Legislature(2001 - 2002)

03/20/2002 01:15 PM House JUD

Audio Topic
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HB 341 - FELONY 4TH DEG DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ASSAULT                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Number 1747                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR ROKEBERG  announced that the  next order of  business would                                                               
be HOUSE BILL NO. 341, "An  Act relating to assault in the fourth                                                               
degree that is a crime involving domestic violence."                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Number 1757                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  JOE  HAYES,  Alaska State  Legislature,  sponsor,                                                               
thanked  the committee  for hearing  HB 341,  and indicated  that                                                               
while he was  available for questions, his  staff, Melinda Bruno,                                                               
would be presenting the bill.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Number 1777                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MELINDA BRUNO,  Staff to Representative  Joe Hayes,  Alaska State                                                               
Legislature,  on behalf  of Representative  Hayes, sponsor,  said                                                               
that as  a deterrent  to continuing  cycles of  domestic violence                                                               
(DV), it  is imperative that  Alaska adopt legislation  that will                                                               
make   punishments  more   severe.     Increased  penalties   may                                                               
discourage abusers from committing  an offense and encourage them                                                               
to  seek  necessary  and appropriate  treatment  programs.    She                                                               
explained that  the primary reason  for introducing HB 341  is to                                                               
provide  a tool  to help  break the  cycle of  domestic violence.                                                               
Currently,  a  person  can  have any  number  of  "fourth  degree                                                               
assault  convictions"   related  to   DV,  and   each  successive                                                               
conviction  for assault  in the  fourth degree  related to  DV is                                                               
still   subject  to   the  same   punishment   as  the   previous                                                               
convictions.   She posited that this  is completely unacceptable;                                                               
therefore, the  sponsor is introducing  HB 341, which  will amend                                                               
AS 11.41.230(b)  so that  the third  conviction of  fourth degree                                                               
assault involving  DV is a  class C  felony.  In  conclusion, she                                                               
said that HB 341 is  necessary to help protect Alaska's families,                                                               
especially those  that have already  been victimized  by domestic                                                               
violence.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MEYER,  referring to a letter  in members' packets                                                               
from William  R. Satterberg, Jr.,  asked Representative  Hayes to                                                               
comment.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  HAYES said  that  he would  be  working with  Mr.                                                               
Satterberg  over the  upcoming interim  in an  effort to  address                                                               
some  of the  concerns  expressed in  the aforementioned  letter.                                                               
Noting that one  of those concerns pertained to  charging acts of                                                               
nonphysical [behavior] in DV situations  as assault in the fourth                                                               
degree,  Representative Hayes  pointed  out that  in Alaska,  the                                                               
courts have never tried such  cases because those situations have                                                               
always been resolved  out of court.  He also  pointed out that HB
341  is   not  intended  to   address  DV   situations  involving                                                               
nonphysical [behavior].   In response  to a question,  he assured                                                               
committee members that he is  primarily concerned with addressing                                                               
physically violent DV situations.   Because DV situations tend to                                                               
escalate, he said, one of his  ultimate fears is that by the time                                                               
a DV situation is dealt with, it  may be too late and someone has                                                               
been killed.   He  indicated that  his hope is  that HB  341 will                                                               
prevent  people, after  a second  conviction for  assault in  the                                                               
fourth  degree  involving   domestic  violence,  from  committing                                                               
subsequent acts of DV.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Number 1979                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
DANTE FOSTER testified  via teleconference in support  of HB 341,                                                               
and  read   the  following   testimony  regarding   the  economic                                                               
consequences of domestic violence:                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     Nothing comes  for free, not  even a bill  as promising                                                                    
     as this  one.  But  the costs associated with  [HB 341]                                                                    
     must  be  considered  within the  appropriate  context.                                                                    
     You  see,  domestic violence  does  not  come for  free                                                                    
     either.   It exacts a  tremendous economic toll  on our                                                                    
     nation  and represents  nothing less  than a  pervasive                                                                    
     drain  on our  economic  resources.   According to  the                                                                    
     American Institute on Domestic  Violence and the Bureau                                                                    
     of  National Affairs,  the corporate  cost of  domestic                                                                    
     violence is  in excess of  $67 billion per year.   This                                                                    
     includes  $3-5   billion  in  domestic-violence-related                                                                    
     medical expenses  and $100 million in  lost wages, sick                                                                    
     leave,  and  absenteeism.   It  does  not  include  the                                                                    
     social,  political, or  judicial costs  associated with                                                                    
     domestic violence.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     The first systematic study  of the relationship between                                                                    
     abuse and employment was conducted  in 1987 by Friedman                                                                    
     and Couper.   The pair  found that 56 percent  of women                                                                    
     seeking  counseling assistance  at a  victims' services                                                                    
     agency had  lost at least  one job because  of domestic                                                                    
     violence, [and]  54 percent  reported missing  three or                                                                    
     more  days  of  work  per  month  because  of  domestic                                                                    
     violence.   In  a comparable  study, Shepard  and Pence                                                                    
     found  that  58  percent   of  shelter  residents  were                                                                    
     working  at the  time that  they were  abused and  that                                                                    
     their  work performance  was  seriously compromised  by                                                                    
     absenteeism and tardiness related to their abuse.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     The  Effects of  Violence on  Work and  Family Project,                                                                    
     which  was conducted  in Chicago,  found that  battered                                                                    
     women are  more likely to  have been unemployed  and to                                                                    
     suffer  from  a range  of  physical  and mental  health                                                                    
