The Minor Consuming Alcohol (MCA) Conference was organized in response to concern about MCA cases and underage drinking in Alaska, and was held April 4, 2014, at the Alaska Court System's Snowden Training Center in downtown Anchorage.

Conference sponsors were the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority and the Minor Consuming Alcohol Subcommittee — chaired by Palmer Superior Court Judge Eric Smith, Third Judicial District — of the Alaska Supreme Court's Fairness, Diversity, and Equality Committee.

Participants included state and tribal court judges, tribal representatives, attorneys, law enforcement, researchers, and health and education professionals. Goals of the conference were to explore the various approaches Alaska communities are using in handling MCA cases, to review research and resources, and to discuss best practices and the effectiveness of programs, including community and tribal diversion panels and Juvenile Alcohol Safety Action Programs (JASAPs). Photographs and a synopsis of the conference are on the UAA Justice Center blog.

Materials from the conference and selected post-conference resources are archived below, and provide a view of Alaska research, policy, and practice on MCA, efforts underway to improve how Alaska communities address underage drinking, and efforts to reform regulation and control of alcoholic beverages in Alaska under Alaska's Title 4 at the time of the conference through 2018. In 2016, with the signing of Senate Bill 165 into Alaska law, the penalty for underage drinking was reduced from a misdemeanor to a violation.

Resources

• State of the Judiciary 2014

  State of the Judiciary 2014

  • "State of the Judiciary 2014" (see page 14 for remarks about Minor Consuming Alcohol cases) by Chief Justice Dana Fabe, Alaska Supreme Court. Address presented before a joint session of the Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, AK, 12 Feb 2014.
• Conference materials

  Conference Materials

  • Agenda
  • Participant List
  • "Summary of How Minor Consuming Alcohol Cases Are Handled in Your Community" by conference participants
  • Youth Court Director Contact List (FY 2013)
• Statutes and court information

  Statutes and Court Information

  Alaska Statutes

  • Minor Consuming Alcohol (MCA) Statute: Alaska Statute § 04.16.050 — Possession, Control, or Consumption by Persons under the Age of 21 (2014).

  Case Law

  • Jackson v. State, 127 P.3d 835. (Alaska Court of Appeals 2006), as amended (6 Feb 2006).

  Alaska Rules of Court

  • Supreme Court Order No. 1816 [Restorative Justice Practices]. Alaska Supreme Court (2013; eff. 2014).

  Alaska District Court Documents

  • Information for Those Convicted of Minor Consuming or Possessing Alcohol (MCA) (PUB-12). Alaska Court System (2011)
  • Arraignment on the Charge of Minor Consuming or Possessing Alcohol (PUB-12b). Alaska Court System (2011)

  Case Flow

  • "Proposed MCA Case Flow Chart" by Christopher McLain. Alaska Court System, Apr 2014.
• Model agreements

  Model Agreements

  • Limited Delegation Agreement between the State of Alaska and Alaska Native Tribes (draft 2014). State of Alaska.
  • Model Memorandum of Understanding for Juvenile Diversion Programs. Anchorage, AK: Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Alaska Division of Juvenile Justice, Southcentral Region, 2014.
• Selected research

  Selected Research

  Alaska Department of Health and Social Services — Information

  • "Alaska: State Profile and Underage Drinking Facts." From Report to Congress on the Prevention and Reduction of Underage Drinking 2013, pp. 255–267. PEP13-RTCUAD. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2013.
  • Alaska’s Strategies to Prevent Underage Drinking. Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, 2013.

