Recommendations of the Alaska Criminal Justice Council January 2003 Recommendations of the Alaska Criminal Justice Council January 2003 Staff: Teri Carns, Staff Director Jenny Lora Miller, Staff Attorney Pat A. Scott, Executive Secretary Alaska Judicial Council 1029 West Third Avenue, Suite 201 Anchorage, AK 99501 (907) 279-2526 Email: [email protected] This publication was released by the Alaska Judicial Council at a cost of $3.00 per copy and was printed in Anchorage, Alaska. Criminal Justice Council Members Chair, Bruce Botelho, Attorney General Co-chair, Margaret Pugh, Commissioner, Department of Corrections Barbara Brink, Public Defender Larry Cohn, Executive Director, Alaska Judicial Council Stephanie Cole, Administrative Director of the Alaska Court System Jay Livey, Commissioner, Department of Health and Social Services Brant McGee, Director, Office of Public Advocacy Del Smith, Commissioner, Department of Public Safety Other Participants Chris Christensen, Deputy Director, Alaska Court System Pat Gullufsen, Deputy Attorney General Margot Knuth, Strategic Program Coordinator, Department of Corrections Elmer Lindstrom, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Health and Social Services Chrystal Smith, Special Assistant, Office of the Attorney General Russ Webb, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Health and Social Services Staff Teri Carns, Staff Director Jenny Lora Miller, Staff Attorney Pat A. Scott, Executive Secretary Former Members William Cotton, former Executive Director, Alaska Judicial Council, May 2000 - June 2001 Glenn Godfrey, former Commissioner, Dep’t of Public Safety, May 2000 - June 2002 Cindy Cooper, former Deputy Attorney General, May 2000 - February 2002 Karen Perdue, former Commissioner, Dep’t of Health and Social Services, May 2000 - October 2001 Acknowledgments The Alaska Criminal Justice Council has spent the past two and a half years working to carry out the recommendations made by the Criminal Justice Assessment Commission in May 2000. In large part, it has succeeded. The essence of the Criminal Justice Council is its shared approach to achieving progress for Alaska’s criminal justice system that could not happen by the efforts of any one agency. CJC members worked daily with the legislature, municipal and state governments and the public to accomplish mutual goals. In some projects, one group took the lead; in others, a different group or coalition. In all, the state and its citizens benefitted. This report summarizes progress towards meeting the CJAC goals and establishes new goals for the criminal justice system in the coming years. The mission remains the same: to ensure that offenders are held accountable, to assure that the criminal justice system protects public safety, to improve the system’s cost effectiveness, and to relieve prison overcrowding. The background information and recommendations offered here are intended to fulfill that mission. CJC recognizes the invaluable contributions of its members: • Chair, Bruce Botelho, Attorney General, 1993 - 2002; • Co-chair, Margaret Pugh, Commissioner of Corrections, 1994 - 2002; • Former and current Commissioners of Health and Social Services, Karen Perdue, 1994 - 2001, and Jay Livey, 2001 - 2002; • Former and current Commissioners of Public Safety, Glenn Godfrey,1994 - 2002 and Del Smith, 2002 - present; • Public Defender Barbara Brink, 1997 - present; • Public Advocate Brant McGee, 1985 - present; • Administrative Director of the Courts Stephanie Cole, 1997 - present; and • Former Judicial Council Executive Director William Cotton, 1990 - 2001, and current Executive Director Larry Cohn, 2001 - present. The members were capably assisted by staff, including Cindy Cooper (Deputy Attorney General, 1996 - 2002), Pat Gullufsen (Deputy Attorney General, 2002), Russ Webb, (Deputy DHSS Commissioner, 2001 - 2002), Elmer Lindstrom (Deputy DHSS Commissioner, 2001 - 2002), Margot Knuth (Special Assistant to DOC Commissioner, 1994 - 2002), and Chris Christensen (Deputy Director, Alaska Court System). CJC staff for this report included Staff Director Teri Carns, Contract Attorney Jenny Miller, and, Executive Secretary Pat Scott. The Department of Corrections has provided funding for the Criminal Justice Council, and the Alaska Judicial Council has housed the staff and provided administrative support. Appendix C of this report lists the committee members and interviewees who contributed to the work of CJC during the past year. New legislators, state officials and staff must decide how to use the recommendations and materials in this report. The CJC members offer them as a basis for moving forward to serve Alaska citizens by keeping the criminal justice system effective, focused on public safety and maximizing the use of state resources to reduce recidivism, aid victims, and improve services to both urban and rural areas. Table of Contents I. Introduction .............................................................1 A.Project History..........................................................1 1. The NIC Criminal Justice Project ........................................1 2. The Criminal Justice Assessment Commission..............................2 3. The Criminal Justice Council ...........................................3 B. The Need for Further Criminal Justice Review.................................4 C. Summary of Findings, Foci, and Recommendations.............................5 D.Table of Recommendations................................................8 II. Alaska’s Criminal Justice System: Background and Recommendations ..................................................16 A.General Policy.........................................................16 1. Background ........................................................16 a) Restorative Justice................................................16 2. General Policy Recommendations.......................................18 B. Alcohol and Substance Abuse Policy .......................................24 1. Background ........................................................24 a) The Correlation Between Substance Abuse, Lack of Treatment and Crime....24 b) Access to Supportive Services .......................................28 (i) The Dual-Diagnosis Population .................................29 (ii) Incarcerated Substance Abusers.................................31 (iii) Title 47 Alcohol Holds ........................................33 c) The Therapeutic Courts............................................33 (i) Felony Drug Court ...........................................33 (ii) Felony DUI Courts: Anchorage and Bethel ........................34 (iii) Wellness Court ..............................................35 d) Naltrexone Use ..................................................35 e) Minor Consuming ................................................36 (i) Youth Courts................................................38 2. Alcohol and Substance Abuse Policy Recommendations .....................40 C. Mentally Disabled Policy.................................................68 1. Background ........................................................68 a) Care of the Mentally Disabled in Custody..............................69 b) Coordinated Resources Project (Mental Health Court) and Jail Alternatives Services..............................................69 c) The Need for Transitional Housing...................................71 d) Title 47 Holds ...................................................72 2. Mentally Disabled Policy Recommendations ..............................72 Table of Contents (continued) D.Pretrial Practices and Procedures Policy.....................................78 1. Background ........................................................78 a) Program Models..................................................79 (i) The Alcohol Safety Action Program (ASAP) .......................79 (ii) Anchorage Municipal Prosecutor’s Pretrial Diversion................79 2. Pretrial Practices and Procedures Policy Recommendations...................80 E. Probation and Parole Policy...............................................82 1. Background ........................................................82 a) Risk Assessment .................................................83 b) Supervision and Monitoring ........................................83 (i) Village Public Safety Officers ..................................83 (ii) Audio-Visual Tools...........................................83 c) After Care: Re-Entry Courts ........................................84 2. Probation and Parole Policy Recommendations ............................84 F. Sentencing and Prison Overcrowding Policy .................................88 1. Background ........................................................88 a) Alternatives to Incarceration........................................89 (i) House Arrest and Electronic Monitoring..........................89 (ii) Nygren Credit...............................................90 b) Special Corrections Populations .....................................91 c) The New Anchorage Jail...........................................92 2. Sentencing and Prison Overcrowding Policy Recommendations...............93 III. Conclusion ........................................................103 IV. Appendices Appendix A - CJC Survey Participants.................................... A-1 Appendix B - Comparison of Justice Theories ...............................B-1 Appendix C - Table of Distribution of Alaska Justice System Needs and Resources