Alaska Justice Forum 36(1), Fall 2019

Study examines sexual assault survivor experiences

Ingrid D. Johnson, Randi Breager, and Katherine H. TePas

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.

Alaska sex offense law: What has changed

Barbara Dunham

Alaska’s sex offense laws fall into three broad categories: crimes and defenses, sentencing, and post-release supervision and registry. This article discusses each in turn, looking at how these laws have changed following the 31st legislative session.

Academy expands medical forensic care and response

L. Diane Casto and Angelia Trujillo

The Alaska Comprehensive Forensic Training Academy, the first of its kind in the nation, trains nurses and health care providers to support victims of interpersonal violence in a trauma-informed manner and to preserve potential evidence and information for future prosecutions.

Legal representation and custody determinations

Ryan Fortson and Troy C. Payne

Do lawyers matter in case outcomes, and can this be shown empirically? A recently published study of initial custody disputes suggests that having an attorney can result in a more favorable outcome for the client, but only if the other side is not also represented by an attorney.

Editor's note

Henry Randolph

An update on the Alaska Justice Forum during times of change at the University of Alaska Anchorage, including the publication's transition to an all-digital format.

Fall 2019 issue at Scholarworks@UA

PDFs of the complete Fall 2019 issue and of individual articles are available at Scholarworks@UA.