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.

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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. Brad Myrstol participates in panel on criminal justice reform

(L-R) Commissioner Monegan,
Mayor Berkowitz, and Capt. Case
listen to Dr. Myrstol at Chugiak-
Eagle River public meeting.

Dr. Brad Myrstol, Justice Center faculty and director of the Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center (AJSAC) and Alaska Justice Information Center (AJiC), participated in a public meeting that drew more than 50 people to discuss criminal justice reform on Saturday, February 25. Other panelists at the Chugiak-Eagle River meeting included Alaska Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan,  Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz, APD Capt. Sean Case, Alaska Judicial Council Executive Director Susanne DiPietro, Department of Law Criminal Division Director John Skidmore, and Department of Corrections Commissioner Dean Williams. Sen. Anna MacKinnon (R-Eagle River) hosted the discussion.

Media coverage:

• "At Criminal Justice Reform Meeting, SB 91 Takes Center Stage" by Kirsten Swann. Chugiak–Eagle River Star, 27 Feb 2017. 

Criminal Justice Reform: Senate Bill 91 - Dec 8 program video and materials now online

Panelists (l to r): Dr. Troy Payne, Justice Center; Jeff Jessee and Lt. Kris Sell, ACJC Commission members;
Barbara Dunham, ACJC staff attorney; Geri Fox, AK Pretrial Services Division; and Dr. Araceli Valle, AJiC.

About 150 UAA students and members of the public attended the December 8 program, "Criminal Justice Reform: A discussion of Senate Bill 91 - Reducing the prison population while enhancing public safety," co-sponsored by the Justice Center and the UAA Justice Club.
  
Click here to view the video and materials.

The approximately 2-hour video of the program is now available on the Justice Center website and on our YouTube channel. The program PowerPoint and other publication resources are also available on the website.

Panelists were Jeff Jessee, Alaska Criminal Justice Commission (ACJC) member, Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority - Moderator; Lt. Kris Sell, Alaska Criminal Justice Commission (ACJC) member; Barbara Dunham, Alaska Criminal Justice Commission (ACJC); Geri Fox, Alaska Division of Pretrial Services; Dr. Araceli Valle, Alaska Justice Information Center (AJiC); and Dr. Troy Payne, Justice Center faculty.

Panelists and Justice Club officers pose for a photo following the event.
L to r: Justice Club officers Jonathan Gonzalez and Alex Cole; Barbara Dunham, ACJC staff attorney; Geri Fox, AK Pretrial Services Division; Dr. Troy Payne, Justice Center; Dr. Araceli Valle, AJiC; ACJC members Lt .Kris Sell and Jeff Jessee;
and Justice Club officers Austin Rogers, Bradley Foster, and Austin Otos.

Join us on December 8 at UAA - Criminal justice reform: A discussion of Senate Bill 91

Criminal Justice Reform: 

A discussion of Senate Bill 91

Reducing the prison population 

while enhancing public safety

Day: Thursday, December 8, 2016
Time: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Place: Wendy Williamson Auditorium, UAA Campus
Parking: Free parking in lots next to auditorium

This event is free and open to the public, UAA students, faculty, and staff.

Panelists:
Jeff Jessee, Alaska Criminal Justice Commission member, Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority - Moderator
Lt. Kris Sell, Alaska Criminal Justice Commission member
Barbara Dunham, Alaska Criminal Justice Commission
Geri Fox, Alaska Division of Pretrial Services
Dr. Araceli Valle, Alaska Justice Information Center
Dr. Troy Payne, Justice Center faculty

This event is co-sponsored by the UAA Justice Center and the Justice Club.

Save the date! December 8 at UAA - Criminal justice reform: A discussion of Senate Bill 91

 Criminal Justice Reform:
A discussion of Senate Bill 91

 

Reducing the prison population
while enhancing public safety

Day: Thursday, December 8, 2016
Time: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Place: Wendy Williamson Auditorium, UAA Campus
Parking: Free parking in lots next to auditorium

This event is free and open to the public, UAA students, faculty, and staff.

Panelists:
Jeff Jessee, Alaska Criminal Justice Commission member, Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority - Moderator
Lt. Kris Sell, Alaska Criminal Justice Commission member
Barbara Dunham, Alaska Criminal Justice Commission
Geri Fox, Alaska Division of Pretrial Services
Dr. Araceli Valle, Alaska Justice Information Center
Dr. Troy Payne, Justice Center faculty

This event is co-sponsored by the UAA Justice Center and the Justice Club.

