Publications

Alaska Constitution Article IV, Section 9 provides that "The Judicial Council shall conduct studies for improvement of the administration of justice, and make reports and recommendations to the supreme court and to the legislature at intervals of not more than two years." This provision reflects the framers' conviction that the press of the day-to-day operation of the justice system cannot eclipse the essential research to determine how well the system is working, and how it could work better.

Council reports cover a wide variety of subject areas, from studies of criminal justice statistics, plea bargaining, and the foster care system, to recommendations of how to coordinate Alaska's criminal justice computer systems, to design of a computerized case management system for the appellate courts.

Biennial Reports

Thirty-First Report: 2021-2022 to the Legislature and the Supreme Court (February 2023). Review of the Council's activities in 2021 and 2022.
Thirtieth Report: 2019-2020 to the Legislature and the Supreme Court (March 2021). Review of the Council's activities in 2019 and 2020.
Twenty-Ninth Report: 2017-2018 to the Legislature and the Supreme Court (January 2019). Review of the Council's activities in 2017 and 2018.
Twenty-Eighth Report: 2015-2016 to the Legislature and the Supreme Court (January 2017). Review of the Council's activities in 2015 and 2016.
Twenty-Seventh Report: 2013-2014 to the Legislature and the Supreme Court (January 2015). Review of the Council's activities in 2013 and 2014.
Twenty-Sixth Report: 2011-2012 to the Legislature and the Supreme Court (January 2013). Review of the Council's activities in 2011 and 2012.
Twenty-Fifth Report : 2009-2010 to the Legislature and the Supreme Court. Review of the Council's activities in 2009 and 2010.
Twenty-Fourth Report: 2007-2008 to the Legislature and the Supreme Court. Review of the Council's activities in 2007 and 2008.
Twenty-Third Report: 2005-2006 to the Legislature and Supreme Court (January 2007). Review of the Council's activities in 2005 and 2006.
Twenty-Second Report: 2003-2004 to the Legislature and Supreme Court (March 2005). Review of the Council's activities in 2003 and 2004.

Council Biennial Reports from 1960 - 2002 are not available online. Please contact the Council for more information.

Alaska Criminal Justice Data Analysis Commission Reports

Alaska Criminal Justice Commission Reports

Council publications to help guide citizens through the justice system

Copies of reports are available to download, or can be ordered by contacting the Council or sending an e-mail request.

Research Reports

Sex Offenses (April 2019). This report presents data on sex offenses in Alaska, and explains how reported cases are investigated and charged. The report describes sentencing laws and practices, recent changes to these, and how those convicted receive treatment and reentry services. The report describes victims’ challenges, and the services and support systems for them. The Alaska Criminal Justice Commission prepared the report at the request of the Alaska Legislature.
Alaska Felony Sentencing Patterns 2012-2013 (June 2016). Study requested by the legislature and used to structure presumptive sentencing provisions of the new criminal code.
Selecting and Evaluating Alaska's Judges: 1984 - 2012 (July 2013). This report analyzes the characteristics of judicial applicants and the factors most closely associated with their nomination and appointment to the bench. It also examines the relationships between these characteristics and the performance of judges. The report tracks important changes in the characteristics of the Alaska Bar membership and documents the substantial increase in the numbers of judicial vacancies and judicial applicants. Potential applicants may use the report to identify career paths that could support their desire to serve the state as a judge. The report answers frequently asked questions about the Council’s process. It helps the Council and others assess the Council’s performance by providing information about the consistency and effectiveness with which the Council has applied its criteria for evaluating applicants’ qualifications.
Recidivism in Alaska's Therapeutic Courts for Addiction and Department of Corrections Institutional Substance Abuse Programs. March 2012. The Alaska Criminal Justice Working Group asked the Alaska Judicial Council and the Institute of Social and Economic Research to review outcomes for evidence-based programs in the adult criminal justice system. The Judicial Council and ISER responded to that request by evaluating Alaska’s therapeutic courts for addictions and Department of Corrections institutional substance abuse programs. Based on the information available, the study found that the programs were promising, especially for those who completed them. The study also identified ways to improve data collection.
