Alaska Justice Forum

• Main Authors: Schafer, N. E., Curtis, Richard
• Format: Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage 1997
• Subjects: Alaska Court System; Alaska Judicial Council; Alaska Natives; Alaska Supreme Court; bush justice; courts; disproportionate minority contact (DMC) with criminal justice system; juvenile justice; minorities; racial disproportionality; racism; rural justice; Alaska; Alaska Justice Forum
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11122/3260

The Fall 1997 issue of the Alaska Justice Forum summarizes major findings of the final report of the Alaska Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Fairness and Access, reporting that the committee received few complaints of intentional racial or cultural bias by the court system, but learned about areas of unintentional bias, cultural misunderstandings, inadequate services, and lack of accessibility. Many of the committee's findings have relevance to justice system agencies beyond the court system. A Justice Center study of 28,618 referrals to the Alaska juvenile justice system found considerable disparity between white and minority youth in the rate at which they were referred, the frequency of their referrals, and the types of offenses which brought them to the attention of juvenile justice personnel. "Alaska Supreme Court Report: Fairness and Access Problems and Recommendations" / "Minorities Referred at Higher Rates: Analysis of DFYS Data" by N.E. Schafer and Richard Curtis