Dr. Myrstol selected for leadership positions on NeighborWorks Anchorage board of directors

Dr. Brad Myrstol, Justice faculty, was recently elected Secretary of the NeighborWorks® Anchorage Board of Directors, and was also selected to be Chair of the Committee on Community Engagement and Resident Services.

In his capacity as secretary of the Anchorage board, he attended the August 8-11, 2011 NeighborWorks America Training Institute on community and neighborhood revitalization which was held in Atlanta.  He will also be participating in the September 2011 Board Leadership Forum for the Pacific District of NeighborWorks America in Portland.  During the conference, Dr. Myrstol will visit Central City Concern (CCC), a nonprofit agency  founded in 1979, which serves single adults and families in the Portland area who are impacted by homelessness, poverty, and addiction. CCC offers a continuum of affordable housing options integrated with direct social services, including healthcare, recovery, and employment.

NeighborWorks America is the country’s preeminent leader in affordable housing and community development. NeighborWorks® Anchorage is part of the nationwide network of nonprofits affiliated with NeighborWorks America, and  is dedicated to improving the quality of life for families and individuals by preserving homes, creating new housing opportunities and strengthening neighborhoods.

Prof. Brandeis attends Law and Society 2011 annual meeting

Prof. Jason Bradeis, J.D., Justice faculty, attended the 2011 Law and Society Association annual meeting in San Francisco in June.  This multi-disciplinary event brings together scholars from around the world to discuss  the place of law in social, political, economic, and cultural life.  Participants bring training from a variety of  backgrounds including law, sociology, political science, psychology, anthropology, economics, and history, as well as other areas related to the study of socio-legal phenomena. The association publishes the Law & Society Review, sponsors annual conferences and educational workshops, and fosters the development of academic programs in law and society around the world.

Dr. Chamard elected chair of Anchorage Public Safety Advisory Commission

Dr. Sharon Chamard, Justice Center faculty, was elected on August 10, 2011 to the office of chair of the Municipality of Anchorage’s Public Safety Advisory Commission (PSAC).  This nine-member body advises the mayor and Anchorage Assembly on public safety issues of concern to the citizens of the Municipality.   Dr. Chamard has been on the PSAC since 2006, and has served as vice-chair since 2008.

Dr. Payne attends Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS) workshop

APD crime map showing density of person crimes.

Dr. Troy Payne, Justice faculty, attended the "Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS)" workshop hosted by the Anchorage Police Department (APD) on July 26 -28, 2011 in Anchorage.  Attendees included representatives from Alaska state agencies.

DDACTS involves the use of geo-mapping to identify areas that have high incidence of crime and crashes, and to determine effective and efficient means for deploying law enforcement and other resources based on this data.  The goal of DDACTS is to reduce the incidence of crime, crashes, and traffic violations across the nation.  This program is supported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Bureau of Justice, and the National Institute of Justice.

The APD crime map shown is an example of how geo-mapping uses color to indicate density of crimes; in this instance, red equals a high value and denotes a high density of person crimes in particular areas of Anchorage in June 2011.

Justice grad appointed special assistant to Alaska Department of Public Safety Commissioner

Kelly Howell, Special Asst. to DPS Commissioner

Kelly Howell, B.A., Justice '92, was recently appointed the Special Assistant to Alaska Department of Public Safety (DPS) Commissioner Joe Masters. One of her major roles is as legislative liaison for DPS, and Kelly will be reviewing and drafting proposed legislation, evaluating and drafting regulations, and meeting with members of the legislature.  In addition, she serves as the liaison to the Office of the Governor Sean Parnell and will be continue to be involved in the Governor’s Initiative to end the epidemic of sexual assault and domestic violence in Alaska.  Most recently, Kelly was the domestic violence and sexual assault services coordinator for the Alaska State Troopers and traveled statewide training first responders, working with victim services providers, and assisting with policy development.

Dr. Payne presents at criminology conference in Durban, South Africa

Dr. Troy Payne, Justice faculty, presented at the 20th annual Environmental Criminology and Crime Analysis (ECCA) Symposium on July 19, 2011 in Durban, South Africa. 

His presentation titled, "Criminogenic Features of Apartment Complexes: A Preliminary Case Control Study,"  was co-authored with Heidi L. Scherer of Kennesaw State University and John E. Eck of the University of Cincinnati.  This study used epidemiological methods to compare high crime apartment complexes to low crime apartment complexes along multiple dimensions, including management practices and the immediate spatial context of the complexes.