Criminal Recidivism in Alaska, 2008 and 2009. November 2011. Alaska’s Criminal Justice Working Group asked the Judicial Council and ISER to study the recidivism of nearly 23,000 offenders who returned to Alaskan communities in 2008 and 2009. This is the first study in Alaska to analyze the recidivism of offenders charged with misdemeanors, affording comparisons that were not possible before. The report will be used as a baseline for assessing trends in the criminal justice system, and against which the effectiveness of new programs to protect the public can be measured. The report discusses the factors associated with recidivism depending on the type of offense, the offenders’ demographic characteristics, and location in the state. It also looks at the type and seriousness of new offenses.
Alaska Civil Case Data 2001-2010, November 2011. This report summarizes the effort to collect data from 2001 through 2010 about the resolution of civil cases in Alaska.
Anchorage PACE - Probation Accountability with Certain Enforcement. A Preliminary Evaluation of the Anchorage Pilot PACE Project. September 2011.
Probation Accountability with Certain Enforcement (PACE) is a pilot program that began operation in July 2010. The program monitored at-risk probationers with drug or alcohol-testing conditions to assure their compliance, through random testing for substance abuse and tracking participants’ appointments with their probation officers. The data available showed that PACE appeared to be successful at reducing positive drug tests, but that definitive conclusions about the project’s success required more data and further evaluation. The PACE project showed that innovations in the criminal justice process could be undertaken through collaboration.
Batterer Intervention Programs: Stakeholder Observations. August 2011. This report presents observations of stakeholders from five Batterer Intervention Programs collected through interviews. The report identifies some systemic strengths and weaknesses of the programs and includes suggestions for their further development. The report was prepared at the request of the Department of Corrections.
Does the YLS/CMI help to predict recidivism? An Assessment of the Division of Juvenile Justice’s Use of the Youth Level of Services/ Case Management Inventory. August 2011. [Revised August 2012] This report assesses the effectiveness of the Division of Juvenile Justice's risk assessment instrument, the YLS/CMI, for predicting recidivism. The report found that it was effective for males, but not females. The report includes suggestions for more effective use of the instrument, and other information about recidivism among youths served by the Division in 2008.
Alaska’s Adult Guardianship Mediation Project Evaluation. March 2009. This evaluation assessed the effectiveness of the Adult Guardianship Mediation Project, which the court began operating in 1985. The report found that if cases were mediated, parties reached agreements about some or all of the issues in 87% of the cases. The report concluded that the program appeared to be successful at averting contested hearings or trials, and that participants in the mediations were satisfied with the outcomes. The Council suggested changes to the survey forms to help with future evaluations.
Electronic Exchange of Criminal Case Discovery Materials: A Needs Assessment. November 2008. Alaska’s Criminal Justice Working Group, with support from the state’s interagency technology group (MAJIC), asked the Judicial Council for a needs assessment of the benefits of electronic exchange of discovery materials in criminal cases. The group anticipated that using technology to expedite the exchange of information might reduce the increasing amount of delay in cases. The report summarizes interviews conducted for the needs assessment. It describes the criminal justice process in Alaska and provides data on case disposition times.
Fairbanks Juvenile Treatment Court: An Evaluation Plan. November 2008. A plan for evaluating the Fairbanks Juvenile Treatment Court, a mental health court for youth under the jurisdiction of the court in criminal cases. The plan describes performance measures, available and possible databases, and data entry procedures. It sets out brief plans for evaluating the FJTC process, FJTC performance outcomes, and the costs and benefits of the project.
Transferability of the Anchorage Wellness Court Model and Executive Summary. September 2008: An examination of the policies and practices of the Anchorage Wellness Court, a therapeutic court program targeting misdemeanor alcoholic offenders. The report identifies aspects of the program that may be transferable to other locations and situations. It also provides contextual information for a companion report from John Roman and others at the Urban Institute, which examines the impact and cost-benefit of the program. The executive summary of the impact and cost-benefit report is appended to the executive summary of the transferability report.
Selecting and Evaluating Alaska's Judges: 1984 - 2007(August 2008): This report identifies the factors most closely associated with applicants for judicial positions, nominees, and appointees. The report documents the substantial changes that have occurred in the characteristics of the bar and applicants in the years between 1984 and 2007, and notes changes in the numbers of vacancies and applications during that period. This report will better inform the public, bar members, prospective applicants, and the judiciary about the Council’s practices, the performance of Alaska’s judges, and the applicant qualifications associated with nomination by the Council and appointment by the governor. The report also provides information to the Judicial Council about its own performance and promotes the Council’s ability to fulfill its constitutional and statutory responsibilities in the best way possible.