  National Research

  • Athens-Clarke County (Georgia) Police Department: Case Study of an Effective and Comprehensive Youth Alcohol Enforcement Initiative by Andrea Morrozoff. Washington, DC: Police Executive Research Forum, Feb 2002.
  • Regulatory Strategies for Preventing Youth Access to Alcohol: Best Practices (revised ed.) by Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation. Calverton, MD: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center, May 2011.
  • Underage Drinking (revised ed.) by Kelly Dedel. Problem-Oriented Guides for Police #27. COPS-P061. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, Aug 2012.
  • Networking for Success — OJJDP Nationwide Drinking Initiative: Inventory of Promising Enforcement Projects. Washington, DC: Police Executive Research Forum, May 2001.
• UAA Justice Center research

  UAA Justice Center Research

  Presentations

  • "Underage Drinking: Research, Evaluation, and Related Efforts" (Powerpoint) by Marny Rivera and L. Diane Casto. Slide presentation presented at the Minor Consuming Alcohol (MCA) Conference, Anchorage, AK, 4 Apr 2014. (JC 1010.05).
  • "Tribal Courts and Minor Consuming Alcohol Cases: Researching Recidivism and Responsiveness" (Powerpoint) by Ryan Fortson and Cory R. Lepage. Slide presentation presented at the Minor Consuming Alcohol (MCA) Conference, Anchorage, AK, 4 Apr 2014. (JC 1250.03).

  Reports & Articles

  • Analysis of Strategies Designed to Reduce Sales of Alcohol and Tobacco to Underage Persons: A Preliminary Report by Marny Rivera and Khristy Parker. Report prepared for the Alaska Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. Anchorage, AK: Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 19 Jan 2012. (JC 1202.01).
  • 2010 Anchorage Underage Drinking Survey: A Look at Adult Attitudes, Perceptions, and Norms by Marny Rivera, Khristy Parker, and Jennifer McMullen. Report prepared for Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol, Volunteers of America Alaska. Anchorage, AK: Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, Jul 2012. (JC 1010.03).
  • Youth Alcohol Access, Consumption, and Consequences in Anchorage, Alaska: 2012 Update by Marny Rivera, Khristy Parker, and Jennifer McMullen. Report prepared for the Volunteers of America CMCA Project. Anchorage, AK: Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 10 Dec 2012. (JC 1010.04).
  • "Reducing Sales of Alcohol to Underage Persons in Alaska" by Marny Rivera and Shirley Coté. Alaska Justice Forum 30(2): 1, 13–16 (Summer 2013).
• Programs

  Programs

  Alaska Native Justice Center — Youth Advocacy Program (YAP)

  • Youth Advocacy Monitoring Program Qualifications and Guidelines. Anchorage, AK: Alaska Native Justice Center, Sep 2012.
  • Youth Advocacy Program — Minor Consuming Alcohol Community Diversion Panel: 2008–2013 Cumulative Report (draft) by Imari René Anthony Rouzan. Anchorage, AK: Alaska Native Justice Center, Mar 2014.
  • Developing Diversion Panels: Using Diversion Panels to Strengthen Rural Communities (Powerpoint slide presentation) by Imari René Anthony Rouzan. Anchorage, AK: Alaska Native Justice Center.

  Organized Village of Kake — Keex' Kwaan Peacemaking Court

  • Kake Circle Peacemaking Materials (handouts) by Keex' Kwaan Peacemaking Court. Kake, AK: Organized Village of Kake, Keex' Kwaan Peacemaking Court.

  Kenai — Kenaitze Indian Tribe and Kenai Peninsula Youth Court

  • Information About Possible Referral of Your Underage Drinking Case to Community Diversion Programs (Kenaitze Indian Tribal Circle Program or Kenai Peninsula Youth Court). Kenai, AK: Kenaitze Indian Tribe and Kenai Peninsula Youth Court, 28 May 2013.
  • Tribal Youth Circle (brochure) Kenai, AK: Kenaitze Indian Tribe.
  • How Alcohol Cases Get to Kenai Peninsula Youth Court (MCAs). Kenai, AK: Kenai Peninsula Youth Court.