     problems   known  to   affect  employability   and  job                                                                    
     performance.   While  57 percent  of women  interviewed                                                                    
     reported having been unemployed  when they wanted to be                                                                    
     working, 70  percent of battered women  reported having                                                                    
     been  so unemployed.    Additional  studies found  that                                                                    
     battered  women  are  more  likely  to  collect  public                                                                    
     assistance and that abuse increases  the length of time                                                                    
     and the number of times that women return to welfare.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MS. FOSTER concluded:                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     Reliance on public  assistance, decreased productivity,                                                                    
     increased medical expenses and  absenteeism all come at                                                                    
     a price  - a  price we  will pay whether  or not  it is                                                                    
     included in  state budgets or  appears on  the national                                                                    
     balance sheet.  The only way  to reduce the price is to                                                                    
     stop violence.   House Bill  341 is an  excellent place                                                                    
     to start.   While it  may increase the amount  spent on                                                                    
     incarcerating  repeat offenders,  it  will also  ensure                                                                    
     that their victims have time  to assess their situation                                                                    
     and, perhaps,  move on to more  secure circumstances in                                                                    
     which  they can  lead productive,  violence-free lives.                                                                    
     Any  increase  in the  cost  of  incarceration will  be                                                                    
     offset  by   their  unfettered  participation   in  the                                                                    
     workforce.   I therefore urge  you to do  everything in                                                                    
     your  power to  advance [HB  341], and  thank you  very                                                                    
     much for taking domestic violence seriously.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR ROKEBERG remarked  that for "such a small bill,  it's got a                                                               
big price tag," with the fiscal notes totaling over $2 million.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   HAYES  agreed   that  the   fiscal  notes   were                                                               
relatively large.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Number 2163                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
ROBYN  SMITH testified  via teleconference  and indicated  simply                                                               
that as a victim of domestic  violence herself for two and a half                                                               
years, she  is in support  of HB 341.   She also made  mention of                                                               
fact that  she has scars on  her forehead and cigarette  burns on                                                               
her arms  that she has  to live with and  look at everyday.   She                                                               
said she  believes that abusers  need to have  "successive scars"                                                               
attached to their records so that  they can "pay for the scars of                                                               
what they've done to other people."                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Number 2196                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
JANET BAIRD  testified via teleconference  in support of  HB 341.                                                               
She noted that  she was speaking on behalf of  herself, on behalf                                                               
of the "Domestic Violence portion  of the Equal Justice Committee                                                               
at the New Hope Methodist-Presbyterian  Church in North Pole, and                                                               
...  as chair  of the  Social  Concerns Committee  for the  Yukon                                                               
Presbyter."   She noted  that in most  of the  statistical charts                                                               
that she sees, Alaska is at  the top in terms "violence, domestic                                                               
violence, and child abuse."  She  said she did not like living in                                                               
a state that is number one  in "that category," nor did she think                                                               
Alaska's women  and children should  be treated "that way."   She                                                               
urged the  legislature to do  everything it could to  change this                                                               
situation.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MS. BAIRD offered  that there are three things that  HB 341 would                                                               
accomplish.    One, it  would  increase  awareness that  domestic                                                               
violence is a serious crime.   Two, it would raise the stakes for                                                               
the perpetrators.   And three, it would create a  deterrent.  For                                                               
all these  reasons, she said,  HB 341 is  a very useful  bill and                                                               
one that is worth working on.   She posited that it would also be                                                               
useful to  see what domestic violence  is not:  It  is not random                                                               
and  it is  not a  result  of uncontrollable  emotions or  moods.                                                               
Rather,  domestic   violence  is  a  learned   behavior  that  is                                                               
controlling and strategically planned.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MS. BAIRD said that domestic  violence has devastating effects on                                                               
children; in Alaska the statistics  show that 60 percent of child                                                               
abuse occurs in homes where  domestic violence exists.  She noted                                                               
that  nationally,  there are  up  10  million children  who  will                                                               
witness domestic violence, and that  in homes where a batterer is                                                               
abusing a partner,  the batterer is also abusing  the children in                                                               
that  home.   She mentioned  that  in Fairbanks,  there are  many                                                               
people who  work very  hard in  setting up  networks in  order to                                                               
have  a  coordinated  plan against  domestic  violence,  and  she                                                               
invited the legislature  to join in on that effort  by voting for                                                               
HB 341.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Number 2303                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SHANNA  KARELLA   testified  via  teleconference  and   read  the                                                               
following testimony in support of HB 341:                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     I am  a domestic  violence and stalking  victim.   I am                                                                    
     here to testify  in favor of [HB 341].   There are many                                                                    
     domestic  violence  victims  who are  unable  to  voice                                                                    
     their own needs and concerns.   Although this bill does                                                                    
     not benefit me  personally in any way,  I testify today                                                                    
     on behalf of  those who are unable to speak  to you for                                                                    
     themselves.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     The hardest thing for a  domestic violence victim to do                                                                    
     is to  get out of the  relationship.  It is  easier and                                                                    
     safer  to  stay.   Statistics  show  that the  victim's                                                                    
     likelihood of  being killed by their  partner increases                                                                    
     when they  try to leave.   I was lucky in  one respect.                                                                    
