Legislature(2013 - 2014)HOUSE FINANCE 519
02/26/2013 01:30 PM House FINANCE
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation: Choose Respect: Initiative Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE
February 26, 2013
1:34 p.m.
1:34:03 PM
CALL TO ORDER
Co-Chair Austerman called the House Finance Committee
meeting to order at 1:34 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Alan Austerman, Co-Chair
Representative Bill Stoltze, Co-Chair
Representative Mark Neuman, Vice-Chair
Representative Mia Costello
Representative Bryce Edgmon
Representative Les Gara
Representative Lindsey Holmes
Representative Scott Kawasaki, Alternate
Representative Cathy Munoz
Representative Steve Thompson
Representative Tammie Wilson
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative David Guttenberg
ALSO PRESENT
Joseph Masters, Commissioner, Department of Public Safety
(DPS); Lauree Morton, Executive Director, Council on
Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault; Les Morse, Deputy
Commissioner, Department of Education and Early Development
(DEED); William Streur, Commissioner, Department of Health
and Social Services (DHSS); John Skidmore, Criminal
Division Director, Department of Law (LAW); Ron Taylor,
Deputy Commissioner, Department of Corrections (DOC); Stacy
Schubert, Director, Governmental Relations and Public
Affairs, Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, Department of
Revenue (DOR).
PRESENT VIA TELECONFERENCE
SUMMARY
^PRESENTATION: CHOOSE RESPECT: INITIATIVE AGAINST DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE and SEXUAL ASSAULT
1:34:07 PM
JOSEPH MASTERS, COMMISSIONER, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
(DPS), provided the PowerPoint presentation "House Finance
Committee, Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Initiative
(DVSA) Update (copy on file)." He discussed the reasons for
the initiative and the choice of the title "Choose
Respect." The issue was a priority for the governor and
legislature. The governor began the initiative in FY 2010.
Domestic violence and sexual assault were occurring in
Alaska at epidemic proportions. He offered that "Choose
Respect" was not merely a slogan, but was a "comprehensive
approach to community, individual, and governmental
involvements for Alaskans to end the epidemic of domestic
violence and sexual assault."
Commissioner Masters discussed Slide 2:
Overview:
History and development of the initiative
Commissioner Masters shared that not only did the state
want to address the serious issue but communities wanted to
become part of the solution as well. He noted the desire
among communities to break the silence and develop a
comprehensive approach to address the very serious issue.
The administration wanted to develop an approach to foster
responsibility and community ownership. A core component
brought the state agencies together to work collaboratively
towards a common goal. The collaboration extended to
external entities as well.
Commissioner Masters moved to Slide 3:
"Mission: To End the Epidemic"
"Alaska can't reach its full potential until we
tackle the epidemic of domestic violence and
sexual assault.
We will shine the light of justice and a ray of
hope into places where domestic violence and
sexual assault have ruled.
We will not rest until every Alaskan lives safe
from abuse." Governor Sean Parnell
Commissioner Masters shared that he was a member of the
Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault and a
husband and father. He voiced that domestic and sexual
violence was more than public safety issues; they were
human rights, spiritual, community, and public health
issues. The initiative's purpose was to change social
norms, which would take a long time. He explained the shift
in public consciousness when grassroots efforts take place
over time. He stated that DVSA like other significant
initiatives were long term and had to be instituted for
many years before change happened.
Commissioner Masters turned to Slide 4:
"Goals and Measures of Success"
Decrease victimization
Decrease in perpetration
Increase in offender accountability
Increase in utilization and access to services
Increase in self-reporting or in reports of harm
Increase in primary prevention and protective
factors
The primary measure was to increase in primary
prevention and protective
Commissioner Masters remarked that understanding the scope
of the problem was essential to address the issue.
Commissioner Masters cited Slide 5:
Comprehensive Approach
· Support for Survivors
· Prevention and Intervention
· Law Enforcement
· Coordination
· Data
Commissioner Masters noted the five focus areas of DVSA's
comprehensive approach.
