AJSAC reports

Browse

Recent Submissions

  • Publication
    Justice Data Base Directory
    (Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Unit, Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 1992-09) Moras, Antonia; Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Unit
    The Justice Data Base Directory, first published in 1988 with new chapters added annually through 1992, presents information about the primary databases maintained by Alaska justice agencies and the procedures to be followed for access to the data. Its availability should substantially reduce the work required to identify the sources of data for research and policy development in law, law enforcement, courts, and corrections. The 1992 update to the directory adds five chapters, for a total of 27 Alaska agencies whose justice-related data holdings are described: Alaska Court System; Alaska Judicial Council; Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct; Alaska Department of Law; Alaska Department of Public Safety (DPS) and three agencies under DPS: Alaska Police Standards Council, Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDSA), and Violent Crimes Compensation Board; Alaska Department of Corrections (DOC) and Parole Board; four agencies of the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services — Bureau of Vital Statistics (Division of Public Health), Epidemiology Section (Division of Public Health), Division of Family and Youth Services, and Office of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse; Alaska Public Defender Agency; Office of Public Advocacy (OPA); Alaska Bar Association; Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Unit; Alaska Office of Equal Employment Opportunity (Office of the Governor); Alaska Office of the Ombudsman; Alaska Legal Services Corporation; Alaska Public Offices Commission; Alaska State Commission for Human Rights; Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board; Legislative Research Agency; Legislative Affairs Agency; State Archives and Records Management Services (Alaska Department of Education). Fully indexed.
  • Publication
    Alaska Sex Offender Recidivism and Case Processing Study: Final Report
    (Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center, Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2016-12-23) Myrstol, Brad A.; Rivera, Marny; Parker, Khristy
    Part I of this report provides updated estimates of Alaska sex offender recidivism, expanding the post-inarceration follow-up period from two years (as used in previous studies) to seven years in order to better understand sex offender desistance from crime. Study data was obtained from the Alaska Department of Corrections and the Alaska Department of Public Safety. The initial analysis sample included all persons who were convicted of one or more registerable sexual offenses and subsequently released from incarceration between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2008. Of the 433 persons who met this critera, 27 died after release from institutional custody, leaving 406 sex offenders in the final analysis sample. In Part II of this report, data on individuals arrested at least once for the commission of one or more registerable sex offenses from 2008 to 2011 — a total of 1,179 individual suspects — were extracted from the criminal justice data repository maintained by the Alaska Department of Public Safety. This data was analyzed to evaluate the accuracy and completeness of Alaska’s criminal history repository data on sex offenses and to explore the quality of those data for examining case processing of misdemeanor and felony offenses.
  • Publication
    Evaluation of the Alaska Pre-Trial Intervention Program
    (Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Unit, Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 1988) Schafer, N. E.
    The statewide Pretrial Intervention (PTI) Program of the Alaska Department of Law, begun in 1981, received referrals of accused felons and misdemeanants charged with property crimes or misdemeanor personal crimes. Using data from 1983 to 1986, this study examines extralegal and legal characteristics of PTI clients; analyzies program conditions, compliance, and dispositions; and analyzes achievement of program goals. Criminal histories for 2 to 5 years after intake were used to assess recidivism and recidivist characteristics. Results indicate that PTI operated successfully on a variety of measures throughout its existence. It met intake goals, was available to a broad spectrum of citizens in both urban and rural areas of the state, and two-thirds of clients admitted to the program had no record of subsequent law violations. The program admitted only prosecutable offenders and did not result in netwidening. The program provided alternatives to more severe sanctions for nearly 1,900 Alaskans of all ages, races, and socioeconomic status whose offenses were not violent or of a serious or threatening nature. PTI clients ranged in age from 17 to 66 and included both males and females. Theft, drug burglary/trespass, assault, and minor consuming were the most frequently charged offenses. Of clients, 36.8 percent were felons, and 36.3 percent had prior convictions. During the evaluation period, clients completed 65,302 hours of community service; paid $435,081 in victim restitution; and participated in needed treatment programs, including alcohol, psychological, domestic violence, and career counseling.
  • Publication
    Descriptive Analysis of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Incidents Closed by the Alaska State Troopers: 2008–2011 — Final Report
    (Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center, Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2015-07) Myrstol, Brad A.; Parker, Khristy L.
    This report presents a descriptive analysis of sexual assault and domestic violence incidents closed by the Alaska State Troopers for the period January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2011, as part of an effort to systematically document the formal processing of sexual assault (SA), sexual abuse of a minor (SAM), and domestic violence incidents reported to law enforcement agencies in Alaska.
  • Publication
    Brady Statute Data: Persons Who Are Unlawful Users of or Addicted to Any Controlled Substances
    (Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Unit, Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 1998-09) Trostle, Lawrence C.