ECCA is an annual, invitation-only symposium attended by an international group of researchers and practitioners engaged in situational crime prevention, intelligence-led policing, and problem-oriented policing. This year's ECCA was hosted by the Built Environment Unit of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and co-sponsored by the eThekwini Municipality of South Africa.

In 2008, the Justice Center hosted the 17th annual ECCA Symposium on the UAA campus.
 

Alan McKelvie receives Bureau of Justice Statistics grant

Alan McKelvie, Director of the Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center (SAC), has received a grant from the Bureau of Justice Statistics for FY2011-2012 under the State Justice Statistics Program for Statistical Analysis Centers.  With this award, Mr. McKelvie will be upgrading and expanding the Justice Information Exchange Model that is located at the SAC.  Key improvements will include import/export capabilities, information exchange package documentation, and security settings. This library of standardized information exchange packages project was begun in FY2009-2010.

The standardized information exchange packages will include data such as incident reports, criminal intakes and dispositions, booking forms, criminal fingerprint cards, citation forms, and criminal complaints, and will be made available to criminal justice agencies statewide through the SAC website.

See additional information on the Justice Information Exchange Model and on the National Information Exchange Model (including information exchange package documentation (IEPDs). The Alaska Statistical Analysis Center is housed at the UAA Justice Center.

Congrats to Justice and Paralegal Studies majors named to spring 2011 honors lists

The Justice Center congratulates Justice and Paralegal Studies majors named to the Chancellor's and Dean's Lists for Spring 2011.

Chancellor's List, Spring 2011

Baker,Joshua J.
Batch,Michael J.
Butenhoff,Dillon J.
Del Frate,Kimberly K.
Eichrodt,Sean T.
Herrin,Sarah L.
Holmes,Jeremy D.
MacAlpine,Heather
Martin,Jonathan P.
Vreeman,Shiloh M.
Waldorf,Kelsey C.
Wilkinson,Isabell K.
Workman,Alexa B.

Dean's List, Spring 2011

Alguire,Coleman J.
Armstrong,Bethany A.
Blood,Patrick R.
Bulaong Ramirez,Sy P.
Crain,Kristen A.
Crozier,David A.
Erickson,Marti M.
Forshee,Amber C.
Giacalone,Samuel M.
Good,Louisa C.
Kadriu,Luljeta O.
Kaufman,Ezekiel J.
Mayfield,Joseph D.
Miller,Michael I.
Morthorpe,Charlotte K.
Powell,Donte J.
Presser,Matthew P.
Reinhard,Daniel J.
Sandlin,Kelly K.
Smith,Andrew J.
Tanner,Stacy L.

Requirements for Honors Lists:  To be named to the Chancellor's List, a student must be an admitted undergraduate degree/certificate-seeking student enrolled in at least 12 UAA credits graded with academic letter grades and must have earned a GPA of 4.00 for the semester. To be named to the Dean's List, a student must be an admitted undergraduate degree/certificate-seeking student enrolled in at least 12 UAA credits graded with academic letter grades and must have earned a GPA of at least 3.50 for the semester. 

Dr. Payne attends crime prevention through environmental design training course

Dr. Troy Payne, Justice faculty, joined a group of risk managers, municipal officials, planners, and law enforcement personnel from around the state, at the "Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED)" workshop hosted June 21-24, 2011 in Anchorage by the Alaska Peace Officers Association (APOA). 

This workshop was developed by the National Crime Prevention Council to highlight how CPTED can be used to reduce crime in given areas through design and use of buildings, public spaces, landscaping, barriers, and lighting.

Attendees at the Anchorage Crime Prevention through Environmental Design workshop.

ACLU National Executive Director Anthony Romero featured in The Northern Light article

Anthony Romero, ACLU
National Executive Director

National Executive Director of the ACLU Anthony Romero's presentation on July 14 at the Wendy Williamson is featured in an article, "Romero: Court Cases, Civics and Colbert," in the July 26, 2011 issue of  the UAA student newspaper, The Northern Light.

The event, "Disparate Opportunity in America: The Ongoing Struggle for Equal Rights," was co-sponsored by the UAA Justice Center, the ACLU of Alaska, and other University and community partners.  Mr. Romero's presentation highlighted the ongoing struggle for equal rights and opportunity in America, the continuing challenges faced by minority and underprivileged communities, and the work of the ACLU in fighting for equal rights.