Evaluation of Domestic Violence Advocates: 2007 (July 2007): Evaluation of non-court domestic violence advocates in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Kenai and Palmer, using interviews, data, and comparison to the Council’s 2005 data for similar projects (see “Court Innovations in Domestic Violence Cases: Evaluation Report” (August 2005)). The report includes data and findings about use of hearings in ex parte petitions, changes in the granting of long term orders, and suggestions for changes.
Recidivism in Alaska's Felony Therapeutic Courts (February 2007). Comparison of the recidivism rates of 117 offenders who participated the Anchorage Felony Driving Under the Influence, Anchorage Felony Drug, and Bethel Therapeutic Courts to the recidivism rates of 97 matched offenders who did not participate in the therapeutic courts but who had similar characteristics as the participants, including substance abuse and/or alcohol problems. The Council found that graduates of these therapeutic courts were rearrested and re-convicted far less frequently than comparison offenders. The Council also compared the recidivism rates of these groups to the baseline recidivism rates of about two thousand offenders charged with felonies in 1999 and convicted of some offense. The recidivism rates of these baseline offenders are the subject of the Council’s companion report Criminal Recidivism in Alaska.
Criminal Recidivism in Alaska (January 2007). Alaska’s first general study of recidivism. The Council followed nearly two thousand offenders who had been out of custody for at least three years after they were convicted and returned to the community (some had spent time incarcerated and were followed after their first release from Dept. of Corrections custody). All were charged with at least one felony in 1999 and convicted of some offense. (See the Council’s 2004 report, Alaska Criminal Process: 1999 for more information about the offenders.) The Council reported how frequently offenders were re-arrested, had new cases filed in court, were re-convicted, and were remanded to custody; how quickly these events occurred; and factors that were related to the likelihood that offenders would recidivate more or less often.
The Domestic Violence Index Evaluation (September 2006): Evaluation of an index that pulls together domestic violence–related cases for Alaska Court System staff using the CourtView case management program. The Council surveyed and interviewed users of the pilot index, and found that the index could help court staff respond more quickly with needed information about parties in domestic violence cases. The index needed revisions, which were being made at the time of the evaluation.
Therapeutic Justice Statewide Database (September 2006): Design for a statewide, web-based database for the court system, to be used by all therapeutic and problem-solving courts. The report includes a description of current data collection efforts, a discussion of possible barriers to data collection, a consideration of legal and confidentiality issues, proposed data elements, flowcharts, a discussion of incentives and sanctions, and brief descriptions of national guidelines for the therapeutic court databases.
Court Innovations in Domestic Violence Cases: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary (August 2005): Evaluation of two innovative domestic violence projects funded for the Anchorage civil court by the federal government in 2002. The report includes data about the domestic violence civil process in Anchorage, and an analysis of changes in long term orders issued, child support and custody issues dealt with in domestic violence cases, and reduction in repeated domestic violence after the innovative projects began operations.
Evaluation of the Outcomes in Three Therapeutic Courts (April 2005). Evaluation of the outcomes (changes in days of incarceration, numbers of remands, numbers of convictions) for the Anchorage Felony Drug Court, the Anchorage Felony DUI Court, and the Bethel Therapeutic Court. The data showed improvements on all measures for the graduates of all three programs, and conversely, significantly more days of incarceration for the comparison defendants during the two years after their target offense. Participants in the program also appeared to improve in education, employment and family stability while in the program.
Alaska Felony Process: 1999 (February 2004) and Executive Summary. The Alaska Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Fairness and Access recommended that the Judicial Council compile data on Alaska felony cases. The Council reviewed predisposition incarceration, charge reductions, case dismissals, sentencing, post-disposition incarceration and total time incarcerated. It found evidence that the system was generally even-handed, but found some disparities by ethnicity, type of attorney, gender and rural location. The report includes descriptive data about the court process for cases filed as felonies in 1999, and a detailed description of the multivariate analysis, findings and recommendations.
