Reports

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  The Alaska Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (AK-SAKI) Research Component: A Process Improvement Analysis of the Alaska Department of Public Safety’s Sexual Assault Investigation, Prosecution, And Victim-Survivor Engagement And Support Processes

  Ingrid Johnson

  The research component of the Alaska Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (AK-SAKI) was designed to guide the Alaska Department of Public Safety (DPS) and their agency partners in making recommendations to improve sexual assault investigations, prosecutions, and victim-survivor engagement and support processes. Using qualitative interview data from key stakeholders including victim-survivors, quantitative survey responses from victim-survivors, and agency records from DPS and the Alaska Department of Law, three questions are answered in this report: 1. What are key stakeholders’ experiences with sexual assault investigations, prosecutions, and victim-survivor engagement and support, and how do those experiences compare to their perceptions of just outcomes? 2. How common are the experiences and just outcomes identified by key stakeholders? 3. What factors shape the likelihood of achieving those just outcomes?

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  Alaska State Troopers B Detachment Patrol Staffing Study and Description of Dispatched Police Incidents

  Troy C. Payne

  This study provides a workload-based staffing model for police patrol in B Detachment of the Alaska State Troopers and describes the pattern of police incidents in B Detachment over the study period of 2009 to 2015. Alaska State Troopers provide service in unincorporated areas of the state. B Detachment, headquartered in Palmer with additional posts in Wasilla and Glennallen, serves a large part of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and portions of the Valdez-Cordova Census Area along the Richardson Highway, — an area of about 20,000 square miles containing 2,250 miles of roadways. According to the study, Troopers in B Detachment are chronically over-utilized, which causes operational problems. From 2009 to 2015, Alaska State Troopers and Alaska Wildlife Troopers in B Detachment responded to an average of 48,000 incidents per year.

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  The Anchorage, Alaska Municipal Pretrial Diversion Program: Initial Outcome Assessment

  Cory R. Lepage and Jeff D. May

  This report provides an initial outcome assessment of the Anchorage Municipal Pretrial Diversion Program, a voluntary program aimed at diverting first-time offenders in certain criminal and traffic cases from traditional case processing, with successful complion of the terms of the program resulting in dismissal of charges. Pretrial diversion agreements under AMC 08.05.060 typically require the defendant to pay a fine or do community work service, usually within a month. The initial assessment examines offender completion under the program, adherence to conditions of probation, and time and cost savings for the Anchorage Municipal Prosecutor's Office.

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  Violence against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and Men: 2010 Findings from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey

  André B. Rosay

  This report examines the prevalence of violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women and men, using a large nationally representative sample from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS). More specifically, it provides estimates of sexual violence, physical violence by intimate partners, stalking, and psychological aggression by intimate partners. It also provides estimates of interracial and intraracial victimizations and briefly examines the impact of violence. Results should be used to raise awareness and understanding about violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women and men.

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  Teens Acting Against Violence (TAAV) Program Evaluation

  Khristy Parker, André B. Rosay, Michelle DeWitt, and Eileen Arnold

  Teens Acting Against Violence (TAAV) is a violence prevention and youth empowerment program at the Tundra Women’s Coalition (TWC) for teenagers living in Bethel, Alaska. Participation is voluntary and open for any interested teens aged 12-18. TWC and TAAV partnered with the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) Justice Center to conduct an evaluation of the TAAV program through a one-time survey of former and current adult members (over 18 years of age) of TAAV. Pursuant to TAAV objectives, the focus of the evaluation was placed on examining efforts in the areas of domestic violence and sexual assault prevention, building healthy relationships, encouraging sobriety, and suicide prevention.

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  A College Student's Guide to Landlord/Tenant Relations in Alaska

  Ryan Fortson

  This guide for Alaska students preparing to rent an apartment gives answers to essential questions about renting an apartment, tenant rights, and landlord/tenant law in Alaska. The guide, structured in a question and answer format, covers renting an apartment, leases and subleases, living in the apartment, problems with the apartment, landlord powers, evictions, moving out, and public housing. The guide expands upon the "Housing" chapter (https://www.alaskabar.org/servlet/content/entering_the_real_world.html#Housing) for the Alaska Bar Association web publication Alaska Youth Law Guilde: A Handbook for Teens and Young Adults (https://www.alaskabar.org/servlet/content/youth_law_guide.html).