     My relationship  had not progressed to  violence before                                                                    
     I was able to  get out.  Even so, it took  me two and a                                                                    
     half years to leave after I  began to think I needed to                                                                    
     leave.  It  is much more difficult for  someone who has                                                                    
     been terrorized,  threatened, and beaten to  leave; the                                                                    
     fear is overpowering.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Once a victim  does manage to leave  their batterer, he                                                                    
     or she  is met with  a frustrating lack  of legislation                                                                    
     or legal support.  As a  victim, I have followed all of                                                                    
     the recommendations  from the court, the  troopers, and                                                                    
     the  local  women's  shelter.   I  have  a  restraining                                                                    
     order.   I have changed  and unlisted my  phone number.                                                                    
     I  sold  my  house  and  moved.   I  have  informed  my                                                                    
     children's  schools, and  provided them  copies of  the                                                                    
     restraining order  and a photo  of the perpetrator.   I                                                                    
     log  blocked phone  calls  that I  continue  to get  at                                                                    
     work.  I report every  new violation of the restraining                                                                    
     order  to the  troopers.   My teenage  daughters and  I                                                                    
     have changed  our e-mail addresses  more than once.   I                                                                    
     vary  my route  to work  and school.   In  short, I  do                                                                    
     everything I am supposed to  do, but that isn't enough.                                                                    
     Legislation needs to change.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     When domestic  violence victims do  make the  effort to                                                                    
     get away  from their batterer, they  put themselves and                                                                    
     perhaps  their  children  at greater  risk  of  violent                                                                    
     reprisal  and death.   They  need legislative  support.                                                                    
     Current Alaska  state law offers an  incredible lack of                                                                    
     serious  consequences for  those convicted  of domestic                                                                    
     violence  assault.    This   leaves  both  victims  and                                                                    
     perpetrators  of domestic  violence  with the  accurate                                                                    
     impression  that  the  perpetrator can  basically  "get                                                                    
     away with it."                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MS. KARELLA concluded:                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     House  Bill 341  will change  that.   Domestic violence                                                                    
     batterers  will  know  that  there  are  serious  legal                                                                    
     consequences  to  their  actions.    Domestic  violence                                                                    
     victims will  be safer, and  will have the  support and                                                                    
     protection they desperately  need.  I urge  you to vote                                                                    
     to pass [HB 341].  Thank you.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Number 2440                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
LINDA  WILSON, Deputy  Director,  Public  Defender Agency  (PDA),                                                               
Department  of  Administration,   testified  via  teleconference,                                                               
noting that the PDA certainly agrees  that Alaska - in both rural                                                               
and urban areas - suffers from  a high rate of domestic violence.                                                               
She commended  Representative Hayes for bringing  forth [HB 341],                                                               
and acknowledged that domestic violence  affects a vast number of                                                               
federal, state, and local organizations  that strive to deal with                                                               
its many ramifications.  There  certainly is a need for effective                                                               
intervention and  deterrence, she  said, and  that should  be the                                                               
goal  of  any  legislation  addressing domestic  violence.    The                                                               
million-dollar  question,  however,  is:     what  is  effective?                                                               
Citing  the Domestic  Violence Caucus  and the  Domestic Violence                                                               
Committee, she acknowledged the efforts  of these and other state                                                               
and  local  agencies  and  partnerships  to  look  into  domestic                                                               
violence issues  and try to  improve treatment,  services, access                                                               
to treatment and services, and monitoring.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MS. WILSON  pointed out, however,  that increasing  penalties and                                                               
jail time has  not been proven to be effective  as a deterrent to                                                               
domestic  violence; instead,  increasing the  "consequences to  a                                                               
felony," she  warned, would  have many  accompanying costs.   She                                                               
remarked  that  the  fiscal  note  submitted  by  the  PDA  is  a                                                               
[conservative] estimate.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
TAPE 02-33, SIDE B                                                                                                              
Number 2510                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS. WILSON continued,  saying that most of  the domestic violence                                                               
cases that occur  in Anchorage are handled by the  city, but they                                                               
may very  well wind up being  handled by the state  should HB 341                                                               
come  to pass.    Thus  the fiscal  repercussions  might be  even                                                               
higher than estimated.   She said that certainly  efforts need to                                                               
be made to create fundamental,  long-term changes that will prove                                                               
to  be  effective  deterrents  to   domestic  violence,  such  as                                                               
education and treatment.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Number 2471                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
JULIA P.  GRIMES, Lieutenant, Division of  Alaska State Troopers,                                                               
Department of Public Safety  (DPS), testified via teleconference,                                                               
and  concurred that  domestic violence  is  an enormous  problem,                                                               
both  statewide and  nationally.   In  fact,  she said,  domestic                                                               
violence has  been a big enough  problem in Alaska that  in 1996,                                                               
the  legislature  passed  the Domestic  Violence  Prevention  and                                                               
Victim  Protection  Act, and  within  that  Act there  were  many                                                               
changes to  the approach  taken to domestic  violence.   The most                                                               
significant,   from  a   law-enforcement  perspective,   was  the                                                               
mandatory arrest.  With mandatory  arrest, in a domestic violence                                                               
case,  she  explained, "we  were  looking  for greater  and  more                                                               
immediate consequence for the batterer  - for the offender; we're                                                               
looking for  something that's going  to cause change  in behavior                                                               
for  these  folks" so  that  their  battering behavior  does  not                                                               