Dr. Blumenstein participates in Alaska Quarterly Review panel discussion about rape at Anchorage Museum

Dr. Lindsey Blumenstein, Justice faculty, was a panelist at the October 7 UAA Alaska Quarterly Review (AQR)  program, "A Voice Against the Culture of Rape."  The program began with the dramatic reading of an essay about campus rape and its aftermath. The essay, "White Horse," is by Eliese Goldbach, a writer who lives and works in Cleveland, Ohio, and was published recently in AQR. AQR is the literary journal of the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Panelists included victim advocates and survivors of sexual assault. Dr. Blumenstein researches campus sexual assault and violence against women and is a frequent speaker on these issues.

Read the story here:
"Panelists openly discuss rape in Alaska, and its devastating aftermath" by Travis Khachatoorian.  KTUU Channel 2 News. 7 Oct 2016

Tonight: Prof. Brandeis presents Oct 18 at Alaska Common Ground event on the future of marijuana, coffee, and beer industries in Alaska

Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., Legal Studies faculty in the Justice Center, will be a panelist at the October 18 Alaska Common Ground event: "Bud, Brew, and Beer: The emergence of marijuana, coffee and beer industries in Alaska." He will be discussing an overview of the marijuana industry and potential impacts of legalization on Alaska's fiscal and economic future.
What: North to the Future event  -"Bud, Brew, and Beer"
When: Tuesday, October 18, 2016 -- 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Where:  49th State Brewing Company, 717 W. 3rd Avenue, Anchorage
Admission:  Free

This event is part of a series of free lectures  - "North to the Future: Keeping Us from Heading South" - presented by Alaska Common Ground and Nerd Nite to explore Alaska's future economy.

Prof. Brandeis teaches courses on the American legal system, constitutional law, and civil liberties, and is a frequent speaker on constitutional law and other legal topics.  Prof. Brandeis also maintains a private law practice through which he advises clients on marijuana law and policy questions.  This law practice preceded this presentation, and included providing legal services to the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska.

Prof. Brandeis presents Oct 18 at Alaska Common Ground event on the future of marijuana, coffee, and beer industries in Alaska

Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., Legal Studies faculty in the Justice Center, will be a panelist at the October 18 Alaska Common Ground event: "Bud, Brew, and Beer: The emergence of marijuana, coffee and beer industries in Alaska." He will be discussing an overview of the marijuana industry and potential impacts of legalization on Alaska's fiscal and economic future.

What: North to the Future event  -"Bud, Brew, and Beer"
When: Tuesday, October 18, 2016 -- 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Where:  49th State Brewing Company, 717 W. 3rd Avenue, Anchorage
Admission:  Free

This event is part of a series of free lectures  - "North to the Future: Keeping Us from Heading South" - presented by Alaska Common Ground and Nerd Nite to explore Alaska's future economy.

Prof. Brandeis teaches courses on the American legal system, constitutional law, and civil liberties, and is a frequent speaker on constitutional law and other legal topics.  Prof. Brandeis also maintains a private law practice through which he advises clients on marijuana law and policy questions.  This law practice preceded this presentation, and included providing legal services to the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska.

Justice Center co-sponsors Oct 14 conference on Alaska Native Law issues and Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act

"Adapting for the Next Generation:  The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) at 45 and 32d Annual Alaska Native Law Conference" will be presented on Friday, October 14 at the UAA/APU Consortium Library. The event is co-sponsored by the UAA Justice Center, the Alaska Law Review, and the Alaska Native Law Section of the Alaska Bar Association.

Date: Friday, October 14
Time: 8:30 - 4:45 p.m.
Place: UAA/APU Consortium Library, LIB 307
Parking: Free parking on Fridays.
Registration: Free

The keynote speaker is Raina Thiele, former Associate Director of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement for the White House.

This free day-long symposium is geared for lawyers,  members of the judiciary, employees and leaders of Alaska Native corporations, representatives of Alaska Native organizations, state government officials, and UAA students, faculty, and staff. The Alaska Law Review will be publishing an issue at a later date with the articles prepared for this symposium.

This event has been approved for 6.25 MCLE credits (including 1 ethics credit) by the Alaska Bar Association. 

Topics include:

• ANCSA and the Future of Tribal Jurisdiction in Alaska
• Challenges and Opportunities for Alaska Native Corporations
• Federal and State Legislative Updates
• Case Law Updates
• Protection of the Attorney-Client Privilege in the Joint Representation of Parent Companies and their Subsidiaries (approved for 1 MCLE ethics credit)

Prof. Ryan Forston, J.D., Ph.D., is the Justice Center faculty coordinator for this event. Questions? Call 907-786-1810 or email uaa_justice@uaa.alaska.edu.

