Drs. Rivera and Lepage serve as members of the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Data Group

Dr. Marny Rivera and Dr. Cory R. Lepage, Justice faculty, have been asked to serve as members of the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (DVSA) Data Group. Katie TePas,  Office of the Governor, is the data group chair.

The data group works with the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault and the Governor's Choose Respect Initiative to identify strategies for collecting statistics and identifying baselines for data related to domestic violence and sexual assault in the state.

Prof. Brandeis interviewed for Anchorage Daily News article on Anchorage Municipality labor law litigation

Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., was interviewed for the Anchorage Daily News article, "City, unions argue labor law in court," by Nathaniel Herz, which appeared online July 20, 2013.

The article looks at the recent lawsuit over the municipality's new labor law ordinance.  Prof Brandeis notes, "This case is an interesting test of the extent to which the Anchorage electorate can and should be able to participate in direct lawmaking."

Prof. Brandeis teaches constitutional law and civil liberties courses, and is a frequent speaker on constitutional law issues. 

Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center releases Fact Sheet on Alaska Superior Court felony case processing

The Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center (AJSAC) has released, "Alaska Superior Court Felony Case Processing, 2005-2012," number 13-05 in the Fact Sheet publication series.

The report examines the composition of felony case filings (person, property, drug, or "other" cases) and the final disposition of felony cases. For the 8-year period examined, only 2.9% of felony cases proceeded to trial. Data were extracted from Alaska Court System annual statistical reports. Dr. Brad A. Myrstol, director of the Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center, authored this Fact Sheet.

The AJSAC is housed within the UAA Justice Center and publishes a monthly Fact Sheet addressing various crime and criminal justice topics.

Dr. Payne publishes article on "hot spots" in Encyclopedia of Community Policing and Problem Solving

Dr. Troy Payne, Justice faculty, recently published an article on "Hot Spots" in the new reference work by Sage Publishing, Encyclopedia of Community Policing and Problem Solving.

"Hot spots" refers to the spatiotemporal clustering of crime — that is, crime is not randomly distributed across time and space.  Crime tends to cluster at both locations and times of day.  Analyzing this clustering can often lead to clues to the immediate causes of the crime clusters, which in turn informs crime prevention practice.

This encyclopedia looks at community policing as a philosophy which supports the systematic use of partnerships and problem-solving to proactively address the immediate conditions that give rise to public safety issues.  The work is a collection of over 150 entries by significant figures in the research field.

College of Health hosts August 21 workshop on recruiting diverse faculty with Dr. Uma Jayakumar of USF

The College of Health (COH) and Alaska WWAMI are hosting a program for UAA faculty and staff on recruiting and retaining diverse faculty - "Is 'Critical Mass' Necessary for Fostering Educational Benefits and Student Success?"

Date: Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Where: PSB 166, UAA Main Campus
Speaker: Dr. Uma Jayakumar, University of San Francisco

Dr. Uma Jayakumar, USF

Noted diversity scholar Dr. Uma Jayakumar of the University of San Francisco will discuss the shifting landscape of diversity scholarship, including the question of "critical mass," her scholarship impacting the U.S. Supreme Court's recent diversity case, Fisher v. University of Texas (2013), and the function of affirmative action post-Fisher.

Her presentation will also include a faculty/staff workshop  to assist units in developing strategies for recruiting and retaining diverse faculty and staff.


Prof. Deb Periman, J.D., Justice faculty, chairs the COH Diversity Committee.

Alaska portion of National Inventory of Collateral Consequences of Conviction is now complete

The National Inventory of Collateral Consequences of Conviction (NICCC) Project  recently completed its inventory of Alaska statutes and regulations and found that 492 of these create collateral consequences for offender reentry in our state. Additional states are being added to the inventory, and project completion is scheduled for April 2014.

Launched in 2012, the NICCC is a joint initiative of the American Bar Association and the National Institute for Justice to document the collateral consequences of criminal conviction in all U.S. jurisdictions. The current inventory with Alaska data is now available on NICC’s interactive website: www.abacollateralconsequences.org

Alaska Senate Majority Leader John Coghill and Senate Minority Leader Johnny Ellis sent a request this spring to the NICCC Director that Alaska be moved to the top of the list of inventories to be completed so that work could advance on efforts to reduce recidivism in the state.  After receiving a positive response from the NICCC, plans were made to hold legislative hearings this summer on collateral consequences and other issues related to criminal recidivism.

A Joint Judiciary Committee Hearing will be held on Thursday, July 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Menard Sports Complex in Wasilla to discuss SB 64 --“Omnibus Crime/Corrections Bill.” 

The Collateral Consequences Work Group, chaired by former Alaska Department of Corrections Deputy Commissioner Carmen Gutierrez, will analyze the results of the Alaska inventory, report on the findings, and develop a set of recommendations to make the restrictions more compatible with public safety. This includes developing a set of recommendations to make the information about restrictions more accessible and transparent to job seekers, employers, workforce providers, and state policymakers.  

