Two from the Justice Center receive 10-year service recognition awards at faculty/staff convocation

Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center Professor and currently a Visiting Executive Research Fellow with the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) in Washington, D.C., and Alan McKelvie, Senior Research Associate with the Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center (AJSAC)  housed at the Justice Center, each received recognition of 10-years of service to UAA at the Faculty/Staff Convocation on September 21.

See photos from event below.

Faculty and staff congregate for breakfast before the event.

UAA Chancellor Tom Case chats with people before the program.

UA President Patrick Gamble addresses faculty and staff.

Justice Center, College of Health, Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies, Dept. of Health Sciences, and School of Social Work among sponsors of 2012 Alaska Child Maltreatment Conference

The UAA Justice Center, College of Health, the Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies, the Department of Health Sciences, and the School of Social Work are among the sponsors of the Alaska Children's Alliance 2012 Alaska Child Maltreatment Conference to be held October 22-24 at the Anchorage Hilton Hotel.  The theme of this year's conference is "Respect & Protect."

Robert Anda, M.D., M.S., co-founder and co-principal investigator of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Adverse Experiences (ACEs) Study, is a keynote speaker. Dr. Anda is a nationally recognized expert and is the author of over 200 publications.

The conference is presented by the Alaska Children's Alliance, a member of the National Children's Alliance. The Alaska Children's Alliance was established in 2004 with the mission to promote statewide multidisciplinary teams to serve maltreated children and their families in a culturally appropriate way. The Alliance provides training and technical assistance, including the Alaska Child Maltreatment Conference.

David Shipler speaks to Justice and Legal Studies students about assistance of counsel and the judicial system

David K. Shipler, author of The Working Poor: Invisible in America, one of the UAA/APU Books of the Year for 2011-2013, made two special presentations to Justice and Legal Studies students on September 25 and September 26 during his recent visit to Anchorage as part of the Books of the Year program.

Mr. Shipler discusses disparities in assistance of counsel.

On September 25, Mr. Shipler addressed Justice Center students on the topic of  “The Assistance of Counsel in the U.S.: Your Rights at Risk.”  The presentation was open to all students and was held  in Prof. Jason Brandeis' Introduction to Law class.   Mr. Shipler described the checkerboard situation that exists in the U.S. regarding the quality of legal representation that people receive. If you are poor, your geographic location in this country, as well as whether your case is in federal or state court, are predominant factors determining the level of legal representation you will get. Mr. Shipler gave specific examples of cases and the outcomes for the defendants.

L to r: Prof. Deb Periman thanks Mr. Shipler for sharing his insights with the students.

The next day, Mr. Shipler engaged in a question and answer session with students in Prof. Deb Periman's  Legal Ethics class and Dr. Ron Everett's Justice Theory and Policy Analysis class about the jury system, prosecutorial and judicial discretion, sentencing guidelines, and sentencing disparities.

Mr. Shipler listens as a student asks about the role of juries.

L to r: Prof. Deb Periman, Justice faculty; David Shipler;
and Dr. Ron Everett, Justice faculty.

 
Mr. Shipler has worked as a journalist for "The New York Times," and has written for "The New Yorker," "The Washington Post," and the "Los Angeles Times."  He won a Pulitzer Prize for his book, Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land, and has taught at Princeton University, American University in Washington, D.C., and at Dartmouth College.

Dr. Payne joins panel discussion for special bookstore event on force and enforcement

Dr. Troy Payne, Justice faculty, will be a panelist for the Campus Bookstore event, "Force and Enforcement: A Panel Discussion." Given the recurrence of lethal confrontations at schools, in Anchorage, and nationwide, this event provides an ideal opportunity for people to come together to learn about principles guiding law enforcement and security. 

Day: Wednesday, October 2,
Time: 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Location: UAA Campus Bookstore, Upper Level
Parking: Free in south lot across from the bookstore

Panelists include Dr. Kim Patterson, Director, UAA Student Support Services, and the author of Swift Justice: Leveling the Playing Field for America’s Re-entry Citizens;  Dr. Troy Payne, UAA Justice Center faculty, whose research includes community problem-solving; and reporter Casey Grove, Anchorage Daily News.

For more information, check the UAA Campus Bookstore website or contact Rachel Epstein at  anre@uaa.alaska.edu or (907) 786-4782.

Justice Center research cited in First Alaskans magazine profile of Public Safety Commissioner Joe Masters

Data from the Alaska Victimization Survey conducted by the Justice Center is cited in an article in First Alaskans magazine, "Alaska's Top Cop," about Alaska Department of Public Safety Commissioner Joe Masters. The magazine is a publication of the First Alaskans Institute.