continue.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT  GRIMES noted  that previous  testimony has  indicated                                                               
that domestic violence  is not only a continuing  problem in many                                                               
families,  but it  is  also  an escalating  problem  in that  the                                                               
violence  escalates  in   severity.    The  hope   was  that  the                                                               
mandatory-arrest provision would reduce  the potential for future                                                               
domestic violence offenses to occur  within a family.  This [type                                                               
of  intervention] was  needed because  escalating violence  in DV                                                               
situations ultimately results  in homicide; unfortunately, Alaska                                                               
is very  much in line  with the rest of  the country in  terms of                                                               
U.S.   Department  of   Justice   statistics   which  show   that                                                               
nationally, 30 percent of homicides  are DV-related.  She relayed                                                               
that even according to the  Anchorage Police Department (APD), 30                                                               
percent of  homicides occurring within  its jurisdiction  are DV-                                                               
related.   She  relayed, however,  that within  the Alaska  State                                                               
Troopers' jurisdiction,  just under  50 percent of  the homicides                                                               
that occurred in 2001 are DV related.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT GRIMES stated that  these statistics are unacceptable,                                                               
and recounted  that on  November 24,  2001, Alaska  State Trooper                                                               
Hans Roelle  was killed while  responding to a  domestic violence                                                               
call that  ended in  the murder  of a  one-year-old and  a three-                                                               
year-old and  the suicide of  the children's father.   Lieutenant                                                               
Grimes  opined that  HB 341  would allow  for greater  periods of                                                               
confinement,  which equals  less  exposure for  the victim,  and,                                                               
more  significantly,  with the  class  C  felony there  would  be                                                               
supervised probation for offenders, which  would allow for a more                                                               
structured   enforcement   of   treatment  programs   and   other                                                               
successful interventions.  She relayed  that a July 2001 National                                                               
Institute  of   Justice  study   has  concluded   that  arresting                                                               
batterers   is  consistently   related  to   reducing  subsequent                                                               
domestic violence assaults.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Number 2312                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
WILLA  FREY,   Minister,  Community  of  Christ,   testified  via                                                               
teleconference in support of HB 341.   She noted that she is also                                                               
president of the Tanana Valley  Conference of Churches.  She said                                                               
that over  the years, [her organizations]  have developed several                                                               
committees  that  try  to  improve  the lives  of  those  in  the                                                               
community.   She remarked  that HB  341 is one  way in  which the                                                               
legislature  can join  in  with their  efforts  to eliminate  the                                                               
problem of domestic violence.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Number 2260                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
BRENDA STANFILL,  Executive Director, Interior Alaska  Center for                                                               
Non-Violent Living,  testified via  teleconference in  support of                                                               
HB  341.    She  said  that  batterers  need  to  experience  the                                                               
consequences  of their  actions.   Currently, however,  that does                                                               
not  occur; when  a batterer  goes  to court,  he/she is  perhaps                                                               
sentenced to  three days in jail  - although most of  the time it                                                               
is  just overnight  due to  credit for  time already  served upon                                                               
arrest  -  and  must  attend "Alternatives  to  Violence."    And                                                               
although this  is a good step  in the right direction,  it is not                                                               
enough because  it is  simply a misdemeanor  charge and  does not                                                               
contain any  follow-up or oversight.   She recounted that  in her                                                               
community at a recent point in  time, there were over 350 men and                                                               
women  who,  after  being  convicted  of  domestic  violence  and                                                               
ordered by the court to go  to treatment, were noncompliant.  She                                                               
said that consistently, intervention is not occurring.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MS. STANFILL said  that although putting money  into education is                                                               
key to solving  the problem of domestic violence,  there also has                                                               
to be a  way of ensuring that people receive  that education once                                                               
they  go through  the court  system.   Without  a felony  charge,                                                               
there  is no  supervised probation  and no  way to  track whether                                                               
people are  complying.  She  remarked that any follow-up  that is                                                               
currently occurring is being done  by local agencies that are not                                                               
receiving  any funds  for  this  extra activity.    She said  her                                                               
agency is doing  this on its own,  doing its best to  try to make                                                               
sure that  the proper  authorities are  notified when  people are                                                               
noncompliant,  but  it  doesn't   have  the  resources  to  serve                                                               
warrants.  "So  when you're looking at a fiscal  note saying, 'We                                                               
can't afford  this,'" she remarked,  a way simply must  be found.                                                               
She reiterated  that she  is in  support of  [HB 341],  and urged                                                               
members to pass it out of committee for further consideration.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Number 2185                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SHEILA  KIVI,   Facilitator,  Alternative  Behaviors   &  Choices                                                               
[Services], testified  via teleconference  in support of  HB 341,                                                               
and suggested that  the economic penalties on  batterers could be                                                               
set  high enough  so as  to offset  HB 341's  fiscal notes.   She                                                               
opined that batterers need more jail  time, and that if HB 341 is                                                               
not passed,  the situation  will remain the  same and  more women                                                               
are going to die  and more families are going to  be harmed.  She                                                               
said that she has to  deal with noncompliant batterers, and noted                                                               
that the rate of noncompliance has  risen this year.  Because the                                                               
offense is just a misdemeanor, most  people play it off as, "It's                                                               
just family violence,  it's just not our  business"; however, "we                                                               
need  to  make   it  our  business,"  she   stated,  adding  that                                                               
legislators  in Alaska  need to  make it  their business  without                                                               
worrying about  the cost, because "we'll  find a way" to  pay for                                                               
