

Learn how Alaska tackles these issues at a panel discussion with experts from the Division of Juvenile Justice and Department of Corrections:

Heidi Redick — Chief Probation Officer, Division of Juvenile Justice
Shannon Cross-Azbill — Clinical Director,  Division of Juvenile Justice
Laura Brooks —  Director of Health and Rehabilitation Services, Department of Corrections
Adam Rutherford — Chief Mental Health Officer, Department of Corrections

New plan to strengthen trust between police and community

“We’re not just the people with the gun and badge,” Capt. Sean Case said last week as he explained Anchorage Police Department’s Community Action Policing (CAP) initiative and expanded foot patrols. We don’t just deal with something and go away, he said.

Capt. Case, along with Mayor Ethan Berkowitz, Sgt. Brian Williams, president of the Anchorage Police Department Employees Association (APDEA), Jamie Boring, executive director of the Anchorage Downtown Partnership, and Nora Morse, Special Assistant to Mayor Ethan Berkowitz, spoke about community policing at an event sponsored by the UAA Justice Club and Justice Center as part of National Criminal Justice Month.

L to R: Nora Morse, special assistant to the mayor, APD
Capt Sean Case, Sgt. Brian Williams, president of the Anchorage
Police Department Employees Association, and
Mayor Ethan Berkowitz discuss community policing

“We’re making contact with business owners. We’re making contact with people who live in the area,” Capt. Case said.  “It’s a communication-based approach.”

Mayor Berkowitz, who left an Assembly meeting to participate in the discussion, pointed out that “it is important to us to enhance community safety and to protect officer safety and do it in a way where there’s a lot of community trust.”

Anchorage is one of the most ethnically diverse communities in the country with four out of the five most diverse high schools. “Let’s show everyone else we can get along,” Mayor Berkowitz said.

The idea is to proactively prevent crime instead of react to it, according to a letter Mayor Berkowitz sent to the Anchorage community regarding APD’s 2017 Targeted Crime Plan.

“The police department is integral to everyone feeling safe. There is a tremendous amount of social work, a tremendous amount of counseling that goes into making sure you feel safe,” Mayor Berkowitz told a largely UAA student audience, many of whom are enrolled in Justice Center programs.

Three neighborhoods, Mountain View, Spenard and Fairview will get foot patrols. These three neighborhoods have been targeted because of a history of higher call column. They are condensed and easier to get to on foot. The communities have also been asking for better services.

The idea came from the Task Force on 21st Century Policing, Mayor Berkowitz said. The Task Force, created by President Barack Obama was part of the Administration’s efforts to “strengthen community policing and strengthen trust among law enforcement officers and the communities they serve.”

Jamie Boring, executive director of the Anchorage Downtown Partnership, spoke about the drop in crime downtown experienced with the addition of foot patrols.

Under Mayor Berkowitz, APD has grown to over 400 officers with another 56 in the training cycle. There are also more than 90 officers eligible to retire. Still, 2017 will see some gains, Capt. Case said, and encouraged students to think about applying for the academy.

Join us Tuesday for "A Discussion of Community Policing in Anchorage" and movie on Friday

"A Discussion of Community Policing in Anchorage" — kicks off  Justice Club-sponsored events for National Criminal Justice Month 2017.

• Date: Tuesday, March 21
• Time: 7:00–8:30 p.m.
• Location: UAA/APU Consortium Library, LIB 307
• Admission: Free

The Anchorage Police Department has recently increased community policing efforts, including adding foot patrols in some areas around Anchorage. Come hear the Anchorage Police Department and community leaders discuss current efforts at reducing crime, reducing fear of crime, and improving police-community relations.

Scheduled to appear:

• Capt. Sean Case, Anchorage Police Department
• Jamie Boring, Executive Director, Anchorage Downtown Partnership, Ltd.
• Wanda Green, Immediate Past President, Alaska NAACP

Also, this week:
The movie, "End of Watch," will be shown Friday, March 24, in SSB 118 at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free.

National Criminal Justice Month events are sponsored by the Justice Center and the UAA Justice Club.

---

In 2009 the United States Congress established March as National Criminal Justice Month. The purpose of National Criminal Justice Month is to promote societal awareness regarding the causes and consequences of crime, as well as strategies for preventing and responding to crime.

A look back at our 2016 National Criminal Justice Month events - and a chance to view the videos if you missed the programs!