Prof. Deb Periman, J.D., Justice faculty, is a member of the Work Group. Her article, "The Hidden Impact of a Criminal Conviction: A Brief Overview of Collateral Consequences in Alaska" (2007) is included in the Bibliography/Resources List on the NICCC website.

Dr. Rivera part of interdisciplinary faculty teaching summer COH behavioral health course

Faculty from the College of Health -  Drs. Mary Dallas Allen, School of Social Work; Jenny Miller, Health Sciences; Marny Rivera, Justice; and Karen Ward, Center for Human Development; and Dr. Patricia Sandberg, Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, co-taught a 3-credit summer course, "Interdisciplinary Exploration of Alaska's Critical Behavioral Health Issues." Students were from the disciplines of justice, social work, counseling, and public health. The course was supported through a grant from the College of Health, and made available to students in Anchorage and Fairbanks. UAA and UAF sites were connected by videoconference.

The course provided an overview of critical behavioral health issues in Alaska, including domestic violence and sexual assault, substance abuse, and suicide; introduced evidence-based practices and local resources; and offered an interdisciplinary perspective on the issues by featuring a cadre of state experts.

The faculty collaborated on the curriculum development and delivery, and gained a deeper understanding of how to organize and process an interdisciplinary course. Future work involves institutionalizing the course. This effort is part of the ongoing interdisciplinary collaboration that is a goal of COH and UAA.

Drs. Rosay and Rivera interviewed by KTUU Channel 2 News about Alaska juvenile delinquency and school discipline statistics

Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center Director, and Dr. Marny Rivera, Justice faculty, were interviewed by KTUU Channel 2 News regarding a recent Alaska Justice Forum article titled, "Trends in Juvenile Delinquency, School Suspensions, and Expulsions." Their comments aired on July 17 in a segment by Abby Hancock titled, "UAA Study Highlights Remarkable Decline in Juvenile Delinquency."

In discussing the decline in juvenile delinquency, Dr. Rosay noted "...at this point it's difficult to say exactly what caused the decline, other than simply saying agencies are working well together and providing good services to Alaska's youth."

While juvenile delinquency in Alaska has decreased, the number of school suspensions and expulsions has increased.  Dr. Rivera remarked that a change in school policy regarding the way offenses are reported is more likely the cause, rather than a change in student behavior.

Click here for a full copy of the article, "Trends in Juvenile Delinquency, School Suspensions, and Expulsions."

Dr. Lepage attends Interprofessional Education Conference in Vancouver

Dr. Cory Lepage, Justice faculty, attended the Interprofessional Education Conference in Vancouver in June.  Dr. Lepage and two other members of the College of Health — Dr. Randy Magen, COH Associate Dean for Curriculum/Professor, School of Social Work and Prof. Stephanie Olson, Program Coordinator, Dental Assisting Program, School of Allied Health — participated in Collaborating Across Borders (CAB) IV.

The conference theme, "Transformative Change from the Classroom to Practice," reflecting the role of concept and theory in the preparation and education of health professionals.

CAB IV is the fourth joint conference that links Canada and the United States around the key themes of interprofessional education (IPE) and interprofessional practice (IPP).

The conference focused on interprofessional education, practice, leadership, and policy in a North American context, and highlighted best practices and evidence-based outcomes and lessons learned. The event also provided a venue for scholarly dialogue and productive networking.

The UA Board of Regents has identified interprofessional collaboration as a critical training area for faculty.

Prof. Fortson authors Anchorage Daily News Compass piece on unmet civil legal needs in Alaska

Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Justice faculty, authored a Compass piece in the Anchorage Daily News on July 17, titled "Alaska's poor need legal help in civil cases." In this article, Prof. Fortson notes that while attorneys are provided by the state for individuals with even minor criminal offenses, "[a]pproximately one half of low-income households will be faced with the need for civil legal assistance each year ... around 85,000 Alaskans."

Alaska Legal Services Corporation, the state's largest non-profit legal service provider, has offices statewide, but is able to help in civil cases for only about 6,300 low-income families annually. Many of the remaining individuals and families who need representation in cases such as domestic violence, custody, eviction, and foreclosure will face the court alone.  Prof. Fortson stresses that "a strong sense of justice means pushing for access to legal representation for all."

Prior to his appointment to the Justice Center, Prof. Fortson worked for the Alaska Legal Services Corporation as a staff attorney dealing primarily with family law, landlord/tenant relations, and public benefits cases. Prof. Fortson volunteers his time with Alaska Legal Services Corporation to advise clients on family matters.  He was also a partner at the Northern Justice Project, the only private civil rights law firm in Alaska.