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  Alaska Boards and Commissions: Results of the Alaska Citizen Members Survey

  Kristin S. Knudsen

  This report presents results of a survey of lay adjudicators in mixed-administrative tribunals in Alaska. Mixed administrative tribunals are appointed boards or commissions in which lay members decide legal issues with the involvement of a professional administrative law judge. This involvement varies in degree and methods, depending on the tribunal’s rules and statutes. The report describes reported participation, role perception, attitudes toward law, recruitment, and satisfaction with experience.

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  Officer-Involved Shootings in Anchorage 1993–2013

  Troy C. Payne

  This report describes situational, officer, and citizen characteristics of the 45 officer-involved shootings in Anchorage for the period 1 Jan 1993 through 11 May 2013 as recorded in Anchorage Police Department (APD) criminal investigation files. An “officer-involved shooting” is defined as an incident in which a sworn APD employee purposefully discharged a firearm with the intent of stopping a human being while acting under color of law, including firing at vehicles when the intent is to stop the vehicle. A total of 45 officer-involved shootings occurred during the 20-year study period. APD policy with regard to use of force and investigation of officer-involved shootings is also described.

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  The Predictive Validity of Marijuana Odor Detection: An Examination of Alaska State Trooper Case Reports 2006–2010

  Brad A. Myrstol and Jason Brandeis

  This study provides an empirical estimate of the extent to which Alaska State Troopers (AST) investigators’ detection of marijuana odors served as a reliable indicator of the presence of illegal quantities of marijuana in suspected structures/buildings. It also provides a detailed description of marijuana grow searches conducted by AST investigators. Data were compiled from the case records for all marijuana grow searches conducted by AST for the years 2006–2010 (n=333).

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  Research Perspectives on the Use and Control of Police Force

  Troy C. Payne

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  Green Bay Chronic Nuisance Notification Evaluation, 2006–2010

  Troy C. Payne and Michelle Arneson

  Green Bay City Ordinance Chapter 28 allows the City of Green Bay, Wisconsin to recover the cost of providing police services for chronic nuisances. Enforcement of Chapter 28 began in October 2006 and continues as of this writing. This report examined calls for service at properties with chronic nuisance enforcement to determine if enforcement was associated with a reduction in calls for service. Enforcing the chronic nuisance ordinance is associated with reduced calls for service but is costly in terms of officer and analyst hours. The best use of the chronic nuisance ordinance may be as a credible threat to entice property owners to partner with the Green Bay Police Department on crime prevention and nuisance abatement efforts.

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  Analysis of Strategies Designed to Reduce Sales of Alcohol and Tobacco to Underage Persons: A Preliminary Report

  Marny Rivera and Khristy Parker

  Alaska has one of the highest per capita alcohol consumption rates in the nation, and the prevalence of alcohol dependence and alcohol abuse at 14 percent is twice the national average of seven percent. Of special concern is the prevention of alcohol use by adolescents. This study, prepared for the Alaska Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (ABC), focuses on identifying ways that enforcement practices for alcohol sales could be modified to achieve higher compliance rates with age-of-sale laws, comparable to those seen in tobacco enforcement. Recommendations are made in the areas of enforcement efforts, funding and resources, enlisting a multiple-pronged strategy, and onging data collection and evaluation.

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  2010 Anchorage Underage Drinking Survey: A Look at Adult Attitudes, Perceptions, and Norms

  Marny Rivera, Khristy Parker, and Jennifer McMullen

  The Anchorage Underage Drinking Survey (AUDS) was conducted to assess adults’ recent exposure to Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol media campaign about underage drinking, as well as adult attitudes, norms, and perceptions regarding the underage drinking problem in Anchorage. Our interest was in understanding community perceptions regarding the extent of the underage drinking problem, underage access to alcohol through social and retail outlets, consequences of underage drinking, and laws and policies designed to reduce underage drinking and the consequences stemming from it. The survey contained six major sections: (1) underage drinking problem, (2) adult influences on underage drinking, (3) alcohol consumption, (4) responses to underage drinking, (5) public service advertisements, and (6) respondent background information.