Wednesday, March 9
"The Fairbanks 4: Lessons Learned from Alaska's First Exoneration" 

Events for the 2016 National Criminal Justice Month kicked off with "The Fairbanks 4: Lessons Learned from Alaska's First Exoneration." This program was co-sponsored by the Alaska Innocence Project.

Panelists were Rick Allen, Director, Office of Public Advocacy; Lesley Hammer, Forensic Scientist, Hammer Forensics; and Bill Oberly, Executive Director, Alaska Innocence Project.

Missed the program? Click here to view the video.

Panelists (far right at table) for the "The Fairbanks 4" program spoke to a packed room of students and members of the public.

Posing for a photo after the program (l to r): Jory Knott, student  and Pre-Law Society officer and Alaska Innocence Project intern, panelists: Rick Allen, Office of Public Advocacy; Lesley Hammer, Hammer Forensics; and Bill Oberly, Alaska Innocence Project; program moderator Dr. Troy Payne, Justice Center; students and Pre-Law Society officers Nathel Sims and Camilla Hussein.

Wednesday, March 23
"How the U.S. Supports Peacekeeping in Africa: Policing and Police Training"

Later in the month Mark Mew, former Anchorage Police Department (APD) Chief, discussed his recent experiences in Africa during the program, "How the U.S. Supports Peacekeeping in Africa: Policing and  PoliceTraining." Mr. Mew's work in Africa was coordinated by Bering Straits Native Corporation.

The 2016 National Criminal Justice Month programs were sponsored by the Justice Center, Justice Club, and the Pre-Law Society. 

Missed the program? Click here to view the video.

Mark Mew (standing center) describes the challenges facing peacekeepers in Africa today.

L to r: Bill Mendenhall, Bering Straits Native Corporation; Mark Mew, former APD chief;
program moderator Dr. Troy Payne, Justice Center; Jory Knott, student and Pre-Law Society officer.

Join us Wednesday, March 23! Former APD Police Chief Mark Mew discusses police training and UN peacekeeping in Africa

March is National Criminal Justice Month.

How the U.S. Supports Peacekeeping in Africa: Policing and Training

Mark Mew, Police Trainer and Former Chief, Anchorage Police Department, recently returned from Benin, West Africa, where he was providing police training in support of peacekeeping in that part of the world. He will be discussing his experiences there.

Moderator: Dr. Troy Payne, Justice Center

Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Time: 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Location: UAA/APU Consortium Library, LIB 307
Admission: Free

Mark Mew has over 20 years of experience in police work and served as the chief of the Anchorage Police Department (APD). He also has worked as the Director of Security and Emergency Preparedness for the Anchorage School District. Mr. Mew recently returned from Benin, West Africa, where he was providing police training in support of peacekeeping in that part of the world.  Bering Straits Native Corporation is the entity through which Mr. Mew provided the training.

This event is sponsored by the Justice Center, the Pre-Law Society, and the Justice Club.

 In 2009 the United States Congress established March as National Criminal Justice Month. The purpose of National Criminal Justice Month is to promote societal awareness regarding the causes and consequences of crime, as well as strategies for preventing and responding to crime.

Video now available of the "Fairbanks 4: Lessons Learned from Alaska's First Exoneration" - a National Criminal Justice Month program

The video of "The Fairbanks 4: Lessons Learned from Alaska's First Exoneration" is now available.  The live program was held March 9, 2016 at the UAA/APU Consortium Library.

The Alaska Innocence Project and the Office of Public Advocacy spearheaded the effort to exonerate the Fairbanks 4. Two of the lawyers involved in the case, as well as a forensic scientist who provided expert testimony, were panelists for this program.

Panelists:
Rick Allen, Director, Office of Public Advocacy
Lesley Hammer, Forensic Scientist, Hammer Forensics
Bill Oberly, Executive Director, Alaska Innocence Project
Moderator: Dr. Troy Payne, Justice Center

This program is part of 2016 National Criminal Justice Month. This event was sponsored by the Justice Center, the Pre-Law Society, the Justice Club, and the Alaska Innocence Project.

Join us March 9 - don't miss "The Fairbanks 4: Lessons Learned from Alaska's First Exoneration"

March is National Criminal Justice Month. 

