Victimization of Alaska women staggeringly high, and rising

by | Oct 12, 2021 | Blog, News

A new statewide survey reveals a staggeringly high percentage of Alaska women face victimization in their homes, relationships and communities, figures that are likely underreported and on the rise.

According to the 2020 Alaska Victimization Survey, conducted by the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) Justice Center and the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, nearly 60% of Alaska women surveyed reported having experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or both during their lifetime.

That’s a 14.7% increase from a similar study conducted in 2015.

Some 2,100 women over 18 participated in the survey. It found that 48 out of 100 Alaska women reported intimate partner violence; 41 out of 100 Alaska women experienced sexual violence; and 58 out of 100 experienced either of these types of violence over the course of their lifetime.

“This survey helps give voice to the hundreds of victims of violence across our diverse state,” said L. Diane Casto, executive director of the Alaska Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.

The data shines a light on the scope of the problem, increases public awareness and should help policymakers better align and direct resources to the areas that need them the most, she said.

The lead researcher on the project was UAA’s Dr. Ingrid Johnson.

The numbers were collected via household survey of randomly selected adult women in Alaska. Participants are asked a series of behaviorally specific questions to determine their experiences with lifetime and past year intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and stalking, according to the researchers.

The high abuse statistics likely reflect only a fraction of what Alaska women actually experience.

Numerous studies, including national victimization surveys, have found the majority of individuals who experience rape/sexual assault and nearly half of those who experience intimate partner violence do not report their victimization to police.

Researchers say the best way to gather data on crime victimization is to ask a large number of individuals whether or not they have been victimized, and make estimates based on those data.

Read the study here.

 

What’s a Rule 5 Hearing?

by | Oct 12, 2021 | Blog, News

As the victim of a violent crime, you may be wondering when the person who harmed you will appear in court for the first time.

If the charge is for a misdemeanor crime, the defendant will have an arraignment. An arraignment is usually the first court proceeding in a criminal case. It’s when a judge tells a defendant what he or she is charged with and what their rights are in the court process. The judge asks whether they want to plead guilty, not guilty or no contest.

If the defendant is in jail, the arraignment should happen within 24 hours of the arrest. If the prosecutor does not file a charging document by the time of arraignment, the judge releases the defendant from jail. The prosecutor can still file charges later. If the defendant was not in jail, the arraignment may be scheduled within a few weeks.

If the person is charged with a felony crime, they appear before the court within 24 hours after arrest. This hearing is called a first appearance, and initial appearance or a Rule 5 hearing. At this time, a judge reads the charges and advises the defendant of his or her rights. There will be an arraignment at a later date.

In essence, Rule 5 is a criminal procedure rule that provides required timelines for when people who have been arrested or cited must appear in court for an arraignment or felony first appearance.

Crime in Alaska 2020

by | Oct 8, 2021 | Blog

Although Alaska leads the nation in the number of violent crimes per capita, authorities reported a steep drop in crime in Alaska in 2020. 

According to the Crime in Alaska 2020 report released by the Alaska Department of Public Safety in September 2021, Alaska’s overall crime rate fell by 18.5% last year as the coronavirus pandemic continued to grip the nation. The total number of reported violent crimes decreased by 3.7% and the number of property crimes decreased by 22.9%, the lowest total number of reported property offenses since 1974. 

Alaska reported 48 homicides in 2020, a decrease of 31.4% from the prior year. The murder rate per 100,000 persons decreased 31.4% between 2019 and 2020.

Nationally, the murder rate increased by nearly 30% from the prior year, an unprecedented spike. According to the FBI, there were 9,630 homicides in the United States, the largest single-year increase in the murder rate since the agency began tracking these crimes in the 1960s. 

One category of violent crime that did not decrease in Alaska in 2020: rape. The rate went from 151.2 to 154.8 per 100,000 people, according to the FBI. 

The actual figure is likely higher since many victims of rape and sexual assault never contact law enforcement, a situation exacerbated by Covid lockdowns. Domestic violence (DV) and sexual assault (SA) agencies have reported an increase in services and calls since the pandemic began. With the public largely isolated from third-party mandated reporters, such as school teachers and nurses, advocates estimate that DV and SA numbers are much higher than official numbers.  

Alaska’s violent crime rate of 838 incidents for every 100,000 people makes Alaska the most violent state in the nation. The vast majority of violent crimes reported in Alaska in 2020 — 69% — were aggravated assault.