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  Youth Alcohol Access, Consumption, and Consequences in Anchorage, Alaska: 2012 Update

  Marny Rivera, Khristy Parker, and Jennifer McMullen

  This report identifies indicators of underage drinking in Anchorage, Alaska, which can be used in assessing changes brought about by strategies designed to reduce underage access to alcohol and consequences associated with underage drinking. Indicators are addressed under the categories of underage access to alcohol, social norms and perceptions associated with underage drinking, alcohol consumption patterns, and consequences of underage drinking. Consequences examined include school-related consequences, risky behavior, and legal consequences of underage drinking. Alcohol abuse by people under 21 years of age requiring substance abuse treatment, health and safety consequences of underage drinking, and economic consequences of underage drinking are also discussed.

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  Fairbanks Gang Assessment

  Khristy Parker, Jennifer McMullen, André B. Rosay, and Shea Daniels

  The Justice Center at University of Alaska Anchorage partnered with the Fairbanks Gang Reduction and Intervention Network (GRAIN) to perform a thorough assessment of the gang problem in Fairbanks following the protocol outlined by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)’s Comprehensive Gang Model. Law enforcement data show that there are at least 12 active gangs in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, with the percentage of crime reported to law enforcement attributable to gangs (2007-2009) varying from a low of 4.3% in 2007 to a high of 7.2% in 2008. The complete assessment, contained in this report, includes a review of community demographic data, law enforcement data, student and school data, and community perceptions data.

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  Youth Alcohol Access, Consumption, and Consequences in Anchorage, Alaska: Identification of Indicators

  Marny Rivera and Jennifer McMullen

  This report identifies indicators of underage drinking in Anchorage, Alaska, which can be used in assessing changes brought about by strategies designed to reduce underage access to alcohol and consequences associated with underage drinking. Indicators are addressed under the categories of underage access to alcohol, social norms and perceptions associated with underage drinking, alcohol consumption patterns, and consequences of underage drinking. Consequences examined include school-related consequences, risky behavior, and legal consequences of underage drinking. Alcohol abuse by people under 21 years of age requiring substance abuse treatment, health and safety consequences of underage drinking, and economic consequences of underage drinking are also discussed.

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  Juvenile Probation Officer Workload and Caseload Study: Alaska Division of Juvenile Justice

  André B. Rosay and Thomas S. Begich

  This report describes results of a study to measure and analyze the workload and caseload of Juvenile Probation Officers (JPOs) within the Alaska Division of Juvenile Justice. More specifically, this study assessed the resources needed in both rural and urban Alaska to adequately meet minimum probation standards, to continue the development and enhancement of system improvements, and to fully implement the restorative justice field probation service delivery model.

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  Final Report: Anchorage Disproportionate Minority Contact Study

  André B. Rosay, Ronald S. Everett, and William Hurr

  This project examined disproportionate minority contact in Anchorage, Alaska. It was designed to provide a more nuanced understanding of disproportionate minority contact at the referral stage (when law enforcement officers refer youth to the Alaska Division of Juvenile Justice). To do so, we relied on community involvement and utilized different statistical techniques to examine the geography and development of disproportionate minority contact. Researchers partnered with practitioners from the Anchorage Disproportionate Minority Contact Initiative to structure the research process and to interpret and disseminate results. Geographic analyses were conducted to examine where the highest levels of disproportionate minority contact were occurring and longitudinal analyses were conducted to examine at what age disproportionate minority contact began. These analyses provided an understanding of disproportionate minority contact that was obscured when examining relative rate indices. Geographic analyses, for example, revealed high levels of disproportionate minority contact for Pacific youth (a group that would have traditionally been ignored because of its ‘small population’). Longitudinal analyses revealed that disproportionate minority contact began at age 13. Although relative rate indices are useful to identify broad patterns in disproportionate minority contact, they are less useful to drive action. We overcame this limitation with strong community partnerships and different statistical methods for disproportionate minority contact research. In the end, practitioners and researchers used data and research to develop strategic plans to reduce disproportionate minority contact.