1:43:35 PM
LAUREE MORTON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COUNCIL ON DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT, discussed the following two
slides. She presented Slide 6:
Intimate Partner Violence
Percent of adult women who experienced intimate
partner violence
Intimate Partner Violence Lifetime Past Year
Alaska 47.6% 9.4%
Fairbanks 49.5% 10.8%
Anchorage 42.2% 8.2%
Juneau 47.1% 12.1%
Bristol Bay 44.2% 12.3%
Sitka 40.4% 5.1%
Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta 44.6% 13.6%
Kodiak 38.4% 5.7%
Ms. Morton explained that the slides replicated results
from regional surveys and from the statewide Alaska
Victimization Survey performed in 2010 and 2011. She noted
that the statewide survey was included as appendix B in the
handout titled, "Choose Respect Governor Parnell's
Initiative Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault,
2013 LEGISLATIVE REPORT" (copy on file). She reported that
48 out of every 100 women experienced interpersonal
violence and 37 out of every 100 experienced sexual
violence. The regional results confirmed the statewide
statistics. The regional results were not for comparison
purposes but for the individual community to offer
appropriate strategies and evaluate results. She believed
the data was conservative due to survey limitations and the
stigma of reporting victimization. She detailed that 47.6
percent of Alaskan women who experienced Intimate Partner
Violence in their lifetime represented 117,685 women and in
the past year (2009) 23,240 women.
Ms. Morton addressed slide 7:
"Sexual Violence"
Percent of adult women who experienced sexual violence
Sexual Violence Lifetime Past Year
Alaska 37.1% 4.3%
Fairbanks 31.4% 2.7%
Anchorage 29.6% 1.4%
Juneau 35.3% 1.0%
Bristol Bay 31.2% 4.4%
Sitka 24.7% 2.4%
Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta 25.4% 5.1%
Kodiak 22.9% 1.1%
Ms. Morton explained that 37.1 percent of women who
experienced sexual violence in their lifetime represented
91,725 women and in the past year (2009) 4.3 percent
represented 10,631. She thought that the numbers were
"staggering."
LES MORSE, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND
EARLY DEVELOPMENT (DEED), discussed the scope of the
problem. He turned to slide 8:
"Scope of the Problem"
Percentage of high school students who were ever
hit, slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by
their boyfriend or girlfriend during the past 12
months
Grades 9 -12 12.0% of all students
13.4% of all male students
10.5% of all female students
The slide included a chart that depicted the results by
grade level.
Mr. Morse commented that the results were taken from a bi-
annual survey of high school students.
Mr. Morse discussed slide 9:
"Scope of the problem"
Percentage of high school students who had ever
been physically forced to have sexual intercourse
when they did not want to
Given to children in alternative schools.
Grades 9 -12 9.2% of all students
7.2% of all male students
11.3% of all female students
•Females are more likely than males to have been
forced to have intercourse
The slide included a chart that depicted the results by
grade level.
Mr. Morse expounded that the survey was expanded to include
alternative high school students, which typically have
higher percentages.
WILLIAM STREUR, COMMISSIONER, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
SOCIAL SERVICES (DHSS), offered a brief overview of the
following slides. He cited Slide 10:
"Adverse Childhood Experiences"
Abuse (emotional, physical, and sexual abuse)
Neglect
Household dysfunction Mother treated violently
(exposure to violence)
Household substance abuse
Household mental illness
Incarcerated household member
Commissioner Streur indicated that one of the largest
studies completed centered on the relationship between
childhood mistreatment and effects in adulthood. The study
was a collaboration between the federal government and
Kaiser Permemante that involved over 17 thousand members.
Commissioner Streur turned to Slide 11: "Adverse Childhood
Experiences." which represented adverse experiences on a
pyramided scale from conception to death: Disrupted
Neurodevelopment; Social, Emotional, and Cognitive
Impairment; Adoption of Health-risk Behaviors; Disease,
Disability, Social Problems, and Early Death.
