Justice
Justice Department funds to aid tribal law enforcement and help Indigenous victims of crime
The U.S. Department of Justice announced it will provide more than $246 million in grants to Native American and Alaska Native communities for improvements in law enforcement and justice. The well-received announcement was made in Anchorage on Wednesday at the start of the federal government’s annual tribal consultation conference on violence against women. Allison Randall, […]
ACLU of Alaska launches effort to cut the number of incarcerated people, improve prison conditions
The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska is launching on Thursday an effort to lower the prison population in Alaska and ensure that people in custody are treated with dignity and have access to civil rights. Alaska Department of Corrections currently has roughly 4,700 people in custody and the prison population has been trending up […]
Former Alaska AG pick indicted, accused of sex with 17-year-old in 1991
Former Alaska Attorney General-designee Ed Sniffen was indicted Monday by an Anchorage grand jury on three counts of third-degree sexual abuse of a minor. Sniffen is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Anchorage Superior Court, accused of having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl in 1991. The relationship was first reported in 2021 following […]
Marjorie Taylor Greene leads GOP drive to criminalize gender-affirming care for transgender youth
WASHINGTON — Conservative Republicans gathered outside the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday to commit to bringing legislation to the floor that would make it a felony to perform gender-affirming care on transgender youth, should the GOP take control of the U.S. House following the November midterm elections. “How on earth can this be happening in America? […]
U.S. government failed to properly count deaths of people in prisons and jails, Senate report says
WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice did not properly count nearly 1,000 deaths of incarcerated people in jails and prisons, according to a bipartisan report released Tuesday by a U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee. The 10-month investigation by the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, chaired by Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff, found that DOJ […]
In 12th Alaska Corrections death of the year, man dies after just 10 days in custody
James Rider, 31, died on Sept. 9 at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center after 10 days in the custody of the Alaska Department of Corrections, becoming the 12th person to die in the state’s prison system this year. Of the dozen deaths to occur so far this year, several have taken place after only a short […]
Before U.S. Senate vote, poll finds majority support in Alaska for same-sex marriage
As the U.S. Senate prepares to vote on a bill protecting the rights of same-sex couples to marry, a new poll indicates majority support for same-sex marriage in Alaska. The poll, which surveyed 400 Alaskans between Aug. 22 and Aug. 31, found 62% of respondents believe same-sex couples should have the same marriage rights as […]
Judge: Alaska elections officials must enforce disloyalty clause
An Anchorage Superior Court judge on Monday ruled that the Alaska Division of Elections has a duty to determine whether a candidate for public office is ineligible for disloyalty. It means the case remains on schedule for arguments later this month that could decide Wasilla Republican Rep. David Eastman’s future as a candidate and a […]
Anchorage judge hears request to dismiss Eastman eligibility lawsuit
An attorney representing the Alaska Division of Elections said Friday in court that the agency should not be in charge of deciding whether Wasilla Republican Rep. David Eastman is ruled ineligible to serve in the Alaska Legislature. Eastman and the division are facing a lawsuit that seeks to declare Eastman in violation of the Alaska […]
Congressional panel debates federal role in preventing youth incarceration
WASHINGTON — Members of a U.S. House Education and Labor Committee panel on Thursday questioned experts and leaders of youth rehabilitation programs about how the federal government could invest in programs to prevent kids from becoming incarcerated. “Although the juvenile justice system is intended to rehabilitate—not punish—young offenders, data shows that the more a young […]
Kenai Peninsula Borough paid more than $260,000 to settle complaints against Pierce
The Kenai Peninsula Borough paid $267,000 to settle a pair of workplace complaints alleging bullying and discrimination by Charlie Pierce, the borough’s departing mayor and a Republican candidate for governor. Only one of the settlements has been previously disclosed to the public. Copies of the settlements were first published by Juneau radio station KINY after […]
Alaska Department of Corrections reports 11th death in custody of 2022
The Alaska Department of Corrections has announced the 11th death of a person in custody this year. Bernie Alexia, 76, died in Goose Creek Correctional Center on Sept. 4, according to a Corrections press release on Tuesday. The department said it was an “expected death.” With about four months left in the year, Corrections has […]