Professionalism in the Alaska Department of Corrections: Education and Experience [paper]

A later version of this paper was published as: Schafer, N.E. (1986). "Professionalism in the Alaska Department of Corrections: Education and Experience." The Justice Professional 1(2): 78–95 (Fall 1986).A survey of Alaska corrections personnel reveals that employees in all classifications tend to have more than the minimum education or experience required for their positions. More than 75 percent of college-educated corrections personnel earned degrees and more than 40 percent acquired their experience outside Alaska. The advantages and disadvantages of hiring large numbers of employees whose education and experience were gained elsewhere are discussed in the context of the unique problems of correctional service delivery in so large and diverse a state.Role Importance / Background of the Study / Methodology / Survey Results / Discussion / References / APPENDICES / A. Alaska Department of Corrections Locations [map] / B. Alaska Department of Corrections Position Description

Reorganizing Corrections: Revisiting the Recommendations of the National Advisory Commission

In 1973 the National Advisory Commission on Standards and Goals recommended that correctional services be consolidated under a single state agency, arguing that cost efficiencies, improved communication, and greater employee professionalism would result. The National Advisory Commission advocated state rather than local control of probation, and executive rather than judicial branch control of probation services. It encouraged development of regional rather than local jails and recommended that states assume the operation and control of all local detention and correctional functions. This paper examines some of the arguments for consolidation of correctional services and attempts to determine the kinds of reorganization that have occurred since 1973.BACKGROUND / Reorganizing Institutional Corrections / Reorganizing Probation / Reorganizing Parole / REORGANIZATION OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES / Institutional Reorganization / Reorganization of Probation / Reorganization of Parole / THE FUTURE OF CORRECTIONAL REORGANIZATION / Juvenile Corrections / Adult Probation / Local Facilities / REFERENCE

Performance and materials aspects of Ge:Be photoconductors

Ge:Be photoconductors were developed for low photon background applications in the 30 to 50 MM wavelength region. These detectors provide higher responsivity and lower noise equivalent power (NEP) than the Ge:Ga detectors currently operating in this wavelength range. Beryllium doped single crystals were grown by the Czochralski method from a carbon susceptor under a vacuum of approx. one million torr. An optimum detective quantum efficiency of 46% at a background flux of 1.5 x 10 to the 8th power photons/second (7 x 10 to the 13th power W) was reported. Ge:Be detector performance is strongly influenced by the absolute concentrations and the concentration ratio of residual shallow donors and shallow acceptors

Momentum, Density, and Isospin dependence of the Symmetric and Asymmetric Nuclear Matter Properties

Properties of symmetric and asymmetric nuclear matter have been investigated in the relativistic Dirac-Brueckner-Hartree-Fock approach based on projection techniques using the Bonn A potential. The momentum, density, and isospin dependence of the optical potentials and nucleon effective masses are studied. It turns out that the isovector optical potential depends sensitively on density and momentum, but is almost insensitive to the isospin asymmetry. Furthermore, the Dirac mass $m^*_D$ and the nonrelativistic mass $m^*_{NR}$ which parametrizes the energy dependence of the single particle spectrum, are both determined from relativistic Dirac-Brueckner-Hartree-Fock calculations. The nonrelativistic mass shows a characteristic peak structure at momenta slightly above the Fermi momentum \kf. The relativistic Dirac mass shows a proton-neutron mass splitting of $m^*_{D,n} <m^*_{D,p}$ in isospin asymmetric nuclear matter. However, the nonrelativistic mass has a reversed mass splitting $m^*_{NR,n} >m^*_{NR,p}$ which is in agreement with the results from nonrelativistic calculations.Comment: 25 pages, 12 figures, to appear in Physical Review

Discretion, Due Process, and the Prison Discipline Committee

A revised version of this paper was published as: Schafer, N.E. (1986). "Discretion, Due Process and the Prison Discipline Committee." Criminal Justice Review 11(2): 37–46 (Fall 1986). (http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/073401688601100207).Prison discipline received considerable attention from both the courts and professional organizations during the decade of the 1970s. It was widely assumed that the due process requirements which resulted from judicial review coupled with the promulgation of model discipline standards and procedures would limit the broad discretionary authority found in the traditional prison disciplinary process. A case study of the activities of one prison discipline committee suggests that these external pressures have had less impact on decision-making than such internal pressures as overcrowding. Due process requirements have not greatly inhibited the exercise of discretion in the prison discipline process.Abstract [Introduction] / Background of the Study / Prison Discipline in Indiana / Case Study of an Indiana Prison Discipline Committee / Discussion / Figures / Notes / References / Cases / Appendix: List of Violation

A Comparison by Race of Juvenile Referrals in Alaska

This paper is a based on the report A Comparison by Race of Juvenile Referrals in Alaska: Phase II Report by N.E. Schafer (Anchorage, AK: Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, May 1998).A data set comprised of all juveniles referred to Alaska youth corrections in the fiscal years 1992–1996 shows disproportionate referral of Alaska Native and African American youth when compared to their proportions in the general population. Minorities also appear more likely than white youth to accumulate multiple referrals. Random samples selected within each racial group are used to seek extra-legal factors which may account for some of the disparity. Information on family and home life, school, personal problems, and the details of each referrals and each referral outcome were extrapolated from the files of the sample which included 39 white youth, 35 Alaska Native youth, and 37 African American youth. Special attention was paid to youth who accumulated multiple referrals.This study was made possible by a gift from Cook Inlet Region, Inc. and was conducted in collaboration with the Alaska Division of Family and Youth Services.Abstract [Introduction] / Disproportionality Literature / Research on Alaska Natives and the Criminal Justice System / Background of the Study / Research Methodology / Findings / Conclusions / Bibliography / Appendix A: Referrals of Habitual Offenders (5 or more referrals