 The Fairbanks 4:

 Lessons Learned from 

Alaska's First Exoneration

The Alaska Innocence Project and the Office of Public Advocacy spearheaded the effort to exonerate the Fairbanks 4. Join us to hear two of the lawyers involved in the case, as well as a forensic scientist who provided expert testimony.

Date: Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Time: 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Location: UAA/APU Consortium Library, LIB 307
Admission: Free

Panelists:
Rick Allen, Director, Office of Public Advocacy
Lesley Hammer, Forensic Scientist, Hammer Forensics
Bill Oberly, Executive Director, Alaska Innocence Project

Moderator: Dr. Troy Payne, Justice Center

This event is sponsored by the Justice Center, the Pre-Law Society, the Justice Club, and the Alaska Innocence Project.

In 2009 the United States Congress established March as National Criminal Justice Month. The purpose of National Criminal Justice Month is to promote societal awareness regarding the causes and consequences of crime, as well as strategies for preventing and responding to crime.

March 9 - save the date! Don't miss "The Fairbanks 4: Lessons Learned from Alaska's First Exoneration"

March is National Criminal Justice Month. 

 The Fairbanks 4:

 Lessons Learned from 

Alaska's First Exoneration

The Alaska Innocence Project and the Office of Public Advocacy spearheaded the effort to exonerate the Fairbanks 4. Join us to hear two of the lawyers involved in the case, as well as a forensic scientist who provided expert testimony.

Date: Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Time: 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Location: UAA/APU Consortium Library, LIB 307
Admission: Free

Panelists:
Rick Allen, Director, Office of Public Advocacy
Lesley Hammer, Forensic Scientist, Hammer Forensics
Bill Oberly, Executive Director, Alaska Innocence Project

Moderator: Dr. Troy Payne, Justice Center

This event is sponsored by the Justice Center, the Pre-Law Society, the Justice Club, and the Alaska Innocence Project.

In 2009 the United States Congress established March as National Criminal Justice Month. The purpose of National Criminal Justice Month is to promote societal awareness regarding the causes and consequences of crime, as well as strategies for preventing and responding to crime.

Dr. Allen Ault speaks about his "40 Years in Corrections" for National Criminal Justice Month

Dr. Ault stresses a point during his presentation.

About 75 UAA students, faculty, and members of the public gathered on March 2 to hear  Dr. Allen Ault, Dean of the College of Justice & Safety at Eastern Kentucky University, share his 40 years of experience in corrections. Dr. Ault discussed the "War on Drugs" and the rapid rise in incarceration rates in the U.S., the disproportionate number of minority individuals who are incarcerated, the shift in corrections as rehabilitative to punitive, the rising number of inmates with mental health concerns, and the issue of capital punishment.

This event was sponsored by the Justice Center, the Pre-Law Society, and the Justice Club as part of National Criminal Justice Month. Dr. Troy Payne and Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., are the Justice Center faculty advisors for this event. Our thanks to Rich Curtner, an adjunct faculty member at the Justice Center, and Alaskans Against the Death Penalty for bringing Dr. Ault to Alaska and making possible Dr. Ault’s presentation at this event.

A podcast and Dr. Ault's Powerpoint presentation are on the Justice Center website.

Media mention

• "Ex-Dept. Of Justice Official to Alaska Students: We Can Do Better" by John Aronno. Alaska Commons, 3 Mar 2015.

L to r: Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D.; Dr. Troy Payne; Dr. Allen Ault;
Camilla Hussein, Pre-Law Society President; Rich Curtner, Adjunct Faculty,
and Chair, Alaskans Against the Death Penalty

Save the date - March 2nd! National Criminal Justice Month speaker discusses 40 years of experience in corrections

Dr. Allen Ault.

"40 Years in Corrections: Are We Going Forward or Backward? "

March is National Criminal Justice Month.

Join us to hear Dr. Allen Ault, Dean of the College of Justice & Safety at Eastern Kentucky University, share his experiences as Commissioner of Corrections in Georgia, Colorado, and Mississippi; warden of a maximum -security prison; and Chief of Special Projects, National Institute of Corrections, U.S. Department of Justice.

Dr. Ault will discuss his years in corrections, and his work on corrections initiatives such as reentry and inmate mental health, and how his experiences have shaped his view on the death penalty.