it.  She  opined that everyone needs  to help find a  way to stop                                                               
the crime of domestic violence.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Number 2128                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
JOAN ADAMS  testified via  teleconference in  support of  HB 341,                                                               
noting   that  she   supervises   three  batterers   intervention                                                               
programs:  one  in the Fairbanks Correctional Center,  one in the                                                               
Northstar Center  - a halfway  house, and one program  offered to                                                               
the [Fairbanks] community.   She explained that the  first time a                                                               
batterer stands before a judge is  not the first time that he/she                                                               
has been  abusive; it is likely  that the emotional/psychological                                                               
abuse has been going on for  months and possibly years, and it is                                                               
simply the  first time  that the victim  has finally  reached out                                                               
for help from law enforcement.   She relayed that the dynamics of                                                               
domestic violence are  such that over time, it  gets more serious                                                               
and  more  frequent.   The  danger,  even,  with having  a  third                                                               
conviction be  a felony is  that it is  not known how  much abuse                                                               
must be suffered before even that threshold is reached.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MS. ADAMS  said that  there seems  to be  a double  standard with                                                               
regard  to how  regular  assaults between  strangers are  treated                                                               
when compared  to how DV  assaults are treated.   Why is  it that                                                               
there  are not  the  same  sort of  consequences  for people  who                                                               
assault their  intimate partners, over  whom they have  power and                                                               
control?   She also relayed  her feeling that  there is a  lot of                                                               
minimization and denial, not only  in the batterers' and victims'                                                               
minds,   but  also   from  a   systems  standpoint;   often,  the                                                               
professionals who work with DV  issues attempt to minimize how DV                                                               
impacts victims,  and deny  the seriousness  of the  DV behavior.                                                               
She noted that  because of the "Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde"  aspect of a                                                               
batterer's personality,  it has  often been  a real  challenge to                                                               
get assistance for a victim,  simply because when he/she goes for                                                               
help, those  that know  or have  met the  batterer say  that that                                                               
person is so nice, he/she couldn't possibly be abusive.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MS.  ADAMS remarked  that  one  of the  things  that  can make  a                                                               
difference in changing the behavior  of a batterer is creating an                                                               
opportunity  for  him/her  to  be  accountable  for  the  abusive                                                               
behavior; unfortunately, at least in  Fairbanks, there is not yet                                                               
a very good system in place  to provide that accountability.  She                                                               
noted that  batterers have  relayed that one  of the  things that                                                               
would assist them in changing their  behavior is to have a system                                                               
in place that consistently shows  them that battering behavior is                                                               
wrong and  comes with  severe consequences.   In  conclusion, she                                                               
said  she strongly  supports HB  341, and  thinks that  a message                                                               
needs  to be  sent to  batterers  that domestic  violence is  not                                                               
acceptable.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Number 1956                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SUSAN SCUDDER,  Executive Director, Council on  Domestic Violence                                                               
and Sexual  Assault (CDVSA), Department  of Public  Safety (DPS),                                                               
said that the  CDVSA is in favor  HB 341.  She  relayed that last                                                               
year in Alaska there were more  than 7,000 women and children who                                                               
sought  direct  services  from  shelters  for  more  than  50,000                                                               
"shelter nights."  The vast  majority of perpetrators of domestic                                                               
violence  are   not  charged;  they   don't  end  up   in  court.                                                               
Therefore,  when someone  is in  court  for the  third time,  she                                                               
opined, it  is not  unreasonable to raise  the punishment  to the                                                               
felony  level.   She surmised  that doing  so will  make Alaska's                                                               
women  and  children safer,  if  for  no  other reason  then  the                                                               
batterer is out of their lives for a longer length of time.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JAMES  asked Ms.  Scudder:  "If  you had  all your                                                               
druthers,  of  all the  different  methodologies  that you  think                                                               
would assist  in eliminating  or at  least reducing  ... domestic                                                               
violence ..., where would you begin?"                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MS.  SCUDDER said  that  that was  a  difficult question  because                                                               
there  are so  many choices.   She  observed that  the punishment                                                               
portion  of  the  solution,  such  as is  found  in  HB  341,  is                                                               
certainly one  aspect to consider;  simply getting  batterers off                                                               
the  street  and out  of  the  households should  be  considered.                                                               
Another aspect of  the solution is educating both  the public and                                                               
those affected  by DV that Alaskan's  are being hurt and  that DV                                                               
should [not]  be considered  an "okay way"  to hurt  one another:                                                               
DV is  not a family  issue, it is  not a  private issue, it  is a                                                               
criminal issue.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JAMES  indicated that domestic violence  is a very                                                               
stressful issue to her.   She acknowledged that many families are                                                               
destroyed  by DV,  and that  it is  a difficult  issue to  find a                                                               
solution for.   She said,  however, that although more  rules and                                                               
regulations  are  being created,  it  just  seems as  though  the                                                               
problem is getting worse.  Because  of this, she said, she is not                                                               
totally convinced that increasing  penalties is "getting us where                                                               
we  want to  go."   She suggested  that perhaps  education should                                                               
start at the elementary-school level;  people should be taught at                                                               
a  very  young  age  that  violent  behavior  against  anyone  is                                                               
unacceptable.   She  said that  at  least by  putting money  into                                                               
education,  it  will  result  in reducing  this  problem  in  the                                                               
future.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MS. SCUDDER  said that currently,  programs throughout  the state                                                               
are in the school system at all  levels, and that this is part of                                                               