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  Investigation and Prosecution of Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and Stalking

  André B. Rosay, Darryl S. Wood, Marny Rivera, Greg Postle, and Katherine TePas

  This project examined sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking cases reported to the Alaska State Troopers. More specifically, we examined all sexual assault and sexual abuse of minor incidents reported to Alaska State Troopers in 2003 and 2004, all assaults in domestic violence incidents reported to Alaska State Troopers in 2004, and all stalking incidents reported to Alaska State Troopers from 1994 to 2005. In addition, we examined whether cases were referred to the Alaska Department of Law for prosecution, were accepted for prosecution, and resulted in a conviction. This report provides a thorough overview of key characteristics on reports, suspects, victims, incidents, witnesses, and legal resolutions. This report also examines the predictors of legal resolutions. Finally, this report examines whether rural cases are less likely to have successful legal resolutions. Results clearly show that what Alaska State Troopers do when investigating reported offenses can increase rates of referral, acceptance, and conviction. In addition, we found no evidence of under-enforcement in rural areas. Contrary to allegations that the provision of criminal justice services is diminished in rural areas, we found that geographic isolation does not hinder case processing. These results are important for other rural jurisdictions. Most importantly, we found that cases first reported to local first responders had better legal resolutions. This finding suggests that the resources provided by these first responders (i.e., reduced response time and enhanced investigation) increase the rates of prosecutions and convictions. This finding is important not just in Alaska, but in other jurisdictions where official responders are not immediately available.

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  Alaska Meth Education Project: Process and Outcome Evaluation, 2009

  Marny Rivera and Jennifer McMullen

  The Alaska Meth Education (AME) Project is a statewide effort to reduce meth use and availability in Alaska by educating Alaskans about, and preventing youth from trying, meth. The AME Project provides free community education presentations, an anti-meth media campaign. anti-meth summits, and a website and Facebook page which provide information, local resources, and links to their campaign ads. This report evaluates AME Project efforts and is the first to provide information regarding Alaskans’ perceptions of meth, including effects and risks associated with meth use and perceptions regarding the availability and use of meth by young adults in Alaska. Evaluation methods included a survey to evaluate community education presentations; a survey conducted with UAA Justice students exposed to the anti-meth radio advertisements generated by the AME Project; a survey of 10,000 randomly sampled Alaskans; and a process evaluation involving interviews conducted with AME Project statewide advisory committee members.

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  Needs Assessment Survey Result for Alaska State Victim Assistance Academy

  André B. Rosay and N/A Victims for Justice

  State Victim Assistance Academies (SVAA’s) offer coursework and training in victimology, victims’ rights, and victim services in order to meet the needs of victim service providers and allied professionals (Office for Victims of Crime). With state and federal funding, Victims for Justice began the development of a State Victim Assistance Academy for Alaska in 2008. An important first step in the development of a State Victim Assistance Academy is to conduct a needs assessment survey to identify the most important topics to include in coursework and training. This brief report highlights the results of the Alaska needs assessment survey conducted by the UAA Justice Center in 2009.

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  Evaluation of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Targeted Re-Entry Initiative: Final Report

  William H. Barton, G. Roger Jarjoura, and André B. Rosay

  In 2003 and early 2004 the Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) introduced Targeted Re-Entry (TR), a juvenile aftercare approach derived from the Intensive Aftercare Program (IAP) model (Altschuler & Armstrong) into four sites, partnering with state juvenile correctional facilities in Mobile, Alabama; Anchorage, Alaska; Benton, Little Rock, and North Little Rock, Arkansas; and Milwaukee and Wales, Wisconsin. The Targeted Re-entry approach builds closely upon the IAP model, with local Boys & Girls Clubs providing community leadership, case management functions, and close linkages with the correctional system. A key element in all four sites is the introduction of a Boys & Girls Club providing recreational and other programming inside the juvenile correctional facility. By introducing the youths to the Boys & Girls Clubs’ philosophy and activities while they are incarcerated, providing (or participating in) the overarching case management prescribed by the IAP model, and connecting the youths to Boys & Girls Clubs back in the community as part of the reentry plan, TR staff hope to provide continuity and a positive youth development framework for more successful reentry. This study reports on an evaluation of TR for the four states, with a sample derived from all youth who had been identified since the beginning of the programs who were released from the institutions to the community phase no later than December 31, 2006, allowing recidivism and other outcome data to be collected for a 12-month post-release follow-up period.