Recommendations of the Alaska Criminal Justice Council (January 2003). Successor organization to the Criminal Justice Assessment Commission (CJAC), created to carry out the CJAC recommendations. Final report summarizes work accomplished and recommendations for future work. Table appended showing the distribution of justice system resources throughout the state.
Court Coordinated Resources Project Evaluation (January 2003). The court system asked the Judicial Council to evaluate the Anchorage district court Court Coordinated Resources Project (Mental Health Court) activity during six months of 2001. The evaluation describes the project (briefly), the characteristics of the program participants, and the outcomes for the 175 CRP participants in the study. It shows the differences in outcomes between those served by the program and those who considered it but did not participate.
Interim Status Report of the Alaska Criminal Justice Council (January 2002). This report describes the progress made in carrying out the May 2000 Criminal Justice Assessment Commission recommendations. The report organizes the CJAC recommendations by the degree of progress made, from completed recommendations to those on which no action has been taken.
Alaska Civil Cases June 1999 - December 2000 (May 2001). In 1997, responding to public interest in tort reform and the work of the Governor's Advisory Task Force on Civil Justice, the legislature passed tort reform legislation. One part of the legislation responded to the Task Force's recommendation that the Alaska Judicial Council report on closed civil cases, using data from forms completed by attorneys and parties in the cases. This report summarizes the findings from the data reported to the Council from June 1, 1999 through December 1, 2000, and from data collected from court case files in various locations. Included with this report are recommendations for future data collection and changes to the legislation.
Alaska Judicial Applicant Guidelines (October 2000). A joint publication by the Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct, the Alaska Judicial Council, and the Alaska Bar Association.
Final Report of the Alaska Criminal Justice Assessment Commission (May 2000). Governor Tony Knowles, Chief Justice Warren Matthews, Senate President Mike Miller, and House Speaker Gail Phillips established the Criminal Justice Assessment Commission to review, develop, and implement strategies within the criminal justice system so that all offenders are held appropriately accountable for their conduct. The Judicial Council provided staff support for the Commission. Recommendations for the state on dealing with alcohol abuse and mental health issues in the criminal justice system.
An Analysis of Civil Case Data Collected from September 1997 - May 1999 (February 2000). In 1997 the legislature passed tort reform legislation which required that the Alaska Judicial Council report on closed civil cases, using data from forms filled in by attorneys and parties in the cases. This report summarizes the findings from the data and makes recommendations for future data collection.
A Guide to Alaska Child in Need of Aid Cases (November 1999). A Guide describing how abused, neglected, and runaway children are protected by the State of Alaska. It also offers resources to contact for more information.
Mediation, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and the Alaska Court System (December 1999). A Guide for attorneys, judges, and persons who are considering using alternative dispute resolution (ADR) to help them resolve a dispute. This Guide explains the benefits and differences among mediation, arbitration, and other ADR processes. It offers resources to contact for more information, and it provides information on the Alaska Court System's free ADR programs.
Evaluation of Pilot Probation Program for Misdemeanor Domestic Violence Offenders (July 1999). Evaluation of a fifteen-month pilot project in Palmer, Alaska funded by the federal Violence Against Women Act.
Evaluation of Bethel Video Link (July 1999). Evaluation of the video link between the courthouse and the Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center.
Fairbanks Video Arraignment Assessment (May 1999). Alaska Judicial Council’s assessment of the Fairbanks video arraignment system.
Como Escoger Un Mediador Una Guía para la Clientela (May 1999). Spanish version of A Consumer Guide to Selecting a Mediator. Describes how to find and select a mediator to help resolve a dispute. The guide incorporates current research and policy information on mediator qualifications into a five-step process for lawyers, judges, litigants, and other consumers of mediation services.
Fostering Judicial Excellence: A Profile of Alaska's Judicial Applicants and Judges (May 1999). Results of the Judicial Council's study of the characteristics of attorneys who apply for and are appointed to the state court bench in Alaska.
A Directory of Dispute Resolution in Alaska Outside Federal and State Courts (March 1999). An overview of Alaska dispute resolution entities other than state and federal courts.
Internet Access to Appellate Case Data (March 1999). The Alaska Appellate Courts, with technical assistance provided by the Alaska Judicial Council, made its computerized appellate case management system available to attorneys and the public over the Internet.