Commissioner Streur reviewed Slide 12:
"Health Consequences"
Adverse childhood experiences in Alaska
contribute to costly public health issues
including:
Alcoholism and alcohol abuse
•Depression
•Illicit drug use
•Risk for intimate partner violence
•Sexually transmitted infections
Smoking
Suicide attempts
Early initiation of sexual activity
Adolescent pregnancy
Heart disease
Chronic lung disease
1:52:21 PM
Commissioner Masters highlighted slide 13:
"Short Term Measures of Success"
· Increased community awareness and involvement
· Increased reports to law enforcement
· Increased utilization of victim services
Commissioner Masters discussed slide 14:
"Community Involvement and Awareness"
Number of Choose Respect Marches
Commissioner Masters explained the graph of the "Number of
Choose Respect Marches" and the value of community
involvement. He noted that participation focused awareness
in a community. Within three years 120 communities held
marches.
Commissioner Masters identified Slide 15:
"120 Alaska Communities Engaged in 2012"
Commissioner Masters commented that the depicted map
demonstrated that participation was statewide.
Commissioner Masters discussed Slide 16:
"Alaska Uniform Crime Reports"
Rate of Forcible Rape Reported to Law Enforcement
per 10,000
Commissioner Masters discussed the graph that depicted the
reported number of rapes from 2007 to 2011. The rate
increased from 2007 until 2010 and dropped in 2011. He
cautioned that the 2011 data was preliminary and required
further verification.
Ms. Morton addressed slide 17: "Utilization of Victim
Services." The slide graphed Shelter Nights Provided by
Funded Victim Service Providers and Victim Service Programs
Utilization Cost per Shelter Night. She delineated that an
increased utilization of victim's services was a measure of
the initiative's short term success. She expected to see
the number increase. She added that a steady increase was
seen from 2007 to 2012. The cost per shelter night had not
risen significantly over the same period ($24. increase).
She added that the council tracked other indicators. She
shared some statistics. The number of persons served in
2012 was 9,349; 17 percent men, 80 percent women and 28
percent of the women served had children. She continued
that 73 percent experienced domestic violence, 19 percent
experienced sexual assault, 3 percent experienced stalking,
and 14 percent experienced other violent crimes. The
percentages added to greater than 100 percent because
victims suffered from multiple crimes.
Ms. Morton listed the executive directors of the women's
shelters around the state: Suzi Pearson-AWAKE; Elaine
Rittgers-Arctic Women in Crisis, Barrow; Dawn McDevitt-
Seaview Counseling Services, Seward; Saralyn Tabachnick-
AWARE, Juneau; Nicole Songer-Cordova Family Resource
Center; Brenda Stanfill-Interior Alaska Center for Non-
Violent Living, Fairbanks; Rachel Romberg-South Peninsula
Haven House, Homer; Michelle DeWitt-Tundra Women's
Coalition, Bethel; Ginger Baim-SAFE, Dilllingham; Vickie
D'Amico-SAVE, Sitka.
Ms. Morton related that the shelters were open 24 hours
each day and provided a "safety net" for victims.
Ms. Morton discussed Slide 18:
2013 Alaska Dashboard
33 population indicators: Childhood exposure to
violence
Child and youth victimization
Adult and elder victimization
Reports of harm
Utilization of services
Reports to law enforcement
Offender accountability
Primary prevention and protective factors
Used to assess trends and progress over the life of
the initiative
Progress: o Satisfactory
o Uncertain
o Needs improvement
2nd year of publication
Updated annually
Ms. Morton commented that the dashboard was another tool to
measure the initiatives effectiveness. (Included in
appendix "c" of the "Choose Respect" Legislative Report)
The dashboard provided a "concrete guideline" for the state
to assess progress. The dashboard data helped determine
whether a project had a connection to key population
indicators. New to the 2013 dashboard was the trending
charts that will provide an "at a glance" view of
developing trends in the future. Colored dots were used to
grade the progress of state divisions responsible for
individual indicators and to assess effectiveness. The
council reviewed the progress of DVSA programs and the
measured progress provided opportunity to encourage dialog
within communities and engage people about the issues.