breaking the cycle of domestic violence.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Number 1786                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JAMES opined that  assertiveness training for both                                                               
boys  and girls  is essential  to ending  the problems  caused by                                                               
living in a combative society.   She remarked that she is looking                                                               
for alternatives  to simply  increasing punishment,  because that                                                               
alone does not seem to be working.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MEYER  asked whether a counseling  option could be                                                               
added to HB 341 as a mitigating  factor.  In this way, if someone                                                               
agreed to  attend counseling,  the charge  could be  reduced down                                                               
from a felony  level, which would in term help  mitigate the cost                                                               
of HB 341.  He asked whether counseling really helps.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MS. SCUDDER said that there  are batterers' intervention programs                                                               
throughout the  state, but  cautioned that it  is still  a fairly                                                               
new  concept.     She  also  recalled   that  previous  testimony                                                               
indicated  that  one  of  the problems  is  that  recidivism  and                                                               
noncompliance  rates are  high because  there is  no tracking  of                                                               
misdemeanants   to  ensure   that   they   follow  through   with                                                               
counseling/treatment programs.   Felons, on  the other  hand, are                                                               
tracked  to  ensure  that counseling/treatment  requirements  are                                                               
met.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  JAMES asked  whether  there is  any  way to  have                                                               
individuals tracked without going to a felony charge.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MS. SCUDDER mentioned  that there are a variety  of programs that                                                               
have  been offered  [to that  effect]  and there  are some  pilot                                                               
programs that  are usually done  at one specific  court; however,                                                               
there is not a statewide program at this time.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  JAMES  asked whether  such  could  be done  on  a                                                               
statewide basis via legislation.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MS. SCUDDER replied that that is  a question for the Alaska Court                                                               
System.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Number 1633                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
LAUREE HUGONIN,  Executive Director,  Alaska Network  on Domestic                                                               
Violence  &  Sexual  Assault  (ANDVSA),   said  that  the  ANDVSA                                                               
supports HB 341,  raising assault in the  fourth degree involving                                                               
domestic  violence (DV)  from  a misdemeanor  level  to a  felony                                                               
level on  the third conviction.   She opined that three  times in                                                               
front of a  court is plenty for  a batterer to get  the idea that                                                               
he/she has  made a mistake.   She  explained that the  first time                                                               
someone is before the court for  this crime, he/she does not "get                                                               
any time;  you can read your  local daily paper where  they print                                                               
the criminal  records and you can  see, 'DV assault -  30 days/30                                                               
days  suspended, one  year probation,'  or, '[DV  assault] -  two                                                               
weeks/time  served, one  year  probation.'"   When  one looks  at                                                               
these types  of sentences day  after day, month after  month, she                                                               
remarked,  it is  apparent  how  people could  be  left with  the                                                               
impression that nothing is being done to perpetrators of DV.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS.  HUGONIN  said   that  there  is  a   responsibility  on  the                                                               
community's part  to tell  the court  that it  needs to  pay more                                                               
attention to  this serious  crime.  She  recounted that  in 1998,                                                               
Representatives Berkowitz and Dyson  passed legislation that said                                                               
a person  [shall be sentenced  to] 30 days  in jail for  a second                                                               
conviction of  DV assault,  and 60 days  for a  third conviction.                                                               
This was  done as a  way to try  to help  both the court  and the                                                               
perpetrator  see  that  the  community  took  these  crimes  very                                                               
seriously  and wanted  to  make  an impact  in  such  a way  that                                                               
perpetrators would  be less likely  to re-offend.   She observed,                                                               
however,  that  with misdemeanants,  there  is  no probation  and                                                               
there is  no way to  monitor their  activity to see  whether they                                                               
are going to batterers' intervention programs.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MS. HUGONIN  remarked that  even on a  national level,  there are                                                               
not  very  many  studies  that  prove  one  way  or  another  how                                                               
effective  batterers' intervention  programs  are.   So, even  if                                                               
someone does  attend such  a program  for 26 weeks  with up  to a                                                               
year of follow-up, there is  still a certain amount of continuing                                                               
violence  that he/she  perpetrates -  maybe not  on the  original                                                               
victim, but on someone new.   She opined that these batterers are                                                               
not changing  their behavior due  to intervention  programs; thus                                                               
giving them a longer period of  jail time at least has the effect                                                               
of giving  their victims more time  in which to be  safe and move                                                               
forward with their lives.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MS.  HUGONIN,  with regard  to  the  concern that  fourth  degree                                                               
assault  might simply  refer  to instances  in  which someone  is                                                               
being yelled at, pointed out  that fourth degree assault can also                                                               
refer to  instances in  which someone  is beaten  in the  face so                                                               
badly with a  broom handle that his/her face is  swollen to twice                                                               
its  normal size.    It  can also  refer  to  instances in  which                                                               
someone is thrown  down a staircase and has  his/her ribs broken.                                                               
It can  also refer  to instances  in which  someone is  kicked so                                                               
badly  in the  stomach  that his/her  spleen  must be  surgically                                                               
removed.  "Misdemeanor fourth degree  assault can be very serious                                                               
physical injury," she stated.  So  it's not just "a slap" or just                                                               
"a little yell";  those kinds of cases don't get  into the court,                                                               
she remarked.   With HB  341, "we're talking about  serious crime                                                               
where there's definite injuries";  currently, people have to live                                                               
with the knowledge that there is  no justice:  the perpetrator is                                                               
just getting  a slap on  the wrist after breaking  someone else's                                                               