• Date/time: Monday, March 2nd, 2015, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. 
• Location: UAA/APU Consortium Library, LIB 307
• Admission: Free  
• Parking: Free in the following lots only - Library Main Lot, Library NE Lot, and East Parking Garage.
  (The Central Parking Garage and surface lot are pay parking only.) Click here for Google map - click on markers to find free parking areas. 

 

This event is sponsored by the Justice Center, the Pre-Law Society, and the Justice Club. Dr. Troy Payne and Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., are the Justice Center faculty advisors for this event.

In 2009 the United States Congress established March as National Criminal Justice Month. The purpose of National Criminal Justice Month is to promote societal awareness regarding the causes and consequences of crime, as well as strategies for preventing and responding to crime.

Video of March 5 marijuana law and policy discussion now on Justice Center website

Prof. Jason Brandeis (podium) poses a question to the panel.
Dr. Troy Payne (r) collects questions from the audience and Twitter.

The video of "Time to Legalize? A Public Discussion of Marijuana Law and Policy" is now available.  The live program was held March 5, 2014 at the Wendy Williamson Auditorium.

Click here for full information about the program on our website.

This program is part of 2014 National Criminal Justice Month.  The event was sponsored by the UAA Justice Center and the UAA Justice Club.

Panelists were Ethan Nadelmann, Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance; Sheriff Lance Buchholtz (Ret.), Wisconsin, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP); Ben Cort, Colorado, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) ; Dean Guaneli, former Chief Asst. Attorney General for Alaska; and Taylor Bickford, Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska. Prof. Jason Brandeis, Justice Center faculty, was the moderator.

The event page for this program also includes information on the ballot initiative regarding the legalization of marijuana in Alaska and a list of media mentions.

For audio only of the event, go to the KSKA Public Radio website.

Prof. Brandeis teaches courses on American government, constitutional law and civil liberties, and is a frequent speaker on constitutional law and other legal issues. Prof. Brandeis also maintains a private law practice through which, subsequent to the date of this program, he provided legal representation in administrative agency proceedings for the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska.

Over 200 attend Marijuana Law and Policy event sponsored by UAA Justice Center

L to r: Panelists listen as Prof. Jason Brandeis (podium) poses a question from the audience. 
At right, Dr. Troy Payne collects questions from the audience and Twitter.

Over 200 students, faculty, and members of the public attended the March 5 event,  "Time to Legalize? A Public Discussion on Marijuana Law and Policy," sponsored the UAA Justice Center and the UAA Justice Club.  This program is part of 2014 National Criminal Justice Month.

Over 200 people attended the event.

Ethan Nadelmann, Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, a national drug law reform organization headquartered in New York City, was the keynote speaker.

Other panelists included Sheriff Lance Buchholtz (Ret.), Wisconsin, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP); Ben Cort, Colorado, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) ; Dean Guaneli, former Chief Asst. Attorney General for Alaska; and Taylor Bickford, Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska.

Prof. Jason Brandeis, Justice faculty, was the moderator, and Dr. Troy Payne, Justice faculty collected questions from the audience and Twitter. Prof. Brandeis teaches courses on American government, constitutional law and civil liberties, and is a frequent speaker on constitutional law and other legal issues. Prof. Brandeis also maintains a private law practice through which, subsequent to the date of this program, he provided legal representation in administrative agency proceedings for the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska.

The program is scheduled to air on KSKA Public Radio "Addressing Alaskans" on Tuesday, March 11, at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.  Click here for more information.

A video of the event is on the Justice Center website.

L to r: Ben Cort, Lance Buchholtz, Taylor Bickford, Prof. Brandeis, Ethan Nadelmann, Dean Guaneli, Dr. Payne.

Time to legalize? A panel discussion on March 5 on marijuana law and policy

Don't miss the March 5 panel discussion on marijuana law and policy sponsored by the UAA Justice Center and the UAA Justice Club for National Criminal Justice Month!

What: Time to Legalize? A Public Discussion on Marijuana Law and Policy
Date:  Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Time:  6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Place:  UAA Wendy Williamson Auditorium

Parking: Free in auditorium west side lot 
Cost:   Free to all UAA students, faculty, staff, and the public

Opening remarks by:
Ethan Nadelmann, Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, a national drug law reform organization headquartered in New York City

Panelists:
Sheriff Lance Buchholtz (Ret.), Wisconsin, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP)
Ben Cort, Colorado, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM)
Dean Guaneli, former Chief Asst. Attorney General for Alaska
Taylor Bickford, Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska
Prof. Jason Brandeis, UAA Justice Center, moderator

Prof. Brandeis teaches courses on American government, constitutional law and civil liberties, and is a frequent speaker on constitutional law and other legal issues. Prof. Brandeis also maintains a private law practice through which, subsequent to the date of this program, he provided legal representation in administrative agency proceedings for the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska.


