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30 Alaska Just. F. 1 (2013-2014)

handle is hein.journals/aljufor30 and id is 1 raw text is: Spring 2013 UNIVERSITY of ALASKA ANCHORAGE Vol. 30, No. 1 Trends in Juvenile Delinquency, School Suspensions, and Expulsions Andrd B. Rosay and Marny Rivera Over the past few years, many highly dis- tinguished and well respected professionals have retired after lengthy careers working with troubled youth in Alaska. For this issue of the Alaska Justice Forum, we asked three of these professionals to provide reflections from their work within the Alaska Division of Juvenile Justice, the Anchorage School District, and the Alaska Court System. These professionals are Dean Williams., who was the Superintendent of the McLaughlin Youth Center; Carol Comeau, who was the Superintendent of the Anchorage School District; and William Hitchcock. who was the Master of the Anchorage Children's Court. Together, they provide a thought- ful perspective on key issues facing school districts and the juvenile justice system. The purpose of this introductory article is to provide some context for school discipline issues by summarizing recent trends in ju- venile delinquency, school suspensions, and expulsions in Alaska. Trends in Juvenile Delinquency Law enforcement agencies make referrals to the Alaska Division of Juvenile Justice (Dii) if there is a finding of probable cause to conclude that a youth (1) committed an offense which would be criminal if com- mitted by an adult, (2) committed a felony traffic offense, or (3) committed an alcohol offense after two prior convictions in District Court for minor consuming. The Alaska Division of Juvenile Justice publishes yearly statistics on juveniles, referrals, and charges (or offenses). Eachjuvenile may be referred multiple times within a fiscal year (resulting in multiple referrals per juvenile), and each referral may include multiple charges. In looking at trends, rates were calcu- lated using Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development estimates for the 10 to 17-year-old population in Alaska. Very few youth under 10 years of age are referred to DJJ-usually about one percent. A small number of youth who are 18 years of age or older are referred to DJJ for pro- bation violations or for crimes committed prior to their 18th birthday-usually 3-4 percent. Following are data on three related measures: rate of juveniles referred to DJJ, rate of referrals to DJJ, and rate of offenses referred to DJJ. Each has shown a marked decline since 2003. Rate ofJuveniles Referred to DJJ Since 2003, there has been a steady decline in the rates of juveniles referred to DJJ (see Figure 1). This rate is based on an unduplicated count juveniles who were referred multiple times within the same fiscal year are only counted once. In State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2003, there were 564 juveniles referred to DJJ per 10,000 juveniles in the state population. By SFY 2012, the rate of juveniles referred to DJJ dropped by 42 percent, down to 325 per 10,000 juveniles. Rate of referrals to DJJ Some juveniles were referred multiple Please see Juvenile trends, page 11 Juven aI Juastice! Schioo Discip ne, and Zero Toieran~ce T-h~ i~w ~ tb~k2~ ~ ~farj~m is ~vo~d p~in~4iy ~jo J~u~1~ ~qu~n~y d~4 A~1a~ ~d ~ at ~ f~te~ ~ ~Jiuvl ~ a d~pt4?iol~ ~ Ia~ ~ ~ A k~y P~U~cy ~ I~ In~p~t~d ~hocA di~ip1ii~ ~u4 jiiv~1~ j~tic~ is z~w i~kh~n~, Wh~h ~hn~e QU~ ~t1i~ f~d~v~aj -1~1~e~, ~hp~1s A~ o~f1~94 This jx4Z~y ~iand~t~4 ~ y~u(fi in Ak~k~ftoi~ tJ~i~' ~dr~i~tie ~n ~ i~ar~; hQoD1~dpii~dth~ ~*~o Tv ~ ~Pp~'o~1f i~ ~ ~id how ~ g4~libaoiio~s ~bo~ut ~n4 p~1~i~'ty ~i~ir~1I Co u4~zwnj~r Aho~a~ 4d4~~th~ i~s~ fj~pi1e ~rin~ ~d ~h~J 4dj~1n~ ~nd ~hc~ by ~ jUV~iI1~e J~i~ A Yi~W~on~ thti~IC~ Qf ~ t~ijic~ ~ tb~ link be~w~ ~ f~d ~ ~St~kYj~ ~ with Di~~i~lin~ ~o~b~- J~ni~ Syay in S~o~A~ I~Qrib~ ~. dis~Q~ ~rbgr~ tor~pcIle~ ~nd A~ ~pan$iPn in 2~L1 40 ~uc1 ktd~ s~1~I ~tud~uh~

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