bones or destroying  someone else's internal organs.   It doesn't                                                               
seem quite right, she stated.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Number 1410                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS. HUGONIN recalled  that prior testimony indicated  that one of                                                               
the advantages of  raising the third offense of this  nature to a                                                               
felony  level  is  that  it would  provide  for  supervision  and                                                               
probation.  She  noted that in Palmer in 1997,  there was a pilot                                                               
project  involving supervised,  misdemeanant-level probation  for                                                               
batterers  specifically.    However,   after  the  pilot  program                                                               
lapsed,  the  Department  of  Corrections  (DOC)  indicated  that                                                               
statewide misdemeanant probation would  be too expensive because,                                                               
at  the  time, the  DOC  did  not see  any  way  of singling  out                                                               
domestic violence  offenders; it was either  all misdemeanants or                                                               
no misdemeanants.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
MS. HUGONIN relayed  that there have been studies  that looked at                                                               
the  effectiveness  of incarceration.    From  these studies,  it                                                               
appears that when  there is an incident of  domestic violence, if                                                               
there is  an immediate arrest, if  there is a short  time to wait                                                               
for  the trial,  and if  there  are fast  consequences -  meaning                                                               
immediate sentencing - then incarceration  is more effective than                                                               
merely talking  to the  offender about how  he/she got  into that                                                               
situation to begin with.  She  pointed out that "we don't talk to                                                               
burglars; we don't  send them to an intervention  program to say,                                                               
'Now, why  did you feel  compelled to  break into that  house and                                                               
steal that  piece of  jewelry,' and  give them  ten steps  to not                                                               
[repeat that  behavior]."  She  acknowledged, however,  that some                                                               
people feel that there is some  efficacy in trying to help people                                                               
who batter choose a different way of behaving.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MS. HUGONIN  pointed out that  there are some  felonies currently                                                               
on the  books that certainly  seem less important than  keeping a                                                               
violent person in  prison.  One involves writing a  bad check for                                                               
$500; that's  a class  C felony.   One  involves being  a concert                                                               
promoter who waits  more than 10 days to  return concert proceeds                                                               
totaling  at  least  $1,000  to  the  entity  entitled  to  those                                                               
proceeds;  that's  a  class  C  felony.   One  involves  being  a                                                               
telephone solicitor who does not  register with the Department of                                                               
Law  30 days  before beginning  solicitations; that's  a class  C                                                               
felony.   However, "you can beat  your partner to within  an inch                                                               
of her life,  break her bones, bruise her body,"  and it's just a                                                               
class A misdemeanor.  She acknowledged  that there is a high cost                                                               
associated   with  providing   higher   penalties  for   domestic                                                               
violence,  but  remarked  nonetheless  that at  some  point  this                                                               
[discrepancy   between   violent    DV   misdemeanors   and   the                                                               
aforementioned nonviolent felonies] should  be questioned.  "Just                                                               
because it costs  a lot doesn't mean that we  shouldn't be having                                                               
these  violent   people  under   more  serious   supervision  and                                                               
incarceration," she concluded.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Number 1210                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JAMES  remarked that it  isn't the cost  by itself                                                               
that causes  her concern,  it is  that she  is not  yet convinced                                                               
that just increasing penalties is going to bring results.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MS. HUGONIN said  that the ANDVSA agrees that "there  needs to be                                                               
several different  things going  on at the  same time,"  and thus                                                               
supports and  provides prevention  and education programs  in the                                                               
schools.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JAMES  remarked that because of  the complexity of                                                               
domestic violence  issues, it  is difficult to  look at  just one                                                               
aspect of  the solution and think  that it will be  applicable in                                                               
all cases.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MEYER indicated that he  would like to be creative                                                               
and look  at other possible  solutions rather than  just throwing                                                               
people in jail.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MS. HUGONIN replied:                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     I think  the first time  you're in front of  the court,                                                                    
     let's  be  creative.   This  bill  is even  saying  the                                                                    
     second  time you're  in  front of  the  court, you  can                                                                    
     still be creative.   It's saying the  third time you're                                                                    
     in  front of  the  court,  it's time  that  you have  a                                                                    
     serious-penalty wakeup call; you need  to be out of the                                                                    
     community  for  a  while.    And  I  think  that's  the                                                                    
     difference.  You know, I  think in the first and second                                                                    
     instances, people are still willing  to try to see what                                                                    
     can work.   ... [With  regard to the victim],  when are                                                                    
     we going  to say it's her  turn now?  Three  times is a                                                                    
     lot of times; I mean, it's  not easy to get somebody to                                                                    
     the  place  where they're  in  court  in front  of  the                                                                    
     judge.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Number 0991                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     It's not:   the first  time a person commits  that act,                                                                    
     the police  come in and have  a flawless investigation,                                                                    
     and  it's  right  there  for  the  prosecutor  and  the                                                                    
     prosecutor  gets  that  conviction or  gets  that  plea                                                                    
     bargain.  ...  I wish that was how  our judicial system                                                                    
     works, but  it's not.  So  even to get to  court in the                                                                    
     first place,  you're going  to have  a lot  of violence                                                                    
     that has  gone on  before, and a  lot of  ugliness that                                                                    
     has  happened.   And then  you're going  to ...  [be in                                                                    
     front of a court] a second  time, which is not going to                                                                    
