Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships to Impact Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Policy

Points of view in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.The Alaska Department of Public Safety and the UAA Justice Center conducted numerous research projects and published numerous articles on domestic violence, sexual assault, child sexual abuse, and stalking. These research projects were used to develop new multidisciplinary and multifaceted initiatives to combat violence against women in Alaska. This poster describes our researcher-practitioner partnership and its impact on policy and practice.This project was supported by Grant No. 2005-WG-BX-0011 awarded by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.Abstract / Building Partenrships / Context / Sample Results / Importance of Data & Research / Using Data to Develop and Define Intitiatives / Dissemination / From Research to Policy and Practice / Enhancing Partnerships: Future Direction

Study Examines Sexual Assault Survivor Experiences

The Alaska Department of Public Safety is working with the University of Alaska Anchorage Justice Center to better understand how sexual assaults reported to the Alaska State Troopers are handled and perceived, and which factors shape the likelihood of achieving justice for sexual assault victim-survivors. A final report including recommendations for practice improvement is expected mid-2020.Questions of justice / SAKI research in Alaska / Understanding experiences and perceptions / Reference

Stalking in Alaska

Originally published in the Alaska Justice Forum 24(1): 1, 7–12 (Spring 2007).This study examined 267 cases with a stalking charge reported to Alaska State Troopers from 1994 to 2005, and excluded any cases reported to local or municipal departments. We also examined the legal resolutions for cases that were reported from 1999-2004. * Over 50% of reports occurred in B detachment (Southcentral Alaska) and D detachment (Interior Alaska). Three units (Fairbanks AST Enforcement, Palmer AST Enforcement, and Soldotna AST Enforcement) handled 49% of reports. Thirty-five percent of the charges were for stalking in the first degree and 65% were for stalking in the second degree. * Most suspects (91%) were male and most victims (89%) were female. Most suspects (78%) were White and most victims (86%) were also White. On average, suspects were 36 years old while victims were 33 years old. Twenty percent of suspects had used alcohol, but only 2% of victims had used alcohol. Fifty-four percent of suspects were, or had been, in a romantic relationship with the victim. An additional 35% of suspects were friends or acquaintances of the victim. * The most common forms of stalking included standing outside or visiting the victim's home (in 54% of charges), making unsolicited phone calls to victims (in 51% of charges), following the victim (in 39% of charges), threatening to physically assault the victim (in 36% of charges), harassing the victim's family and friends (in 28% of charges), trying to communicate with the victim in other ways (in 27% of charges), standing outside or visiting the victim's work (in 20% of charges), physically assaulting the victim (in 19% of charges), sending the victim unsolicited mail (in 15% of charges), and vandalizing the victim's home (in 13% of charges). Forty-five percent of behaviors occurred primarily at the victim's home, while 27% occurred primarily in cyberspace. * Seventy-five percent of the cases reported between 1999-2004 were referred for prosecution, 55% were accepted for prosecution, and 40% resulted in a conviction on at least one charge. Cases with suspects who violated protective orders were 20% more likely to be referred for prosecution, were 19% more likely to be accepted, and were 41% more likely to result in a conviction

Descriptive Analysis of Stalking Incidents Reported to Alaska State Troopers: 1994-2005

This project examined the characteristics of stalking incidents reported to the Alaska State Troopers from 1994 to 2005. It included information from 210 reports, 222 charges, 211 suspects, 216 victims, and 246 witnesses. For those stalking incidents reported from 1999 to 2004, the charges, suspects, victims, witnesses, and legal resolutions are documented.National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Grant No. 2005-WG-BX-0011Index of Tables and Figures / Acknowledgments / Executive Summary / Descriptive Analysis of Stalking Incidents / Brief Overview of Stalking / Stalking Legislation in Alaska / Purpose of this Study / Methodology / Report Characteristics / Charge Characteristics / Suspect Characteristics / Victim Characteristics / Witness Characteristics / Legal Resolutions / Stalking Prevalence and Reporting / Appendix A – Data Collection Instrumen

Descriptive Analysis of Sexual Assault Incidents Reported to Alaska State Troopers: 2003-2004

This study examines the characteristics of sexual assault and sexual abuse of minor incidents reported to the Alaska State Troopers (AST), providing the first statewide overview of such cases. The sample utilized for the analysis included all sexual assault and sexual abuse of minor incidents reported from January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2004 and includes information from 989 reports, 1,903 charges, 1,050 suspects, 1,082 victims, and 771 witnesses. The descriptive analysis documents the characteristics of these reports, suspects, victims, incidents, and witnesses, and examines three legal resolutions: whether cases were referred for prosecution, whether cases were accepted for prosecution, and whether cases resulted in a conviction.National Institute of Justice Office of Justice Programs, United States Department of Justice. Grant No. 2005-WG-BX-0011 Alaska Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Grant No. 2003-WR-BX-0210 and 2004-WF-AX-003Index of Tables and Figures / Acknowledgements / Executive Summary / Descriptive Analysis of Sexual Assault Incidents / Brief Overview of the State of Alaska / Brief Overview of Alaska State Troopers / Brief Overview of Sexual Assault / Sexual Assault Legislation in Alaska / PUrpose of this Study / Methodology / Report Characteristics / Suspect Characteristics / Victim Characteristics / Victim-Suspect Characteristics / Incident Characteristics / Witness Characteristics / Legal Resolutions / Appendix A - Additional Tables / Appendix B - Data Collection Instruments / Appendix C - 2004 Alaska Sexual Assault Law