Dr. Blumenstein is keynote speaker at Choose Respect event in Anchorage on March 24

Dr.  Blumenstein speaking at Town Square
Park on March 24.

Dr. Lindsey Blumenstein, Justice Center faculty, was the keynote speaker at the Choose Respect March on Thursday, March 24 in Anchorage.  Dr. Blumenstein discussed the 2015 estimates from the statewide Alaska Victimization Survey.

The results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey conducted by the University of Alaska Anchorage Justice Center for the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault  (CDVSA) show a decline in intimate partner and sexual violence in Alaska since 2010.  While the numbers are getting better, they remain unacceptably high.
 
Dr. Blumenstein's research areas include intimate partner violence, campus sexual assault, substance abuse, and criminological theory. The event was sponsored by the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA) and the Zonta Club of Anchorage.

Dr. Rosay presented results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey at Choose Respect event in Fairbanks

Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center Director, presented results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey at the Choose Respect event in Fairbanks on Thursday, March 24.  The free community event was hosted by the Rotary Club of Fairbanks and the Interior Alaska Center for Non-Violent Living.

Click here for his Powerpoint presentation.

Dr. Rosay discussed data from both the 2010 and 2015 statewide AVS, as well as data from the 2011 AVS regional survey for Fairbanks. The results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey conducted by the University of Alaska Anchorage Justice Center for the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault  (CDVSA) show a decline in intimate partner and sexual violence in Alaska since 2010.  While the numbers are getting better, they remain unacceptably high. 
 

Save the date! September 25 and 26 - 8th Annual Polar Law Symposium events in Anchorage

UAA - through the Justice Center and ISER - and Alaska Pacific University are co-hosting the Anchorage portion of the 8th Annual Polar Law Symposium on September 25 and 26 at the UAA campus. This international event is presented in partnership with the University of Washington School of Law, the Vermont Law School, and in cooperation with the Arctic Law Section of the Alaska Bar Association.

This is the first Polar Law Symposium to be held in the United States and coincides with the U.S. chairing the Arctic Council.  The theme is "The Science, Scholarship and Practice of Polar Law: Strengthening Arctic Peoples and Places."

Bill Streever

The symposium kicks off in Fairbanks on September 23, and on September 24, Dr. Bill Streever, BP Exploration - Alaska, Senior Environmental Studies Advisor, gives the keynote address on the theme, "Where Biology, Physics, Industry, Law and Inupiat Culture Meet: Examples from the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act."

Mead Treadwell

In Anchorage, on September 26, Mead Treadwell, PT Capital, former Lt. Governor of Alaska, and chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission - 2006-2010, is the keynote speaker. He will discuss "Breaking the Logjam on U.S. Accession to the Law of the Sea Convention."

Click here for full agenda and register here.

NOTE: The Anchorage program will be held in the UAA/APU Consortium Library, LIB 307.  Friday, September 25, the program begins at 11:30 a.m. There is a new start time of 10:15 a.m. on Saturday morning, September 26.

A Look Back at the 7th Annual Women in Law Enforcement Recruitment Fair at UAA

Here is a look back at the 7th Annual Women in Law Enforcement Recruitment Fair held in April 2015 at the UAA Student Union.  Federal, state, and local law enforcement representatives were available to talk to students and the public about careers in law enforcement.

Alaska State Troopers - l t r: Trooper Amy Nelson and Recruitment Assistant Laura Spire.

U.S. Dept.of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration:
Angela Coleman, Program Manager,
Equal Employment Opportunity Staff

Anchorage Police Dept. - l  to r: Sgt. Kristie Kunder & Officer Karen Och

FBI - l to r: Special Agent Susan Cusack and Michele Lakey,
Applicant Coordinator/Recruiter, Anchorage office

U.S. Air Force Reserve: MSgt. Michelle Shutler, Line Recruiter

Palmer Police Dept. - l to r: Officer Simon Ford; Jo McManus, Dispatcher;
Tessa Muilenburg, Dispatcher; Officer Kristi Muilenburg

Women Police of Alaska (WPA): Trooper Investigator Andrea
Jacobson, WPA board member and incoming president
Not pictured: Anchorage Police Dept. Detective Michele Logan,
WPA outgoing president

The event was sponsored by:

Women Police of Alaska 

with the support of 

Alaska State Troopers

UAA Career Services Center

Alaska Association of Chiefs of Police 

UAA Justice Center

For information on upcoming recruitment events, contact Danica Bryant, UAA Career Services Center.