  Sitka Tribe of Alaska — TYDE Program

  • Sitka Tribe of Alaska — Tribal Youth Diversion Effort (TYDE): Diversion Procedure. Sitka, AK: Sitka Tribe of Alaska Tribal Court, 26 Jul 2005.
  • Tribal Youth Diversion Effort (TYDE) — Agreement for Informal Diversion (form). Sitka, AK: Sitka Tribe of Alaska Tribal Court.
  • Tribal Youth Diversion Effort (TYDE) (brochure). Sitka, AK: Sitka Tribe of Alaska Tribal Court.

  Tanana Chiefs Conference — Tribal Court & Governance

  • Sample Tribal Justice Circle Ordinance by Lisa Jaeger. Fairbanks, AK: Tanana Chiefs Conference, Mar 2014.

  Volunteers of America Alaska — Anchorage Juvenile ASAP

  • Anchorage JASAP: Program Overview (Powerpoint) by Glen Kratochvil. Anchorage, AK: Volunteers of America Alaska.
• Post-conference resources

  Post-Conference Resources

  Conference Summaries

  • "Dr. Rivera and Dr. Fortson Present at Alaska Court System Minor Consuming Alcohol Conference." UAA Justice Center Blog, May 13, 2014. Photographs and synopsis of the conference on UAA Justice Center blog.
  • "State of the Judiciary 2015" (See pp. 13–14 for remarks about Minor Consuming Alcohol cases) by Chief Justice Dana Fabe. Address presented before a joint session of the Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, AK, 11 Feb 2015. Remarks about MCA cases from State of the Judiciary address Complete address at Alaska Court System website
  • "Minor Consuming Alcohol Conference." Page 19 of Alaska Court System Annual Report FY 2014: July 1, 2013–June 30, 2014. Anchorage, AK: Alaska Court System, 2015.

  Interview with Barrow Superior Court Judge Michael Jeffery

  • "Call Him 'Minimum Mike' If You Like, but This Barrow Judge Is Trying Something New" by Kyle Hopkins. Anchorage Daily News, 1 Jun 2014.
  • "Alcohol & Me: Michael Jeffery" (YouTube video — Alaska Dispatch News channel) by Marc Lester and Kyle Hopkins. Anchorage, AK: Anchorage Daily News,  2 June 2014.

  Senate Bill 165 reduces underage drinking from a misdemeanor to a violation

  • "Alaska Law on Underage Drinking Could See Major Change" by Matt Buxton. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, 5 Nov 2015.
  • "At a Glance: Proposed Changes in State Law Regarding Underage Drinking." Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, 5 Nov 2015.
  • "New Law Reduces Penalties for Minors Caught Consuming Alcohol" by Samantha Angaiak. KTUU Channel 2 News, 7 Jul 2016.
  • "Walker Signs Bill Reducing Underage Drinking Penalties" by Matt Buxton. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, 7 Jul 2016.
• Title 4 review & statutory changes (2015–2018)

  Title 4 review & statutory changes (2015–2018)

  Alaska Alcoholic Beverage Control Board – Title 4 review

  • Alaska Title 4 Review for the Alaska Alcoholic Beverage Control Board: Recommendations for Statutory Change — Executive Summary. Feb 2015.
  • Title 4 Review: 2016 Update, 8 Feb 2016.
  • Title 4 Review: 2017 Update, 24 Jan 2017.
  • Title 4 Review: Senate Bill 76 , 22 Jan 2018.

  Alaska State Legislature: Senate bills

  • Senate Bill 99: Alcoholic Beverage Control; Alcohol Reg. 29th Legislature, First Session, Alaska State Legislature. (Introduced 7 Apr 2015).
  • Senate Bill 165: Alcohol: Board; Minors; Marijuana Checks. 29th Alaska Legislature, Second Session (2016). (Introduced 1 Feb 2016; signed into law 11 Jul 2016; effective date 4 Oct 2016.) This law reduced underage drinking from a misdemeanor to a violation.
  • Senate Bill 76: Alcoholic Beverage Control; Alcohol Reg. 30th Alaska Legislature, First Session (2017). (Introduced 3 Mar 2017.)

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