2:01:40 PM
Ms. Morton examined Slide 19:
Long Term Measure of Success
The Alaska Victimization Survey is the baseline
data for victimization rates
•Decrease in past year estimates of intimate
partner and sexual violence
•Will be replicated in 2015
Ms. Morton stated that the council did not expect the
lifetime indicators to change, but the past year's
indicators were expected to decrease. She appreciated the
participants in the survey. The participants wanted to
provide the information in order to help other victims.
Ms. Morton moved to Slide 20:
"Funding by Key Priority Area"
1) Prevention and Intervention
2) Support for Survivors
3) Law Enforcement
Ms. Morton introduced Slide 21:
Highlights: Prevention and Intervention
Prevention Summit
Fourth R
Family Violence Prevention Project
Ms. Morton stated that the Prevention Summit held in
November 2012, supported the growth of local community
prevention. The summit brought together 14 communities to
enhance or develop prevention plans. The summit
participants carried on throughout the year with support
and technical assistance for the communities in order to
implement the prevention plans.
Mr. Morse interjected that Fourth R was a "comprehensive
curriculum designed to reduce violence and risk behaviors
and to focus on healthy relationships and decision making."
The curriculum served students in grades 7 through 9. He
noted that 18.1 percent of schools, 100 teachers , and 100
community partners were trained to utilize the program.
Commissioner Streur explained that the Family Violence
Prevention Project was created to support 13 regional
multi-disciplinary training teams of teacher, health care
professionals, behavioral health specialists, and teens.
The teams provided community training on adolescent brain
development, substance abuse, dating violence prevention,
and other subjects. He briefly described various
communities' strategies to utilize the project. He noted
that the project provided training on the effects of
violence on children and brain development to 689 service
providers throughout the state. The project developed a
curriculum on adverse childhood experiences and resiliency
to the Department of Corrections and trained 24 staffers.
Alaska was the first state in the country to educate prison
inmates in parenting programs about the impacts of violence
on children.
Stacy Schubert, Director, Governmental Relations and Public
Affairs, Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, Department of
Revenue introduced Slide 22:
Highlights: Support for Survivors
Empowering Choice Housing Voucher Program
Adult Protective Services
Trauma Informed Care
Family Wellness Warriors
Ms. Schubert offered that in FY 2013 the legislature
approved $1.34 million in capital funding to aide families
displaced due to domestic violence and sexual assault with
the Empowering Choice Housing Program. The Alaska Housing
Finance Corporation (AHFC) contributed an additional $1
million of federal funds from a Moving to Work block grant.
The funding provided 200 vouchers per year. The Alaska
Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (ANDVSA),
AHFC, and CDVSA, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU)
for the program. On November 1, 2012 victims received
vouchers for assistance for up to 36 months. The vouchers
were provided through referrals from ANDVSA agencies in
communities where AHFC currently operated Housing Choice
Voucher Program. In communities where AHFC did not operate
a voucher program, Bethel, Cordova, and Nome the referrals
received preferential placement on the public housing
waiting list. Currently nine families occupied a voucher
unit and 19 more families were eligible.
2:09:48 PM
Commissioner Streur continued to discuss slide 22. He
reported that an appropriation for Adult Protective
Services was intended to increase the protection of
vulnerable adults and ensure the quality of services. The
funding provided three additional Adult Protective Services
workers located in for Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Juneau.
The goals were to provide better evaluation of new
providers and onsite review of providers, technical
assistance and training, timely completion of complaint
investigation, and reports of findings and sanctions. He
detailed that the outcome the outcome was to ensure
vulnerable adults protection from abuse, neglect and
exploitation. The department's effectiveness measure was
the percent of substantiated reports of abuse or neglect
and the average time it took DHSS to initiate an
investigation. He wanted to ensure that DHSS facilities
were safe and free from reports of harm.
Commissioner Streur continued with an explanation of Trauma
Informed Care, which dealt with the juvenile justice system
through the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). Trainings
in Trauma Informed Care were administered in youth
facilities around the state. The pilot program was
conducted at the McLaughlin Youth Center in 2009. The
screenings ascertained that 70 percent of the youth in the
detention unit and all youth in the institutional treatment
unit admitted to a history of some type of abuse or
neglect. He stated that after the staff received the
training the number of resident restraint incidences fell
significantly from 46.2 per year to 5.2 per year and in
detention restraints fell from 29 to 1.8 restraints per
year. The decline in restraints was attributed to the
enhanced communication skill techniques with the residents.