  Follow us on Twitter @uaajc
Join the conversation #AKpot

Time to legalize? A panel discussion on March 5 on marijuana law and policy

Don't miss the March 5 panel discussion on marijuana law and policy sponsored by the UAA Justice Center and the UAA Justice Club for National Criminal Justice Month!

What: Time to Legalize? A Public Discussion on Marijuana Law and Policy
Date:  Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Time:  6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Place:  UAA Wendy Williamson Auditorium

Parking: Free in auditorium west side lot 
Cost:   Free to all UAA students, faculty, staff, and the public

Opening remarks by:
Ethan Nadelmann, Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, a national drug law reform organization headquartered in New York City

Panelists:
Sheriff Lance Buchholtz (Ret.), Wisconsin, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP)
Ben Cort, Colorado, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM)
Dean Guaneli, former Chief Asst. Attorney General for Alaska
Taylor Bickford, Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska
Prof. Jason Brandeis, UAA Justice Center, moderator


Prof. Brandeis teaches courses on American government, constitutional law and civil liberties, and is a frequent speaker on constitutional law and other legal issues. Prof. Brandeis also maintains a private law practice through which, subsequent to the date of this program, he provided legal representation in administrative agency proceedings for the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska.

Follow us on Twitter @uaajc
Join the conversation #AKpot

Tribal Courts in Alaska - final presentation for National Criminal Justice Month - draws nearly 100 people

Tribal Courts panelists l to r: Magistrate Judge Christopher McLain, Alaska Court System; Natalie Landreth,
Native American Rights Fund; Lisa Jaeger, Tanana Chiefs Conference; Prof. Kevin Illingworth, UAF Tribal
Management Program; Walter Monegan, Alaska Native Justice Center, moderator.

"Tribal Courts in Alaska: Past, Present, and Future" was the topic of the final presentation in the 2013 National Criminal Justice Month lecture series on Wednesday, March 27.  A distinguished panel of experts discussed the history of tribal courts and the concept of sovereignty, the organization of and training for tribal courts, jurisdictional issues, and how the Alaska Court System has been engaging with villages along the upper Yukon in the sentencing of misdemeanors.

Panelists included: 

• Walt Monegan, Alaska Native Justice Center CEO/President, Moderator 
• Kevin Illingworth, Tribal Management Program Head and Assistant Professor, Interior-Aleutians Campus, UAF 
• Lisa Jaeger, Tribal Government Specialist, Tanana Chiefs Conference
• Natalie Landreth, Staff Attorney, Native American Rights Fund
• Magistrate Judge Christopher McLain, Alaska Court System

Nearly 100 persons attended the event which was videotaped and podcast. The video and a link to the podcast are below.  Materials for the program, including 2 PowerPoint presentations are available on the Justice Center website.

The program was sponsored by the Justice Center, the Justice Club, and the Pre-Law Society.

Media stories:
KTUU Channel 2 News: “UAA Forum Brings Awareness to Tribal Courts,” Blake Essig, March 27, 2013
KNBA 90.3: “Panel Discusses Alaska Tribal Courts,” Joaqlin Estus, March 28, 2013

Click here to listen to the podcast.

Watch the video:

Prof. Kevin Illingworth explains tribal sovereignty.

At podium: Magistrate Judge Christopher McLain discusses his work in villages along the Upper Yukon.

Center: Lisa Jaeger talks about tribal government in the Tanana Chiefs region.

At podium: Walt Monegan, moderator, opens the program.

At podium: Dr. Allan Barnes, Justice Center Acting Director, begins the q & a session.

Podcast for "Gideon v. Wainwright: Celebrating 50 Years of Public Defenders for Criminal Offenses and a Proposal for a 'Civil Gideon'" now online

Federal Defender Rich Curtner holds up an enlargement of Clarence
Gideon's handwritten petition to the U.S. Supreme Court.

This presentation was the 2nd in a series of 3 programs for 2013 National Criminal Justice Month:

Gideon v. Wainwright: Celebrating 50 Years of Public Defenders for Criminal Offenses and a Proposal for a "Civil Gideon"

Click here for the podcast.