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.

Dr. Blumenstein talks to Gruening Middle School class about sexual assault in Alaska

Dr. Lindsey Blumenstein, Justice faculty, spoke in February to Gruening Middle School students in Anchorage about the issue of sexual assault in Alaska. The students in Victoria Otte's 8th grade social studies class are participating in Project Citizen and are in the process of choosing a public policy topic to focus on for their project.

Dr. Blumenstein's research areas include intimate partner violence, campus sexual assault, substance abuse, and criminological theory.

The Anchorage School District website describes this program as a part of the 8th grade civics curriculum which helps students learn how to be active citizens by engaging with government and trying to solve local community public policy problems. Project Citizen is sponsored by the Center for Civic Education.

Drs. Chamard and Rivera participate in Northern Voices on Homelessness forum

In this still clip from KTVA, Dr. Chamard (far left) and Dr. Rivera
(2nd from left facing camera) listen to the discussion at the event.

Dr. Sharon Chamard and Dr. Marny Rivera, Justice Center faculty, participated in the Northern Voices on Homelessness forum at the Loussac Library on March 7.  They were among the experts in homelessness research, policy, advocacy, and services, and those who were currently homeless or had been homeless in the past, who gathered with the public to discuss possible solutions.

The event was sponsored by the UAA Department of Anthropology and the UAA Department of Health Sciences, and was shared live through the Alaska state libraries OWL system.

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

North to the Future - video and materials from joint Alaska Law Review/Justice Center Symposium now online

Dr. Hensley (at podium) discusses the history of Alaska Natives.

Fran Ulmer,  former UAA Chancellor and Special Advisor to the U.S. State Department on Arctic Science and Policy, and Dr. William Iggiagruk Hensley, Visiting Distinguished Professor, UAA College of Business and Public Policy, were the featured speakers at the October 16, 2014 Alaska Law Review symposium - "North to the Future: Opportunities and Change in Alaska's Emerging Frontiers." Attendees included attorneys from the public and private sector, state and federal government staff, members of the public, and UAA students, faculty, and staff.

The symposium addressed the rapidly evolving changes in Alaska and the Arctic, and the challenges presented to Alaska's leaders and institutions in addressing the legal issues associated with economic development, climate change, and social and cultural impacts, including issues of tribal sovereignty and the rights of Alaska's Native people.

View the videos of the presentations and course materials, including PowerPoints.

Read the transcript of the keynotes and the articles submitted for the symposium in the December 2014 Alaska Law Review, published by Duke University School of Law for the Alaska Bar Association.

Sponsors of this event were the Justice Center, the Alaska Law Review, and the Alaska Bar Association Arctic Law Section. Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Ph.D., Legal Studies faculty in the Justice Center, was the faculty advisor for this event.

Justice Center co-sponsors November 5 community forum on Traffic Stops: What to Expect from Police - video of the event now online!

Dr. Payne (at podium) welcomes the audience to the event.

The Anchorage Community Police Relations Task Force (ACPRTF), the Anchorage Equal Rights Commission (AERC), the Anchorage Police Department (APD), and the Justice Center co-sponsored a community forum on November 5 - "Traffic Stops - What to Expect from Police." The event was held at the UAA/APU Consortium Library, LIB 307.

Presenters included Captain Dave Koch and Officer Jon Butler, Anchorage Police Department; Joshua Decker, ACLU of Alaska Executive Director; and Dr. Troy Payne, Justice Center faculty, as moderator.

Click here to watch a video of the program on the APD YouTube channel.

L to r: APD Chief Mark Mew, APD Captain Dave Koch, ACLU of Alaska Executive Director Joshua Decker,
Justice Center faculty Dr. Troy Payne, ACPRTF Vice -Chair Pastor Victor Marbury, and APD Office Jon Butler.

Dr. Payne presents to the Anchorage Equal Rights Commission and Anchorage Community Police Relations Task Force about national crime reporting statistics - UCR

Dr. Troy Payne, Justice faculty, presented information on the national Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program to the meeting of the Anchorage Equal Rights Commission and the Anchorage Community Police Relations Task Force in October.

Dr. Payne discussed the origins of the program, its goals, how data is collected and presented, and limitations in the data when used for comparison and analysis.

The UCR program collects crime information from law enforcement agencies nationwide.  Data are recorded for eight serious crimes: four violent crimes — murder and nonnegligent manslaughter (homicide), forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, and four property crimes — burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.  Sicne 1982 the Criminal Records and Identification Bureau (CRIB) within the Alaska Department of Public Safety has administered the UCR program for Alaska.