Un Manual para las Victimas de Delitos en Alaska (Mayo de 1998, revised September 2001). Spanish version of A Handbook for Victims of Crime in Alaska.
Guía del Sistema Jurídico de Alaska (Mayo de 1998). Spanish version of A Guide to Alaska's Criminal Justice System.
Report to the Alaska Legislature: Alternative Dispute Resolution in the Alaska Court System (December 1997). The 1997 Tort Reform legislation required the Council to work with the Alaska Court System to design an alternative dispute resolution project which can be implemented in the summer of 1998.
Report of the Alaska Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Fairness and Access (October 1997). Alaska Court System - The Alaska Supreme Court formed the Advisory Committee on Fairness and Access to examine racial and ethnic bias in the Alaska state court system.
Use of DNA Profiles in Criminal Proceedings in Alaska (December 1996).
Analysis of Case File Data: Alaska Tort Jury Verdicts, 1985-1995 (November 1996). A brief memo reporting tort jury verdicts, damages, costs and fees awarded, prepared for the Governor's Task Force on Civil Justice.
Improving the Court Process for Alaska's Children in Need of Aid (October 1996) and Executive Summary. First assessment of the court's role in child in need of aid cases. Makes numerous recommendations for courts and other agencies to improve the process.
A Handbook for Victims of Crime in Alaska (January 1996, revised May 1998, revised September 2001). Brief manual about the criminal justice process and the victim's role, rights, and resources.
Alaska's English Rule: Attorney's Fee Shifting in Civil Cases (December 1995) and Executive Summary. Describes fee-shifting practices in Anchorage state and federal court civil cases, using interviews, legal analysis and case file data. Recommends some changes to Alaska fee-shifting practices, and suggests that other jurisdictions consider unexpected consequences before adopting fee-shifting.
A Guide to Alaska's Criminal Justice System (July 1995, revised May 1998). A comprehensive overview of Alaska's adult and juvenile criminal justice system, including statutory provisions, flow charts, glossaries, sentencing information and a list of resources.
A Consumer Guide to Selecting a Mediator (July 1995, revised 1999). A sixteen-page brochure describing how to find and select a mediator to help resolve a dispute. The guide incorporates current research and policy information on mediator qualifications into a five-step process for lawyers, judges, litigants, and other consumers of mediation services.
Plan for the Integration of Alaska's Criminal Justice Computer Systems and the Creation of a Comprehensive Criminal History Repository . Full Report. (May 1994). Makes recommendations to Alaska's criminal justice agencies and the legislature for upgrading and coordinating criminal justice computer information systems.
Managing Documents with Imaging Technology: A Review of the Computer Software and Hardware Evaluated by the Alaska Judicial Council (April 1993). Evaluates imaging systems for small organizations. Describes available software, hardware; develops criteria for choosing a system.
Managing Documents with Imaging Technology: Implementing Imaging at the Alaska Judicial Council (August 1993).
Resolving Disputes Locally: A Statewide Report and Directory (April 1993). Reports over one hundred local organizations that resolve disputes in rural Alaska. Describes interactions among these groups and state and local governments. Recommends ways to improve access to justice in rural areas of the state.
Alaska Sentencing Commission 1992 Annual Report to the Governor and the Alaska Legislature (December 1992). Evaluates the effect of sentencing laws and practices on the criminal justice system and makes recommendations for improving criminal sentencing practices.
Resolving Disputes Locally: Alternatives for Rural Alaska (August 1992) and Executive Summary. Evaluates three rural organizations that resolve disputes-Minto and Sitka tribal courts, and the PACT conciliation organization in Barrow. Recommends increased cooperation among state courts and local dispute resolution organizations.
Alaska Child Visitation Mediation Pilot Project (February 1992). Describes the pilot program established by the legislature to offer mediation for parents with visitation disputes. Recommends expansion of the project and continuation in another agency.
Alaska Sentencing Commission 1991 Annual Report to the Governor and the Alaska Legislature (December 1991). Evaluates the effect of sentencing laws and practices on the criminal justice system and makes recommendations for improving criminal sentencing practices.