    Currently, Alaska law enforcement agencies do not obtain data on four noncriminal categories prohibited by the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 from obtaining firearms. This, the third of four reports on these categories, describes how persons who are unlawful users or addicted to any controlled substance can be identified within an Alaska context and discusses possible procedures, problems, and solutions associated with data collection. At this time there is no clear or cost-effective way to create and maintain a database for either addicts or controlled substance abusers with any accuracy. Records are not kept on addicts or controlled substance abusers, and even if they were, because of the right to privacy, access would be denied. However the Criminal Case Intake and Disposition form is currently used statewide by law enforcement personnel. It could be modified with little effort to capture information on some addiction/controlled substance abuse events for the purpose of Brady background checks.
  • Publication
    An Implementation of Remote Alcohol Monitoring in Alaska
    (Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center, Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2005-07) McKelvie, Alan R.
    The Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring (SCRAM) system is an ankle bracelet monitoring device implemented for use in 2003–2005 in Anchorage, Palmer, Fairbanks, Bethel, and Kotzebue. The SCRAM devices monitor the wearers' consumption of alcohol through transdermal analysis. By July 2005 there were 130 units in operation in Alaska, with 202 clients participating in the program in 2003 and 2004, and 176 clients in the first half of 2005, when this evaluation took place. Results showed that the devices functioned effectively in Alaska, including in rural areas (using the Alaska satellite telecommunications network), in extreme cold, and under other inclement conditions.
  • Publication
    Sex Offender Treatment Program: Initial Recidivism Study
    (Offender Programs, Alaska Department of Corrections; Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Unit, Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 1996-07-31) Mander, Anthony M.; Atrops, Martin E.; Barnes, Allan R.; Munafo, Roseanne
    This report presents results of a recidivism study of participants in the Sex Offender Treatment Program at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center, Alaska Department of Corrections, from January 1987 to August 1995. The report provides an overview and history of sex offender treatment in Alaska as well as a literature review of other studies and findings on this area of treatment. The Alaska study, which was the first conducted of the treatment program, found that any level of treatment achieved resulted in less recidivism, with the longer the period of treatment, the lower the recidivism. The study also noted the high percentage of Alaska Natives in the program and the history of alcohol and substance abuse presented by many sex offenders. The majority of offenders in the program were guilty of assaulting children. The study discusses the program's cost benefits as well as the implications of its findings for probation and parole.
  • Publication
    Brady Statute Data: Persons Who Are Illegally or Unlawfully in the United States
    (Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Unit, Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 1998-09) Atwell, Cassie; Trostle, Lawrence C.; Barnes, Allan R.
    Currently, Alaska law enforcement agencies do not obtain data on four noncriminal categories prohibited by the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 from obtaining firearms. This, the fourth of four reports on these categories, describes how undocumented immigrants who are unlawfully in the United States can be identified within an Alaska context and discusses possible procedures, problems, and solutions associated with data collection. It was found that the most feasibile means for obtaining information for the purposes of Brady background checks would be the Verification Information System (VIS) of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). However, project researchers received no response from INS to inquiries about requirements of access to VIS.
  • Publication
    Brady Statute Data: Establishing Noncriminal Classifications for the Alaska Department of Public Safety
    (Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Unit, Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 1998-09-14) Atwell, Cassie; Trostle, Lawrence C.; Barnes, Allan R.
    The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 prohibits the purchase of firearms by persons in certain noncriminal categories. These reports describe potential data sources for the identification of mental committments, addicted substance abusers, illegal aliens, and persons who have been the subject of a domestic violence restraining order and discusses possible procedures, problems, and solutions associated with data collection for the purpose of Brady background checks. Lack of infrastructure for collecting certain types of data, incompleteness of information, and state constitutional protections, including the guarantee of privacy, are the chief obstacles to completely meeting the provisions of the Brady Act in Alaska.
  • Publication
    Brady Statute Data: Adjudicated Mental Defectives and Involuntary Mental Commitments
    (Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Unit, Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 1997-09-08) Atwell, Cassie; Trostle, Lawrence C.; Barnes, Allan R.
    Currently, Alaska law enforcement agencies do not obtain data on four noncriminal categories prohibited by the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 from obtaining firearms. This, the first of four reports on these categories, describes how adjudicated mental defectives and involuntary mental commitments can be identified within an Alaska context and discusses possible procedures, problems, and solutions associated with data collection. The report discussed federal statutory definitions of the terms adjudicated as a mental defective, committed to a mental institution, and legal authority; compares these terms with those current in Alaska Statues and used by social service and mental health agencies in the state; and describes, in general, data held by federal, state, local, and private agencies in Alaska. At present, there is no clear or cost-effective way to create and maintain a database for either of the two categories with any accuracy: besides technical difficulties in getting different databases to "talk" to each other, records are not kept on mentally ill individuals, and even if they were, access would be prohibited in the face of federal and state laws regarding privacy.
  • Publication
    Brady Statute Data: Persons Who are Subject to a Court Order Restraining Them from Threatening or Committing Acts of Domestic Violence or Abuse
    (Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Unit, Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 1998-03-06) Atwell, Cassie; Barnes, Allan R.; Trostle, Lawrence C.