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  Northeast Community Survey 2008: Final Report

  Sharon Chamard and Brad A. Myrstol

  East Anchorage is currently the only site in Alaska under the nationwide Weed and Seed initiative, which is intended to “weed out” criminals who undermine quality of life for community residents in high-crime neighborhoods and to “seed in” positive practices, programs and institutions that contribute to a better quality of life for neighborhoods. The East Anchorage Weed and Seed site, located in a racially and ethnically diverse neighborhood in the northeast part of Anchorage, had an estimated population in 2005 of more than 37,000 people living in about 14,000 households. On behalf of East Anchorage Weed and Seed, the Justice Center conducted a community survey designed to evaluate Northeast community residents’ level of satisfaction with their neighborhood as a place to live, specifically with regards to residents' feelings about neighborhood safety, neighborhood crime levels, criminal victimization, police activity in the neighborhood, and the availability of social services. This report presents results of the survey, to which a total of 209 respondents in the Northeast community responded, and compares its results to those of an identical mailed community survey conducted in the same area in 2002.

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  Descriptive Analysis of Assaults in Domestic Violence Incidents Reported to Alaska State Troopers: 2004

  Marny Rivera, André B. Rosay, Darryl S. Wood, Greg Postle, Katherine TePas, N/A The Alaska Department of Law, and N/A The Alaska State Troopers

  This project examined the characteristics of assaults in domestic violence incidents reported to the Alaska State Troopers. Assaults are only one type of criminal offense defined in Alaska statutes as a crime involving domestic violence. This report is not inclusive of all crimes involving domestic violence reported to AST, because it only includes assaults. In addition, this report is not inclusive of assaults in domestic violence incidents that were reported to municipal police departments across Alaska. Only assaults in domestic violence incidents reported to AST are described in this report. The term assault will be used throughout this report to define assault cases that are crimes involving domestic violence incidents; this includes felony and misdemeanor assaults. The sample utilized for this analysis included all assaults in domestic violence incidents reported to AST in 2004. It included information from 1,281 reports on 1,803 assault charges, 1,356 suspects, 1,523 victims, and 1,283 witnesses. This descriptive analysis documents the characteristics of these reports, charges, suspects, victims, witnesses, and legal resolutions.

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  Final Report: Alaska Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Study

  André B. Rosay, Tara Henry, N/A Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center, N/A Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation, N/A Central Peninsula General Hospital, N/A Norton Sound Health Corporation, N/A Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, N/A South Peninsula Hospital, N/A Maniilaq Association, N/A The Department of Health and Human Services (Municipality of Anchorage), and N/A The Alaska Department of Law

  This project examined the characteristics of sexual assault victimizations in Alaska, as observed and recorded by sexual assault nurse examiners in Anchorage, Kodiak, Bethel, Soldotna, Nome, Fairbanks, Homer, and Kotzebue. The sample utilized for this study includes all sexual assault nurse examinations conducted in Anchorage from 1996 to 2004, in Bethel and Fairbanks in 2005 and 2006, and in Homer, Kodiak, Kotzebue, Nome, and Soldotna in 2005 (N = 1,699). This final report provides a thorough descriptive analysis of the sexual assault nurse examinations included in this study. This descriptive analysis focuses on demographic characteristics of patients; pre-assault, assault, and post-assault characteristics; exam characteristics and findings; suspect characteristics; and legal resolutions. The report then examines the predictors of genital injury. More specifically, it examines the effect of time elapsed from assault to report and of patient condition at the time of the assault. The effect of time elapsed from assault to report is examined by comparing the genital injuries of patients that reported to a sexual assault nurse examiner within 24 hours to the genital injuries of patients that did not. The effect of patient condition at the time of the assault is examined by comparing the genital injuries of patients that were sober, intoxicated, and incapacitated at the time of the assault. Results show that neither time elapsed from assault to report nor patient condition at the time of the assault impacted genital injury. The report also examines the effect of genital injury on legal resolutions. More specifically, it examines how the presence and frequency of genital injury impacts the likelihood that cases are referred for prosecution, the likelihood that cases are accepted by prosecutors, and the likelihood that cases result in a conviction. Results show that genital injury did not impact legal resolutions. Other factors, non-genital injury in particular, were significantly associated with both genital injury and legal resolutions. The relevance of these additional factors is discussed