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State Agencies
& Laws
AS 12.61. Rights of Victims; Protection
of Victims and Witnesses
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The Alaska Statute establishing legal rights protections
for victims and witnesses. The victims' rights legislation was
signed into law on June 3, 1997, and became effective July 1,
1997. It allows crime victims to be present during hearings,
trial and sentencing; requires judges to consider the safety
of victims when setting bail and conditions of release for defendants;
makes it a misdemeanor to interfere with a person attempting
to report domestic violence; and makes it easier for victims
to collect restitution. The bill also implements the Rights of
Crime Victims amendment to the Alaska Constitution (Section 24
of Article
1), which was approved by 87 percent of Alaska voters in
the November 1994 election. See also Gov. Tony Knowles' June
3, 1997 press release. |
Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA)
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An agency of the Alaska
Department of Public Safety, the Council provides grants
and technical assistance to nonprofit corporations dealing with
domestic violence, sexual assault, incest, and crisis intervention.
It also recommends legislation and coordinates the domestic violence
and sexual assault activities of the Alaska Departments of Law,
Education, Health and Social Services, and Public Safety. |
Office of Public Advocacy (OPA)
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Among OPA's responsibilities is the provision of guardian
ad litem representation to abused and neglected children. OPA
represents clients only when the agency is appointed by the court.
An agency of the Department
of Administration, it has offices in Anchorage, Juneau, and
Fairbanks. |
Violent Crimes Compensation Board (VCCB)
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Part of the Alaska
Department of Public Safety, the Violent Crimes Compensation
Board was established in 1971 by the Alaska Legislature to to
reduce the financial hardships caused by crime-related medical
expenses or loss of income sustained by innocent victims of violent
crimes in Alaska. It also provides financial payments to victims
of drunk drivers and dependents of deceased victims. |
Victim Advocacy
& Assistance Organizations
Abused
Women's Aid in Crisis (AWAIC)
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Located in Anchorage, AWAIC provides safe shelter for
battered women and their children; counseling and advocacy for
children, women, and men; and community education on domestic
violence. |
RID Alaska Child Sexual Abuse
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A resource and information directory on child sexual abuse
in Alaska; based in Kenai. Lists resources for victims of child
sexual abuse, information on how to report offenders, statistics,
Alaska statues, and other information related to child sexual
abuse. |
Victims
for Justice (VFJ)
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Provides essential direct services to families and friends
of homicide victims and to victims of physical assault. Founders
Janice Lienhart and Sharon Nahorney received the 1997 annual
Crime
Victim Service Award, the highest federal award for service
to victims. See Rep. Don Young's April
18 press release announcing the reward. |
- CourtWatch:
Sponsored by Victims for Justice as part of an effort to improve
the Alaska criminal justice system, CourtWatch relies on volunteer
members of the public to observe court proceedings and evaluate
the performance of judges.
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Publications
Alaska laws and publications from various
sources on crime victims and victims' rights.
- "Victim-Offender
Mediation in Alaska": by Patrick Cunningham and
Lawrence C. Trostle. Alaska Justice Forum 11(2), Summer
1994. Victim-offender mediation programs provide opportunities
for a victim to meet the offender face-to-face in the presence
of a trained mediator for the purpose of resolving the injury
of a crime in some way. Mediation is offered as a diversion from
the justice system which the offender may accept to avoid more
formal adjudication. This article describes a pilot victim-offender
mediation program in Anchorage which involves juveniles accused
of certain offenses and the victims of those crimes.
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Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault
/ Child & Youth Victimization
Federal Agencies
Federal agencies providing assistance for
victims or agencies which assist victims.
Office
for Victims of Crime (OVC)
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A component of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department
of Justic dealing with all issues affecting victims of crime
in the U.S. |
Title
Text
Domestic Violence
& Sexual Assault
Text
Child & Youth Victimization
Text
- Child
Abuse and Neglect Statistics from the Census Bureau
- Child Welfare
League of America (CWLA)
- Child Quest International:
According the the U.S. Department of Justice, about 359,000 children
are kidnapped each year by non-custodial parents, family acquaintances,
or strangers. This site provides desciptions of missing children
and, in many cases, their accused abductors as part of an effort
to find missing children.
- Children's
Defense Fund: Seeks to educate the nation about the needs
of children and encourage preventive investment in children before
they get sick, drop out of school, suffer family breakdown, or
get into trouble; focuses on issues of justice, health, education,
economic justice, safety, and morality.
- Institute
for the Prevention of Child Abuse
- Minnesota
Crime Alert Network
- National
Center on Child Abuse and Neglect
- Missing
Persons Data Base: Information about, and pictures of,
missing children. Maintained by the National
Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)
- National Center
for Exploited and Missing Children Forum: Useful information
about missing children and tips to parents for protecting their
children.
- National
Child Rights Alliance
- National Court
Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Association: Court
Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) are trained volunteers (also
known as volunteer guardians ad litem) who advise courts about
the best interests of abused and neglected children. The National
CASA Association supports over 600 CASA programs nationwide,
including the Alaska
CASA Program in the state Office of Public Advocacy.
- National
Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect
- National Network of Children's
Advocacy Centers: A not-for-profit organization whose
mission is to provide training, technical assistance and networking
opportunities to communities seeking to plan, establish and improve
Children's Advocacy Centers, which serve abused children through
a comprehensive approach to services for victims and their families.
- Polly
Klaas Foundation: The Polly Klaas Foundation has assisted
in searches for more than 130 missing and abducted children.
All but four have been returned safely.
- The
Survivors' Voice
- U.S.
Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect
- Other
Resources on Children's Issues
- Youth
& Children's Resource Net
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Bibliographies
Publications from Other Sources
Child & Youth Victimization
- Child
Sexual Exploitation: Improving Investigations and Protecting
Victims -- A Blueprint for Action: (Education Development
Center, Inc.; Massachusetts Child Exploitation Network, Jan 1995.)
- Child
Victimizers: Violent Offenders and Their Victims by Lawrence
A. Greenfeld: A report based on information from a nationally
representative sample of state prisoners and information from
law enforcement agencies. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mar
1996, NCJ 1532858.) The executive
summary (NCJ 158625) is also available.
- "The
Cycle of Violence Revisited": What happens to abused
and neglected children after they grow up? Do the victims of
violence and neglect later become criminals or violent offenders
themselves? (National Institute of Justice, NIJ Research Preview,
Feb 1996.)
- Improving
the Court Process for Alaska's Children in Need of Aid: Executive
Summary: An assessment of the role of Alaska courts
in Child In Need of Aid (CINA) cases, with recommendations for
improvements. (Anchorage: Alaska Judicial Council, October 1996)
- "Prosecuting
Child Physical Abuse Cases: Lessons Learned From the San Diego
Experience": (National Institute of Justice, NIJ
Update, May 1995, NCJ 152978.)
- "Resiliency
in Young Children": A fact sheet from Canada's National
Crime Prevention Council on resiliency and protective factors
among young children and the significance of these factors for
the early prevention of criminality, violence, and victimization.
(National Crime Prevention Council, 1995.)
- "Victims
of Childhood Sexual Abuse: Later Criminal Consequences"
by Cathy Spatz Widom: Addresses the criminal consquences
in adulthood of a history of child sexual abuse victimization.
Is there a cycle of violence? (National Institute of Justice,
NIJ Research in Brief, Mar 1996, NCJ 151525.)
- "Young
Black Male Victims: National Crime Victimization Survey"
by Lisa D. Bastian and Bruce M. Taylor: (Bureau of Justice
Statistics, Crime Data Brief, Dec 1994, NCJ 147004.)
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