| "Language Interpretation
and the Justice System" by Antonia Moras
In 1995, F.C., a native of the Dominican Republic who
spoke little English, was convicted of a felony drug offense. Facing deportation,
he applied for post-conviction relief, and in the course of his case it
was discovered that language interpretation during his trial was innacurate
at several crucial points, resulting in F.C. not being properly informed
of his right to testify in his own defense. The F.C. case illustrated
how the absence of accurate and reliable language interpretation in legal
situations can result in serious mistakes. Tthe problems raised by the
absence of effective interpretation and translation in the courts, and
in other criminal and civil justice situations, seem to be growing, both
in Alaska and throughout the country. The problem is not limited to criminal
cases: civil cases—child custody, domestic violence restraining
order petitions, child-in-need-of-aid—also often require interpreters.
The Alaska Supreme Court Fairness and Access Study, released in 1997,
noted the widespread need for better interpretation services in Alaska
courts and with other agencies. The court system is now leading efforts
to establish a language interpretation center to forestall problems such
as those that arose in the F.C. case.
Other Alaska Justice Forum Articles on Language Interpretation in the
Alaska Criminal Justice System
A brief bibliography of articles on legal interpretation
in the Alaska justice system that have appeared in the Alaska Justice
Forum.
Sexual
Assaults in Anchorage
Information from four years of police fles shows that the
problem of sexual assault in Anchorage has discernible contours: most
assaults take place indoors, between people who are not strangers to each
other, with either or both parties having consumed alcohol. This article
provides an overview of reported sexual assaults in the city from 2000
through 2003 using data from a recently-completed report which updates
an earlier study released in 2003.
Alaska
Justice System Operating Expenditures
This article briefly describes changes in Alaska justice
system operating expenses from fiscal year 1990 to fiscal year 2006. During
this time, expenditures have increased 69 percent. The rise was dominated
by an increase in the budget of the Alaska Department of Corrections,
which almost doubled between FY 1990 and FY 2006.
Justice
Center Evaluates SCRAM
Two and a half years of data on the Secure Remote Alcohol
Monitoring (SCRAM) project show that the technology of ankle bracelet
alcohol monitoring—which monitors wearers' alcohol consumption through
transdermal analysis—can function effectively in Alaska.
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