He added that the Alaska Child Trauma Center supported by
the Division of Behavioral Health, partnered with the Co-
Occuring Disorders Institute in the Matanuska - Susitna
Valley and launched the statewide training program to
improve the responses to trauma. A total of 1,577 providers
in all areas of children's services were trained in Trauma
Informed Care. He addressed the Family Wellness Warriors
Program. The program was complementary to the Rural
Community Pilot Project. The program was founded in the
Southcentral Foundation located in Anchorage. The
program's long term outcome was to provide communities with
education, training, leadership development, and technical
assistance to aid community leaders in an effort to reduce
family violence.
JOHN SKIDMORE, CRIMINAL DIVISION DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT OF
LAW (LAW), addressed slide 23:
"Highlights: Law Enforcement"
· Child in Need of Aid Attorneys
· Sex Offender Management
· Fairbanks misdemeanant Probationer Accountability
Certain Enforcement Project
· More meaningful law enforcement presence
Mr. Skidmore stated that department attorneys provided
representation for abused children. He shared that
accountability was an important factor in Child In Need of
Aid (CHINA) cases. The adult perpetrator must be held
responsible; abusive parents could have parental rights
terminated. Additional CHINA attorneys were designated to
areas of the state with a high rate of domestic violence
and CHINA cases. The additional attorneys had a
"significant impact" on the cases. The cases were more
complex and the added focus and resources was a "tremendous
value." He stated that it was difficult to measure success
in CHINA cases but the additional resources already had an
impact.
RON TAYLOR, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER, DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
(DOC), discussed slide 23: "Sex Offender Management." He
detailed the strategy. He explained that the Sex Offender
Management Program had two components. The first
component was to expand the Bethel program. Unsuccessful
Request for Proposals (RFP) lead DOC to find other
strategies for the program's expansion. The second
component duplicated the type of sex offender management
program at the Lemon Creek Correctional Center to the
medium and minimum offenders at the Palmer Correctional
Center. He expected to have a provider by the end of the
fiscal year for 20 participants waiting for the program
currently in "pre-treatment."
2:18:50 PM
Mr. Taylor turned to the "Fairbanks Misdemeanant
Probationer Accountability Certain Enforcement project"
listed on slide 23. He relayed that 9 participants were
currently in the program. One goal of the program was
increased victim participation and safety. The victim
worked with the probation officer in misdemeanant cases for
support and security. Another goal was offender
accountability for misdemeanant domestic violence cases.
The nine participants in the program had not committed
further assaults against the victims.
Commissioner Masters highlighted slide 23: "More meaningful
law enforcement presence." He explained that a keystone of
the DVSA initiative was to place a "more meaningful law
enforcement presence" in any community of the state that
requested support. One approach was to place Village Public
Safety Officers (VPSO) in rural communities. The approach
was both promising and challenging. The administration
increased the number of VPSO's from 45 to the mid-90 since
2008. The department increased VPSO training and also
included VPO's (Village Police Officer) in the training.
The department also enhanced efforts to enforce technical
crimes via the internet: predation, and distribution of
child pornography. Additional investigators were added to
major crimes units for adult sexual crimes. The department
was placing a higher priority to fill State Trooper
positions in rural areas and added several new positions in
communities where the criminal activity occurred.
Commissioner Masters turned to Slide 24:
"Highlights: FY 2014 Governor's Budget"
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act - $1.4M
•Strengthening Families - $250.0
•Child Advocacy Centers - $400.0
•Community Based Prevention Efforts - $300.0
•New and Emerging Programs - $250.0
•3 Prosecutors and 1 Victim Witness Paralegal for
child abuse cases - $815.0
Victim Information and Notification Everyday - $80.0
3 Trooper Investigators for child sexual abuse and sex
trafficking - $827.2
Village Public Safety Officer Program - $2,972.6
Low interest loans for Village Public Safety Officer
Housing - $1.0M
Empowering Choices Program - $1.5M
Commissioner Masters noted the details of the highlights
were included in appendix "a" of the governor's report to
the legislature ("Choose Respect" copy on file). He
summarized the three primary strategy areas of the
initiative: prevention, survivor services, and offender
accountability. The highlights fit within the framework of
the strategies.
