Justice Center News

police car sirens Read More

Rapes and aggravated assaults push Alaska’s violent-crime rates up; property-crime rates fall

 |  Alaska Beacon  |  , ,

UAA's Alaska Justice Information Center presented data from 1979 thru 2021 to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Troy C. Payne, Director of AJIC wrote "After a large increase in the mid-2010’s, motor vehicle theft has been trending down since 2018. In both trend and magnitude, Alaska is similar to the national average for property offenses. Alaska has consistently had higher-than-average rates of violence since 1993."

Mateo Jaime Read More

Aging out of Alaska’s foster care system on his own terms

 |  Anchorage Daily News  |  , , ,

Mateo Jaime, a Legal Studies student, arrived at the court hearing that would, finally, end his years in custody of the Alaska Office of Children’s Services in a buoyant mood. At age 21, young adults “age out” of foster care in Alaska if they have not been adopted or reunified with parents. A judge approves it in a hearing that amounts to a grim bureaucratic formality: A child has passed into adulthood without the foster care system laying a path to permanent legal family for them, and now they are on their own.

A student presents her oral arguments Read More

Slideshow: Legal studies students present oral arguments

 |  Ahliil Saitanan  |  ,

Trial and Advanced Litigation Processes students present their oral arguments before Justice Jennifer S. Henderson in the Alaska Supreme Court Courtroom on Oct. 3, 2022.

Justice Center students enjoying burgers and hotdogs Read More

Slideshow: Justice Center welcomes back students with a BBQ

 |  Ahliil Saitanan  | 

The Justice Center hosted a barbecue for its returning students on Sept. 8, 2022, at the Professional Studies Building of the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Alaskan landscape Read More

AK-SAKI conducts research on DPS policies, procedures

 |  Ingrid Johnson  |  ,

The UAA Justice Center worked in partnership with the Alaska Department of Public Safety (DPS) through the Federal Bureau of Justice Assistance funded Alaska Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (AK-SAKI) to conduct research on DPS's policies and procedures related to sexual assault investigations, prosecutions, and victim-survivor engagement and support.