Justice
Alaska Police Standards Council turns down plan to lower hiring age of corrections officers — for now
The Alaska Police Standards Council voted down a regulation change that would allow the state to hire corrections officers as young as 18 years old — the current minimum age for hire is 21 years old. The Department of Corrections floated the proposal as a tool to combat its staff shortage, decreased applicant pool and […]
High fees, long waits cast shadow over new criminal expungement laws
More states are making it easier for residents to clear or seal their criminal records. The effort has drawn bipartisan support, as lawmakers across the political spectrum say it will help people find jobs and housing, in turn boosting local economies and reducing reliance on social services. “Folks that get out of jail or prison […]
With law enforcement sparse, Alaska villages build network of safety for survivors
Alaska is notoriously lacking in law enforcement for its remote communities, especially Alaska Native villages off the road system. These limitations put extra pressure on services in those communities to respond to violence after it happens, and a new program is aiming to help victims of violence. In Emmonak, a village of about 800 residents […]
Conservation group supports formation of new Alaska Native corporations
The conservation group the Wilderness Society has changed its position and now supports a bill that would create five new Alaska Native corporations in Southeast Alaska. It historically opposed the creation of the new corporations. Senate Bill 1889 and House Bill 4748, the Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act, would create for-profit […]
South Dakota inspired ICWA but still has high rate of Native children in foster care
Cheryl Spider DeCoteau was nervous. It was the Sisseton Wahpeton tribal citizen’s first time in Washington, D.C., and she sat in front of two senators, multiple congressional aides, lawyers and clerks in a large, wood-paneled committee room, bright lights shining down. Two of the 23-year-old’s sons, ages 5 and 3, sat in the audience while […]
Most states ban shackling pregnant women in custody, yet many report being restrained
This story was produced by KFF Health News. Ashley Denney was about seven months pregnant in 2022 when police handcuffed her during an arrest in Carroll County, Georgia. Officers shackled her even though the state bans the use of restraints on pregnant women in custody beginning at the second trimester. In early July, she said, […]
Cash bail policies are under fresh scrutiny
States can’t figure out what to do about cash bail. The system — in which an arrested suspect pays cash to avoid sitting in jail until their court date and gets the money back when they appear — is deeply entrenched in the nation’s history as a way to ensure defendants return to face justice. […]
Environmental groups ask federal appeals court to halt Willow oil project
Two coalitions of environmental groups, having lost their case in an Alaska courthouse, are asking the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to issue an order that would halt work on Alaska’s largest oil development in decades. On Tuesday, the coalitions filed separate appeals with the 9th Circuit. They argue that Judge Sharon Gleason made […]
Alaska’s domestic violence council explores restorative justice methods in court sentencing
In a sunny room that faced towards the Gastineau Channel in Juneau, a group that included a city attorney, a Tribal employee, corrections officers and domestic violence advocates and survivors sat around a circle of desks to discuss how a new vision of justice could reduce domestic violence and increase public health in Alaska. A […]
U.S. Supreme Court unveils new ethics code, but critics say it doesn’t go far enough
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court released a new ethics code Monday, just days before the Democrat-led U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary again attempts to subpoena two high-profile GOP donors following revelations that justices accepted undisclosed luxury trips and engaged in other potential conflicts of interest. Despite the headlines and the committee’s springtime request […]
Biden should take ‘acting’ out of FERC chair’s title
Nevada had a summer that showed the true severity of extreme weather events, ranging from heat waves to tropical storms that showcased how worsening severe weather knows no bounds. Though the White House is proactive in confronting these challenges head on, the bulk of regulatory rulemaking to address this will come from the Federal Energy […]
Debate over Pebble mine in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region moves to dueling Supreme Court briefs
The company trying to build a huge copper and gold mine in the salmon-rich Bristol Bay will keep fighting for the project, despite a decision by the federal government to keep the proposed development site off-limits to large-scale metals mining. John Shively, chief executive officer of the Pebble Limited Partnership, made that vow in a […]