Environmental Justice in Alaska

This article also appeared on p. 3 of the Summer 2018 print edition.Pamela Cravez, editor of the Alaska Justice Forum, gives an overview of articles in the Summer 2018 edition, which addresses environmental contaminants in Alaska, some of the programs in place to deal with them, and the lasting impact that they are having on Alaska Native communities

Myrstol Is New Justice Center Director

This article also appeared on p. 3 of the Spring 2018 print edition.Dr. Brad Myrstol is announced as the new director of the UAA Justice Center, and Pamela Cravez, editor of the Alaska Justice Forum, gives an overview of articles in the Spring 2018 edition

Crisis Intervention Teams Assist Law Enforcement

A shorter version of this article appeared on pp. 5–7 of the Fall 2017 print edition.The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) is a police-based, first responders’ pre-arrest jail diversion model for individuals with mental illness and/or substance abuse disorder. A new CIT coalition is being developed in Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The online version of the article also includes additional information about specialized police responses.Specialized training / Mat-Su adapts CIT / CIT requires culture shift / SIDEBAR: Specialized police response models / Reference

Sexual Assault Kit Initiative: Alaska Making Progress

This article also appeared on p. 5–6 of the Spring 2018 print edition.Victim-centered policies being developed by the Alaska Department of Public Safety for processing unsubmitted and untested sexual assault kits collected by Alaska State Troopers are one part of the state’s efforts to tackle more than 3,000 untested kits under grants from the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice.Alaska SAKI / Why kits weren’t tested / What’s happening now? / Reference

Editor's Note

This article also appeared on p. 3 of the Summer 2017 print edition.Pamela Cravez, new editor of the Alaska Justice Forum, announces changes to the publication, including an updated design and enhanced online presence

Pretrial Risk Assessment Tool Developed for Alaska

A shorter version of this article appeared on pp. 4–8 of the Winter 2018 print edition.Beginning January 1, 2018, judicial officers, defense attorneys, and prosecuting attorneys in all Alaska courts began to receive information from a new pretrial risk assessment tool that calculates whether a defendant is at low, moderate, or high risk for failure to appear at trial or to commit another crime if the defendant is released pretrial. The tool, incorporated in Alaska’s new bail statute, aids in the judicial officer’s decision regarding pretrial bail conditions. This article looks at risk assessment tools in general and describes the development of Alaska’s pretrial risk assessment tool.History of assessment tools / Alaska’s pretrial tool / SIDEBARS / Proprietary and open risk assessment tools / Limitations and quality assessment of Alaska pretrial screening tool / Reference

Sequential Intercept Model: Framework for a ‘Wicked Problem’

This article also appeared on p. 7–8 of the Spring 2018 print edition.The Sequential Intercept Model offers conceptual points at which a person with serious mental illness could be diverted from the criminal justice system and into community-based treatment. This article reviews the 2015 book "The Sequential Intercept Model and Criminal Justice" (New York: Oxford University Press), which looks at the success of programs along the intercept continuum. A workshop on the model sponsored by the Alaska Department of Corrections will be held in Anchorage in May 2018.[Sidebar:] Sequential Intercept Model workshop in Anchorage / Reference

Alaska’s Lack of Psychiatric Beds and Consequences

This updates the article which appears on pp. 5–8 of the Summer 2017 print edition.Patients experiencing psychiatric emergencies referred to Alaska Psychiatric Institute (API) in Anchorage must frequently must wait four to six days before being admitted. API, with 80 beds, is the state’s sole psychiatric hospital and provider of inpatient services. Two additional Designated Evaluation and Treatment (DET) hospitals — Fairbanks Memorial Hospital (20 beds) and Juneau’s Bartlett Regional Hospital (12 beds) — provide care for acute psychiatric emergencies. According to a recent privatization report there is no infrastructure in Alaska to support longer, more complex intervention as a routine form of inpatient treatment. This has not always been the case. This article traces the history of Alaska mental health policy and discusses the consequences of the lack of capacity to treat mental illness in the community, including growing numbers entering the corrections system.[Introduction] API is Full / API: High Admission Rates, Short Stays / Full-Service Hospital / Downsizing / New Admissions Policy / Fewer Hospital Beds, More Prison Beds / More Beds and Fewer on Horizon / References // SIDEBAR: Mental Health Problems High Among Inmates, Especially Female

Editor's Note

This article also appeared on p. 3 of the Fall 2017 print edition.Pamela Cravez, editor of the Alaska Justice Forum, gives an overview of articles in the current edition of the Alaska Justice Forum