    Currently, Alaska law enforcement agencies do not obtain data on four noncriminal categories prohibited by the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 from obtaining firearms. This, the second of four reports on these categories, describes how persons subject to a domestic violence restraining order can be identified within an Alaska context and discusses possible procedures, problems, and solutions associated with data collection. The state is rapidly moving to the point where all individuals who meet the Brady definition for this category will be identified, the information housed in a separate database, and reported to federal agencies. AS 18.65.540 provides for a central registry of Domestic Violence Protective Orders, a product of the (state) Domestic Violence Prevention and Victim Protection Act of 1996.
  • Publication
    Sex Offender Treatment Program: Preliminary Description
    (Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Unit, Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 1995-05-10) Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Unit
    This report provides a summary of the history of sex offender treatment in Alaska, including the current status of treatment programs offered by the Alaska Department of Corrections, a review of literature on sex offender treatment and recidivism issues, and a summary of the descriptive characteristics of individuals who came in contact with the Hiland Mountain Correctional Center from January 1987 to March 1993.
  • Publication
    Measuring Adult Criminal Victimization: Findings from the Anchorage Adult Criminal Victimization Survey
    (Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center, Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2003-07) Giblin, Matthew; Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center
    Since 1973, the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) has been administered annually to a national sample of households. The survey captures unreported or underreported criminal events that are not available using official crime data such as the Uniform Crime Reports. However, the data collected are most useful in identifying crime trends nationwide. The national scope of the survey makes it impossible to extract crime data for smaller geographic areas, thus limiting its utility for Anchorage residents and policymakers with criminal justice concerns. To compensate for this limitation, the Justice Center at the University of Alaska Anchorage administered a local version of the NCVS during second quarter 2002. By surveying adult residents of Anchorage, the project, titled the Anchorage Adult Criminal Victimization Survey (AACVS), generated a wealth of information on crime victimization, neighborhood conditions, fear, and policing in Anchorage. This report presents the results of the AACVS.
  • Publication
    Alaska Criminal Statute Cross-Reference Guide
    (Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Unit, Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 1996-11) Barnes, Allan R.; Watson, Julie R.
    This guide provides cross-references between Alaska criminal statutes and National Criminal Information Center (NCIC), Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), Alaska OBTS, and Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) codes. The guide also includes brief annotations of each statute. The guide is also available in a computerized version. An accompanying volume, Conversion Tables for Use with the Alaska OBTS Database and the Alaska Criminal Statute Cross-Reference Guide, is designed for use with printed versions of the guide. The guide reflects legislative changes in Alaska Statutes through 1997, but is no longer updated.
  • Publication
    Alaska Criminal Statute Conversion Tables for Use with Alaska Criminal Statute Reference Guide and the Alaska OBTS Database
    (Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center, Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 1996-11) Barnes, Allan R.; Watson, Julie R.
    These conversion tables are designed for use with the Alaska Offender-Based Transaction Statistics (OBTS) database and the Alaska Criminal Statute Cross-Reference Guide. The purpose of the tables is to allow users of printed versions of the "Guide" to quickly convert Alaska Statutes to their corresponding National Criminal Information Center (NCIC), Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), Alaska OBTS, and Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) codes. (The tables are not required for use with the computerized version of the Guide.) The tables reflect legislative changes in Alaska Statutes through 1997, but are no longer updated.
  • Publication
    Brady Statute Data: Establishing Noncriminal Classifications for the Alaska Department of Public Safety—Executive Summary
    (Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Unit, Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 1998-09-14) Barnes, Allan R.; Trostle, Lawrence C.; Atwell, Cassie
    The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 prohibited the purchase of firearms by persons in certain noncriminal categories. This executive report summarizes study findings on potential data sources for the identification of mental committments, addicted substance abusers, noncitizens in the U.S. illegally or unlawfully, and persons who have been the subject of a domestic violence restraining order and briefly discusses possible procedures, problems, and solutions associated with data collection for the purpose of Brady background checks. Lack of infrastructure for collecting certain types of data, incompleteness of information, and state constitutional protections, including the guarantee of privacy, were the chief obstacles to completely meeting the provisions of the Brady Act in Alaska.
  • Publication
    Descriptive Analysis of Sexual Assaults in Anchorage, Alaska
    (Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center, Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2003-10) Rosay, André B.; Langworthy, Robert H.
    It has long been known that forcible rapes and sexual assaults occur at a higher rate in Anchorage and in Alaska than in the U.S. as a whole. The Justice Center, in collaboration with the Anchorage Police Department, conducted an epidemiological study aimed at providing a better understanding of the parameters of the rape and sexual assault problem in Anchorage. Researchers looked at case data drawn from the 541 sexual assaults reported to the Anchorage Police Department in 2000 and 2001. These data provide the first solid information on victim and suspect characteristics, time and location of assaults, and other details about sexual assaults and rapes reported to the police. In some cases the data contradict some of the more common assumptions regarding Anchorage’s rape problem.