     be the second time [DV  has] happened; it's going to be                                                                    
     the second of this long  process of getting there.  And                                                                    
     then the third time -- and  at some point you just have                                                                    
     to say, you know, enough is enough.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MEYER indicated  he  agreed.   He mentioned  that                                                               
even if  programs in the school  do try to teach  alternatives to                                                               
violence,  if   children  then  go  home   and  witness  domestic                                                               
violence, that training  in the school doesn't do  any good; thus                                                               
sometimes the  only solution  is to  remove the  perpetrator from                                                               
the home.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MS. HUGONIN  remarked that [society's] language  and customs also                                                               
contribute  to  the  prevalence  of domestic  violence.    As  an                                                               
example,  she  recounted  that   the  previous  day,  in  another                                                               
committee, someone who  was testifying kept saying:   "My rule of                                                               
thumb  is  ...," and,  "This  is  the  rule  of thumb...."    She                                                               
explained:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Violence  against women  permeates  our communities  so                                                                    
     completely that  I bet he  didn't even know  the source                                                                    
     of  that phrase,  which  we take  to  mean, "Well,  the                                                                    
     general way of doing things,  the accepted way of doing                                                                    
     things,  how you  usually do  things."   That's from  a                                                                    
     court  ruling in  England in  the 1700s  where a  judge                                                                    
     said, "Yes, you do have a  right to beat your wife, but                                                                    
     let's not do it with  a switch that's any bigger around                                                                    
     than  your  thumb."   And  that's  where the  "rule  of                                                                    
     thumb" comes from:  it's  actually a measurement of the                                                                    
     instrument that you can use to  beat you wife.  ... Our                                                                    
     violence  is everywhere.   So  it's not  just educating                                                                    
     our  children; it's  educating us  to pay  attention to                                                                    
     what we say.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Number 0838                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
ANNE  CARPENETI,  Assistant   Attorney  General,  Legal  Services                                                               
Section-Juneau, Criminal Division, Department  of Law (DOL), said                                                               
that because a lot of the  issues surrounding HB 341 have already                                                               
been discussed,  she didn't  have much to  add, although  she did                                                               
want  to  address the  issue  of  proportionality that  had  been                                                               
raised by Ms. Hugonin.  She elaborated:                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     I  was thumbing  through Title  11 this  morning and  I                                                                    
     noticed that first-time car theft  is a class C felony,                                                                    
     and first-time first  degree harming a police  dog is a                                                                    
     class  C felony.   So,  my proportionality  argument is                                                                    
     the  same as  [Ms.  Hugonin's]:   we  have  to set  our                                                                    
     values in this state, and  I don't think they're set in                                                                    
     a  proportional  way  to  the  harm  that's  caused  by                                                                    
     domestic violence.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MS. CARPENETI pointed  out that there is also  an issue regarding                                                               
the  drafting of  HB  341.   She remarked  that  if a  third-time                                                               
offense is  going to become a  class C felony, "you  ought to put                                                               
it  in 'third  degree  assault'  so that  you  don't have  police                                                               
officers  and  records [keepers]  having  to  figure out  whether                                                               
conviction of [AS]  11.41.230 is a misdemeanor."   She added that                                                               
she would be happy to help draft that language.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR ROKEBERG commented that it looked  to him as though all the                                                               
DV assault statutes  need to be reviewed,  and perhaps rewritten,                                                               
for proportionality and  symmetry, and that to  just "tweak" this                                                               
one statute  is not going  alleviate the problems  highlighted by                                                               
the testimony.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MS.  CARPENETI  remarked  that  at   least  a  third  DV  assault                                                               
conviction should be a felony.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR ROKEBERG said that the statutes  ought to be able to make a                                                               
distinction between the levels of violence in a DV situation.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MS.  CARPENETI said  that the  statutes do  that, although  it is                                                               
true that some  really shocking behavior only  gets prosecuted at                                                               
a misdemeanor level.  In  response to questions, she relayed that                                                               
"Nygren credit" can apply to  all felony sentences and perhaps to                                                               
misdemeanors  as well;  however, in  order for  "Nygren time"  to                                                               
count,  it has  to  be  "similar to  incarceration"  and must  be                                                               
served in a court appointed treatment  program.  She said she did                                                               
not know whether  just volunteering to go to  a treatment program                                                               
before  the criminal  procedure takes  place would  automatically                                                               
qualify a person for Nygren credit.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Number 0552                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CANDACE BROWER,  Program Coordinator/Legislative  Liaison, Office                                                               
of the  Commissioner - Juneau,  Department of  Corrections (DOC),                                                               
added that it's automatic if  it's been court-ordered and they go                                                               
to  treatment.   And  treatment is  confinement, essentially,  in                                                               
most   in-patient  treatment   programs,   and  is   particularly                                                               
restrictive   for  convicted   offenders.     But  if   a  person                                                               
voluntarily    attends    a    treatment   program    prior    to                                                               
conviction/sentencing, she relayed,  it would be up  to the judge                                                               
to decide whether to give Nygren credit for that time served.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MS.  CARPENETI,   in  response  to  earlier   comments  regarding                                                               
instituting  education  and  prevention programs  in  the  school                                                               
system, relayed that she has  heard from children of various ages                                                               
that such programs do exist in the Juneau school system.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR ROKEBERG, after  mentioning that the sponsor  is willing to                                                               
work further on some of the  issues raised, announced that HB 341                                                               
would be held over.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                

Document Name Date/Time Subjects