The June/July 2012 issue features a profile of Commissioner Masters and his efforts to fight violence against women and to increase the number of Village Public Safety Officers (VPSOs) in Alaska villages.  Commissioner Masters was an early advocate of the need for a victimization survey in Alaska. Update: The article was republished online by the Alaska Dispatch on 16 Oct 2012.

The Alaska Victimization Survey is an ongoing research project of the Justice Center.  Results are available for the 2010 statewide estimates, and 2011 estimates from Bristol Bay, the City of Fairbanks, the Fairbanks North Star Borough, the City and Borough of Juneau, and the Municipality of Anchorage.

Pizza party for students, alums, and faculty a great success

The 2nd annual pizza party for Justice and Paralegal students, faculty, and alums was a great success!  Everyone enjoyed the Moose's Tooth pizza and the chance to informally chat with each other.

Prof. John Havelock, first Director of the Justice Center and former Alaska Attorney General, and Bridgette Ellis, Chair of the Justice Alumni Group also attended.  See photos and slideshow below.

Hope to see you at next year's event!

Lining up for the pizza!

L to r: Justice faculty Prof. Ryan Fortson, Justice Center Acting Director Allan Barnes,
first Director of the Justice Center John Havelock, Justice Alumni Group Chair Bridgette Ellis,
Justice faculty Dr. Troy Payne.

Dr. Rivera presents at Alaska annual behavioral health prevention grantee meeting Sep 28

Dr. Marny Rivera, Justice faculty, and Dr. Gabe Garcia, Department of Health Sciences, are co-presenting at an Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Behavioral Health Annual Behavioral Health Prevention Grantee Meeting on September 28. This meeting is a 3-day opportunity for information gathering, knowledge transfer, skill development, networking and cross-grantee communication for Division of Behavioral Health grantees.

Dr. Rivera and Dr. Garcia will present a hands-on workshop, "Getting to Know your Community: Measurement Methods Made Easy."  They will be teaching grantees quantitative and qualitative research skills to assist in identifying problems in their communities, ways to demonstrate if there has been improvement in the problems by addressing factors related to those problem, and  how to make sense of the information collected about their communities in order to share what they learn with others.  Strategies and tools will include ways to quickly and effectively gather information from large groups of people using surveys, how to measure change or improvement by using pre-tests before and post-tests after providing information or implementing strategies, and how to efficiently obtain in-depth information by interviewing focus groups or key informants with unique perspectives or access to information.

Wanted: Women in law enforcement - 4th annual recruitment fair October 24 on campus

 Don't miss this event!

Date:  Wednesday, October 24
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Where:  UAA Student Union, Upper Level  next to the Wells Fargo Sports Complex
Parking: FREE!
Everyone is welcome to attend.

Although Alaska's population is 48% female, only about 10% of sworn law enforcement officers are women.

Law enforcement agencies are actively recruiting for female officers. Local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies statewide will be participating.

Sponsored by:

Women Police of Alaska 

with the support of 

Alaska State Troopers

Alaska Association of Chiefs of Police
UAA Justice Center.

Dr. Brad Myrstol is the faculty coordinator. For more information, call the Justice Center at 786-1810.

Jutice Center closed Friday morning, Sep 21, for UAA Faculty/Staff Convocation

 

The Justice Center will be closed Friday morning, September 21, for the UAA Faculty/Staff Convocation and the presentation of the Chancellor's Awards for Excellence. The office will reopen at 12 noon today.

Prof. Fortson receives the Ben Walters Distinguished Service Award from the Anchorage Bar Association

L to r: Anchorage Bar President Elizabeth Apostola and
Prof. Ryan Fortson.
Photo by Jolene Hotho, Anchorage Bar Association

Prof. Ryan Fortson, Justice faculty, was presented the Ben Walters Distinguished Service Award from  the Anchorage Bar Association by Anchorage Bar president Elizabeth Apostola in May. The award is given to an attorney in recognition of outstanding contributions to the Anchorage legal community.

Prof. Fortson served on the board of the Anchorage Bar Association including a term as president, was  Chair of the Alaska High School Mock Trial Competition from 2003-2010, and is a member of the Alaska Bar Association Law-Related Education (LRE) Committee which is responsible for presenting programs and producing publications to aid the public in understanding the law and the legal system.

Until his appointment to the UAA Justice faculty, Prof. Fortson was a partner of the Northern Justice Project, the only private civil rights law firm in Alaska. He also worked for Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALSC) as a staff attorney dealing primarily with family law, landlord/tenant relations, and public benefits cases. Prior to his ALSC work, Prof. Fortson was a senior associate with the law firm of Dorsey & Whitney LLP. His legal experience there included regulation of public utilities.

Prof. Fortson received a J.D. from Stanford Law School, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.