Panelists included: Richard Curtner, Federal Defender, Federal Defender’s Office; Michael Schwaiger, Assistant Public Defender, Alaska Public Defender Agency; and Nikole Nelson, Executive Director, Alaska Legal Services Corporation.

Alaska Legal Service Executive Director Nikole Nelson discusses the unmet civil legal needs of people in Alaska.

The event was free and open to UAA students, faculty, staff, and the public. The UAA Justice Center, the Justice Club, and the Pre-Law Society are the sponsors for National Criminal Justice Month events.

L to r: Justice Club President Daniel Reinhard, Alaska Legal Services Executive Director Nikole Nelson;
Alaska Assistant Public Defender Michael Schwaiger; Justice Club Faculty Advisor Dr. Troy Payne;
Federal Defender Rich Curtner; Pre-Law Society President Judson Adams.

Save the date - March 27! National Criminal Justice Month panel on Tribal Courts in Alaska

Photo by Lisa Jaeger

Tribal Courts in Alaska: Past, Present, and Future

This is the last in the 2013 series of  presentations for National Criminal Justice Month.

Panelists

• Walt Monegan, Alaska Native Justice Center CEO, Moderator 
• Kevin Illingworth, Tribal Management Program Head and Assistant Professor, Interior-Aleutians Campus, UAF 
• Lisa Jaeger, Tribal Government Specialist, Tanana Chiefs Conference
• Natalie Landreth, Staff Attorney, Native American Rights Fund
• Magistrate Judge Christopher McLain, Alaska Court System 

Date/time: Wednesday, March 27, 2013, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Location: UAA/APU Consortium Library, LIB 307
Parking is free in the library surface lots.

All events are free and open to UAA students, faculty, staff, and the public.

This year is the 3rd annual series of presentations focusing on criminal justice issues for National Criminal Justice Month. The  Justice Center, Justice Club, and the Pre-Law Society are co-sponsors of this event.

Click here for information on all the presentations for 2013 National Criminal Justice Month.

Representatives from institutional and community corrections speak at National Criminal Justice Month event

Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., introduces the panel.

"Working in Institutional and Community Corrections," held March 1, was the first in a series of 3 presentations for National Criminal Justice Month.

Panelists were Anthony Piper, Alcohol Safety Action Program (ASAP) Program Manager, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services; Rebecca Tozer, Probation Officer II, Alaska Department of Corrections; and Lt. Scott Dial & Sgt. Rodney Ramirez, Alaska Department of Corrections. The program focused on goals of corrections programs, common misconceptions of work in corrections, differences in probation and parole, training required, most useful college courses for students to take, and career paths in the field of corrections.

This is the 3rd annual series of presentations focusing on criminal justice issues for National Criminal Justice Month. The  Justice Center, Justice Club, and the Pre-Law Society are co-sponsors of this event. 

All events are free and open to UAA students, faculty, staff, and the public. Click here for information on all the presentations for National Criminal Justice Month. 

L to r: Daniel Reinhard, Justice Club president; Anthony Piper, ASAP Program Manager;
Probation Officer Rebecca Tozer, AK Dept.of Corrections (DOC); Sgt. Rodney Ramirez, DOC;
Lt. Scott Dial, DOC; Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., Justice Club co-advisor.

Don't miss the March 7 presentation on Gideon v. Wainwright - celebrating 50 years of public defenders and a proposal for a "civil Gideon"!

This is the second in a series of 3 presentations for National Criminal Justice Month:

Gideon v. Wainwright: Celebrating 50 Years of Public Defenders for Criminal Offenses and a Proposal for a "Civil Gideon"

• Richard Curtner, Federal Defender, Federal Defender’s Office
• Michael Schwaiger, Assistant Public Defender, Alaska Public Defender Agency
• Nikole Nelson, Executive Director, Alaska Legal Services Corporation

Date/time: Thursday, March 7, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Location: UAA/APU Consortium Library, LIB 307
Parking is free in the library surface lots.

All events are free and open to UAA students, faculty, staff, and the public.

This is the 3rd annual series of presentations focusing on criminal justice issues for National Criminal Justice Month. The  Justice Center, Justice Club, and the Pre-Law Society are co-sponsors of this event.

Click here for information on all the presentations for National Criminal Justice Month.