Alaskan Rural Justice: A Selected Annotated Bibliography (May 1991). A selected bibliography of materials related to rural justice in Alaska, including anthropology, law, sociology, and related fields.
Appellate Sentence Review in Alaska (January, 1991). A historical analysis of appellate sentence review in Alaska, and analysis of current benchmarks and guidelines for sentencing established by the appellate courts. Also published as an Alaska Law Review article (December 1990).
Alaska's Plea Bargaining Ban Re-evaluated (January 1991) and Executive Summary. An analysis of data and interviews showing the career of Alaska's ban on plea bargaining and its interactions with presumptive sentencing and other changes in the justice system between 1975 and 1990.
Alaska Sentencing Commission 1990 Annual Report to the Governor and the Alaska Legislature (December 1990). Evaluates the effect of sentencing laws and practices on the criminal justice system and makes recommendations for improving criminal sentencing practices.
Alaska Bar Membership Survey (July, 1989). An economic and demographic survey of the membership of the Alaska Bar Association.
News Cameras in the Alaska Courts: Assessing the Impact. (January, 1988). Evaluation of the Supreme Court's experimental programs, including statistical analysis of increased news coverage. Based on the report, a revised media plan and judicial canons have been promulgated by the Supreme Court.
Alaska Felony Sentences: 1984. (March, 1987). Describes felony sentencing patterns for 1984 cases. Analyzes the impacts of presumptive sentencing and other criminal justice system changes between 1980 and 1986.
The Investigative Grand Jury in Alaska. (February, 1987). Describes the history of the investigative grand jury and grand jury reports in Alaska. Recommends a new court rule to provide due process protections for persons named in reports, judicial review of reports, and guidelines for publication and dissemination of reports.
Fairbanks Televised Arraignments Final Report. (March 21, 1986). Final evaluation of the use of television for arraignments, plea changes and other proceedings. Based on the report, a permanent court rule allowing televised hearings has been adopted by the Alaska Superior Court.
Interim Evaluation Report Fairbanks Closed Circuit TV Arraignment Program. (Aug. 8, 1985). Interim evaluation of the experimental closed circuit TV arraignment project in Fairbanks. Presents recommendations for improvement of project.
DWI Sentences: 1981. (March, 1984). Additional analysis of DWI (drunk driving) sentences included in the 1981 Misdemeanor Study data base. Types of sentences imposed for DWI convictions and characteristics of offenders are described.
Alaska Misdemeanor Sentences: 1981. (Dec., 1983). Funded by the legislature to analyze misdemeanor sentences imposed during 1981. Recommended alcohol treatment programs for convicted defendants and increased legislative sanctions for DWI to reduce the incidence of alcohol-related crime.
Statistical Analysis of Major Fish & Game Offense Sentencing Outcomes. (Dec., 1983). Funded by the legislature in 1982 to study sentences imposed on 1980 and 1981 fish and game violators. Found widespread disparities and fluctuations in charging and sentencing patterns. Recommended complete revision of applicable statutes and codes.
Alaska Felony Sentences: 1980. (Dec. 2, 1982). Study requested by the legislature as a continued monitoring of sentence disparities and analysis of the effects of the revised criminal code. Shows disappearance of disparities (racial and attorney type), shortened sentence lengths.
Alaska Prison Population Impact Analysis. (1982). Funded by Division of Corrections. Estimates growth in sentenced felon prison populations based on potential and actual legislative changes.
A Preliminary Statistical Description of Fish & Game Sentences. (1981). Reviews data from Fish and Wildlife Protection data tapes; finds sufficient disparities to warrant full-scale statistical analysis.
Recommendations of the Alaska Judicial Council to the Supreme Court Proposing Changes to the Civil Rules to Reduce Excessive Costs and Delays of Civil Litigation. (1981). Details proposed changes to the civil litigation system to reduce deterrents to pursuing or defending claims with a value of under $25,000 through the implementation of an "economical litigation program".
Alaska Felony Sentences: 1976-1979. (Nov., 1980). Follow-up study requested by the legislature on felony disparities; shows disappearance of most racial disparities. Additional analysis and findings on sentences in rural areas, effects of attorney type, and possible continuing trends from the plea bargaining ban.
