Anchorage Daily News — State and Local Issues — Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Gov. Dunleavy signs legislation to repeal, replace the crime-reform measure SB 91

“In a ceremony Monday in a Lake Hood airplane hangar, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy fulfilled a campaign promise by signing legislation that repeals and replaces much of the criminal justice reform effort known as Senate Bill 91. That legislation, approved by the Legislature in 2016 in an effort to reduce the number of criminals who return to prison after release, has been blamed for contributing to a surge in crime statewide. As a candidate for governor, Dunleavy pledged to introduce legislation to fully repeal it. It had already been modified by the Alaska Legislature several times.“

Anchorage Daily News

July 8, 2019

State ReformsPhillip ReevesJuly 8, 2019Anchorage Daily News, Alaska, SB 91Comment

Lawless: One in three Alaska villages have no local police

“The state recognizes that most villages can’t afford their own police force and has a special class of law enforcement, called village public safety officers, to help. But it’s not working. In the 60 years since Alaska became a state, some Alaska Native leaders say, a string of governors and Legislatures have failed to protect indigenous communities by creating an unconstitutional, two-tiered criminal justice system that leaves villagers unprotected compared with their mostly white counterparts in the cities and suburbs. “

Anchorage Daily News

May 16, 2019

Social IssuesPhillip ReevesMay 16, 2019Anchorage Daily News, AlaskaComment

SB 91’s pretrial reforms keep Alaskans safe

“SB 91 has successfully fulfilled its intended purpose in improving the fairness, safety and effectiveness of bail and the state’s pretrial justice system as whole. As the Alaska Legislature considers the direction of criminal justice reform, state leaders would do well to maintain the pretrial justice components of SB 91. Wiping away policies that safely reduce jail populations while carefully evaluating who is released and who is not won’t keep Alaskans safe, it will leave us worse than where we started. “

Anchorage Daily News

January 24, 2019

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