NCJ Number
173689
Journal
Alaska Justice Forum Volume: 15 Issue: 1 Dated: Spring 1998 Pages: -
Date Published
1998
Length
8 pages
Annotation
The first of these two articles examines structural aspects of the criminal justice system in rural Alaska which may contribute to the overrepresentation of Alaska Natives in the State's prisons. The second article presents statistics and discussion of racial disproportionality in juvenile referrals in Alaska.
Abstract
While Alaska Natives are only 16 percent of the overall population of the State and only 12 percent of the adult population, Alaska Department of Corrections statistics indicate that approximately 34 percent of the current population in Alaska prisons is Alaska Native. Lengthy referral histories may be associated with age at first referral and with location at first referral. In addition, the family and living situations of the 33 multiple offenders studied for the first article were particularly unstable. Some of the practical problems addressed in these articles could be alleviated by changes in the Alaska criminal justice system, specifically: return to the community level prosecution of minor misdemeanors and allow tribal courts and councils to adjudicate minor offenses and provide follow-up. Such procedures would integrate community values into the system and would be more likely to succeed than the current system. Table, figures