Report of the Advisory Committee on Minority Judicial Sentencing Practices (Feb., 1980) This report by the Advisory Committee on Minority Judicial Sentencing Practices was commissioned by the legislature in 1979. The Judicial Council assisted the Committee in its work, and maintains its formal report to the legislature. The Advisory Committee used data collected and analyzed by the Council in making its findings and recommendations about bail practices in both misdemeanor and felony cases, magistrate training, post-conviction relief, criminal justice agency employment practices, presentence reports, sentencing guidelines and other aspects of the criminal justice system.
Sentencing Under Revised Criminal Code. (Jan., 1980). Probation Officer training manual for the revised criminal code.
Alaska Misdemeanor Sentences: 1974-76 Racial Disparity. (Nov., 1979). Analysis of existence of racial disparity in misdemeanor sentences; shows significant disparity for several categories of offense.
"Northrim Survey": An Analysis of the Results of a Survey for the Alaska Judicial Council. (Aug., 1979). Prepared for the Judicial Council by Northrim Associates. Analyzes the findings of a survey of registered voters asked to comment on the 1978 retention election results.
Alaska Misdemeanor Sentences: 1974-76 Plea Bargaining. (Aug., 1979). Analysis of misdemeanor sentences to determine effect of plea bargaining ban on sentences imposed after trial or plea.
The Effect of the Official Prohibition of Plea Bargaining on the Disposition of Felony Cases in Alaska Criminal Courts. (Dec., 1978). [Reprinted by the Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. as Alaska Bans Plea Bargaining, 1979]. Evaluates the effectiveness and consequences of the Attorney General's 1975 ban on plea bargaining, including the results of over 400 interviews with attorneys, judges, and criminal justice personnel, and two-year felony statistical study.
Interim Report of the Alaska Judicial Council on Findings of Apparent Racial Disparity in Sentencing. (Oct., 1978). Summary of data accumulated on felony case dispositions and sentencing patterns from Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau (1974-1976) giving evidence of racial and other disparities in sentencing for certain types of offenses. Resulted in legislation creating the Advisory Committee on Minority Judicial Sentencing Practices, and funding of Judicial Council follow-up studies of felonies and misdemeanors. See text of Tenth Report for other effects.
A Look Inside: A Pilot Project in Citizen Involvement with the Judicial System. (Oct., 1978). Contributed to citizen participation in all aspects of the justice system, and to revised procedures for the evaluation of judges.
The Anchorage Citizen Dispute Center: A Needs Assessment and Feasibility Report. (1977). Analysis of dispositions of minor disputes reported to Anchorage Police Department. Recommended establishment of alternative dispute resolution procedures for certain types of situations. Resulted in establishment of a pilot dispute resolution process in Anchorage (1981) through the Department of Law.
Interim Report on the Elimination of Plea Bargaining. (May, 1977). Summarized effects of the Attorney General's 1975 ban on plea bargaining as reported by attorneys, judges, and defendants.
Alaska Felony Sentencing Patterns: A Multivariate Statistical Analysis -- 1974-1976. (April, 1977). Study requested by the legislature and used to structure presumptive sentencing provisions of the new criminal code. Also resulted in the creation of the Sentencing Guidelines Committee.
Report on Repeat Bail Recidivists in 1973. (April, 1975). Case-by-case analysis of defendants who violated bail conditions by committing more than one new crime while on bail for a felony offense.
1973 Sentences of Five Years or Longer. (April, 1975). Analysis of factors contributing to lengthy sentences, and the impact of appellate review of sentencing.
Bail in Anchorage. (March, 1975). Statistical analysis of bail practices for Anchorage felony cases in 1973.
Sentencing in Alaska. (March, 1975). Statistical analysis of felony sentences imposed in 1973.
The Grand Jury in Alaska. (Feb., 1975). Resulted in preliminary hearing pilot project in Anchorage and experimental rule change by supreme court.
Judicial Districting. (Jan., 1975). Resulted in creation of Barrow and Bethel service areas by court order.
Report on Policy Considerations for Court Fee Structures. (Feb., 1974). Resulted in changes to court system policies regarding fees collected for adoptions, recording services, and child support.
The Alaska Public Defender Agency in Perspective. (Jan., 1974). An analysis of the law, finances, and administration from 1969 to 1974. The report resulted in amendments to Title 18, improving Public Defender services.