Health and Fitness Awareness in Schools and Student Impact: A Quantitative Study

The purpose of this study was to analyze whether or not schools can have an impact on student knowledge of health and fitness if they implement programs that educate students in that content area. This study gathered information, via student questionnaires, from two school sites, to compare student knowledge at a school that implemented a health and fitness program with one that did not. The review of literature focused on current and passed data that emphasized the need for educating society on health trends, resulting impacts of unhealthy lifestyles i.e. obesity rates and diabetes, and the best venue for addressing and making changes in current health trends. The resulting data confirmed the hypothesis: Student health knowledge is higher in schools that provide health/fitness programs than those that do not, to be true. The data was statistically significant revealing that site A (the intervention site) yielded an average of 83-86% knowledge in health and fitness awareness and site B an average of 40-43% knowledge in that subject area

Sexual Assaults Reported to Alaska State Troopers

Originally published in the Alaska Justice Forum 25 (1–2): 1, 6–9 (Spring-Summer 2008). This project was supported by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice (Grant No. 2005-WB-GX-0011) and by the Violence Against Women Office, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice through the Alaska Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (Grant Numbers 2003-WR-BX-0210 and 2004-WF-AX-003). Points of view in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.This study examined 989 cases with a sexual assault or sexual abuse of a minor charge reported to Alaska State Troopers in 2003 and 2004, and excluded any sexual assault cases reported to local or municipal departments. * Forty-eight percent of reports came from C Detachment (Western Alaska - Kodiak to Kotzebue), and 58% were reported from communities off the road system. * In 69% of cases, the identity of at least one suspect was known. While most suspects (87%) were adults, most victims (73%) were juveniles. Sixty-one percent of victims were Alaska Native and 38% were White. Intra-racial victimizations were much more prevalent than inter-racial victimizations. The most common suspect was a friend or acquaintance of the victim, followed by a relative. Forty-three percent of suspects and 27% of victims had used alcohol. * Sexual penetration occurred in 60% of assaults. Weapons were very rarely used. Most assaults occurred inside private residences. Nineteen percent of victims experienced general physical pain and 10% suffered bruising or swelling. Most victimizations were reported quickly to Troopers and Troopers were quick to respond. Ninety-six percent of victims were interviewed, with 48% interviewed on the day of the report and 80% interviewed within one week of the report. * Forty-six per cent of reported cases were referred for prosecution, 60% of referred cases were accepted for prosecution, and 80% of accepted cases resulted in a conviction. Overall, however, only 22% of reported cases resulted in a conviction. In some cases, the conviction may be for a non-sexual offense. The highest level of attrition occurred from report to referral

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

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.National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Grant No. 2005-WG-BX-0011I. Index of Tables and Figures / II. Acknowledgments / III. Executive Summary / IV. Goals and Background for this Study / V. State of Alaska / VI. Sexual Assault / VII. Domestic Violence / VIII. Stalking / IX. References / X. Appendice

Assaults in Domestic Violence Incidents Reported to Alaska State Troopers

Originally published in the Alaska Justice Forum 25(3): 1, 7–12 (Fall 2008).This study examined 1,281 cases with an assault charge involving domestic violence reported to Alaska State Troopers in 2004, and excluded any cases reported to local or municipal departments. * Eighty-two percent of reports were handled by three detachment areas: 32% in C — “ Western Alaska, 29% in D — “ Interior Alaska, and 22% in B — “ Southcentral Alaska. Troopers received 80% of the reports, while 20% were received by Village Police Officers, Village Public Safety Officers, or Tribal Police Officers. Eighty-one percent of the assault charges were in the fourth degree. Eighty-four percent of assaults were reported within 24 hours, and 89% of victims and 81% of suspects were interviewed on the day of the report. * Seventy-six percent of suspects were male and 24% were female. On average, suspects were 33 years old and victims were 32 years old. The majority of assaults in domestic violence incidents (86%) were intra-racial. Fifty-seven percent of suspects and 32% of victims used alcohol. Overall, alcohol was involved in 59% of domestic violence incidents reported to Troopers. * Most assaults in domestic violence incidents (75%) occurred between victims and suspects who were staying or living together. The most common forms of violence (disclosed by victims and documented by officers) included pushing, grabbing, or shoving the victim (in 48% of incidents), punching the victim (in 29%), and slapping or hitting the victim (in 28%). Weapons such as knives or guns were rarely used. The most common injuries included bruising (for 38% of victims), lacerations or bite marks (for 27%), bloody nose or lips (for 10%), and black or swollen eyes (for 10%). Forty-three percent of incidents occurred in the presence of children. * Eighty percent of cases were referred to the Alaska Department of Law for prosecution, 68% were accepted for prosecution, and 54% resulted in a conviction. Overall conviction rates were slightly lower for female suspects, but conviction rates were generally not affected by victim gender or victim-suspect relationship

Alaska Victimization Survey: From Research to Policy and Practice

This project was supported by the Alaska Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. Points of view in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the Council, the Alaska Department of Public Safety, or the State of Alaska.The Justice Center at the University of Alaska Anchorage partnered with the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault to conduct a statewide victimization survey. The Alaska Victimization Survey was modeled after the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Surveillance System (NISVSS) survey, developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in collaboration with the National Institute of Justice and the Department of Defense. The NISVSS survey is designed to “generate accurate and reliable lifetime and 12-month incidence and prevalence estimates on intimate partner violence (physical aggression, psychological aggression, and sexual violence); sexual violence (unwanted sexual situations, abusive sexual contact, and completed or attempted sex without consent); and stalking” (CDC). This poster presents key results from the Alaska Victimization Survey and identifies how survey results are being used to impact policy and practice.Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Alaska Department of Public SafetyAbstract / UCR Forcible Rape Statistice: 1996–2009 / Survey Methods / Measures / Results / Dissemination / Impact on Policy & Practic