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Session State Capitol, Room 418 Juneau, AK 99801-1182 Phone: (907) 465-4939 Fax: (907) 465-2418 Send E-Mail Interim 716 W 4th Avenue Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: (907) 269-0244 Fax: (907) 269-0248 |
Youth Courts
An Act relating to youth courts; and relating to adjudication of certain minors by youth courts and
deferral of court proceedings related to those minors.
Posted: February 10, 2000
Contact: Representative Andrew Halcro, at (907) 465-4939.
Last year, after 16 months of work, the Governor's Commission on Rural Governance and Empowerment issued a report. One recommendation of this report was to empower communities to deal with their own juvenile justice and alcohol problems locally.
Coincidentally, the Governor's Conference on Youth and Justice came to the same conclusion in 1996 and recommended expanding the concept of youth courts to include concurrent jurisdiction over alcohol violations of juveniles and to expand the concept of youth courts to include community courts.
Youth courts have been a tremendous success. Eighty-nine percent (89%) of the people who pass through the Anchorage Youth Court system do not re-offend. However, this model has not been as successful in rural areas of Alaska. Peer courts, like the Anchorage Youth Court, require a significant amount of youth involvement. Smaller communities do not have the number of youths to create an effective program. HB 358 would allow community with less than 7,500 people to establish community courts to hear juvenile offenses. These community courts would allow adults as well as youth to participate in hearing juvenile offenses.
Additionally, the present youth court system does not allow them to hear juvenile alcohol violation cases. HB 358 would permit them to do so. Rural villages are eager to be given the tools to deal with rampant youth alcohol abuse. These amendments would allow the expanded community courts to hear juvenile alcohol violations.
This bill does not recognize tribal courts nor does it grant recognition to tribal entities. It does allow the state to contract with communities to provided juvenile justice services locally, thus reducing the burden on District Courts and empowering communities to address their problems locally.