Ms. Morton discussed Slide 25:
"Increased Coordination"
· Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
statutory responsibility
o Memorandum of understanding between state
departments
o Initiative workgroups
o Interdepartmental prevention coordination
o Community level involvement
Ms. Morton detailed that the DVSA initiative provided the
opportunity for increased coordination between state
departments and also amongst community stakeholders. The
council developed a memorandum of understanding between the
departments that sit on the council: DPS, DOL, DOC, DEED,
and DHSS. The purpose was to coordinate the state's
response to DVSA crimes. She added that the Initiative
Workgroups was another approach by the council to increase
coordination efforts. The workgroups were "think tanks"
comprised of all DVSA stakeholders, tasked with developing
ideas to move the initiative goals forward. The workgroup
suggested that prevention and early childhood exposure were
areas to emphasize. The areas were the correct "place to
start to shift social norms." The workgroup also examined
data to help review and evaluate strategies and discuss how
to proceed with the implementation of strategies. She noted
that the council began "interdepartmental prevention
coordination" with the different departments and divisions
were working on overlapping strategies. The goal was to
cohesively address the issues of DVSA. Finally, the
community level involvement had dramatically increased.
Opportunities for adults and teens to apply for mini grants
($5,000 to $10,000) and implement projects to help end DVSA
in their communities were in place.
2:29:01 PM
Ms. Morton reviewed Slide 26:
"Prevention Success"
o Stand Up Speak Up
o Girls on the Run
o When I Am and Elder
o Lead On!
o Fourth R
o Green Dot
o Alaska Men Choose Respect/Real Alaska Men
o Coaching Boys Into Men
Ms. Morton discussed the various programs. She noted that
the first five programs were focused on youth and youth
leadership to encourage the "attitude of respect." Girls on
the Run provided girls aged 8 through 13 the opportunity to
run with a female mentor and also explore self-esteem
building and self-respect to help instill those qualities
at a young age. She explained that the "When I Am an Elder"
program was designed to promote "respect, peace, and
equality." Based on a poem by a Bethel teen that created a
vision for what the world should look like when they were
an elder living without domestic and sexual violence. She
related that Lead On! was an opportunity for youth to
participate in a conference where they develop and teach
other youth ways to "stand up and be respectful." She
stated that Green Dot provided an opportunity for adults to
participate in "bi-stander intervention." The approach was
a way for individuals to learn about the potential ways to
help intervene in sexual assault and domestic violence
situations by equipping community members with the
necessary skills. The goal was to integrate moments of
intervention in everyday life. She remarked that Alaska Men
Choose Respect/Real Alaska Men encouraged men and youth to
explore ways to end DVSA. Lastly, Coaching Boys Into Men
provided an opportunity for high school coaches to discuss
respectful treatment of themselves, girls, and women with
their team members for 12 week, 15 minute interactions.
Ms. Morton concluded with slide 27:
"Concluding Remarks"
Unaddressed violence in families leaves Alaska's
young people vulnerable to experiencing of
recreating violent patterns within their own
relationships. Fortunately, domestic violence,
dating violence, and sexual assault are
preventable.
Ms. Morton shared that ultimately it was important to do
whatever was possible to tackle the serious issue of DVSA,
regardless of the outcome.
Co-Chair Austerman commended the overview and the people
who were doing the hard work on the "front lines." He
stated that the governor's initiative elevated knowledge
about the issue.
Co-Chair Austerman asked about slide 6 and wondered how to
equate the lifetime versus the past year statistics to
ascertain the scope of the issue. Ms. Morton did not feel
the two were exclusive and both created an accurate
representation. She responded that the lifetime data
provided a point in time to reference. The past year data
was the active year when declines were expected to
determine whether the initiative was changing norms.
Co-Chair Austerman asked about missions and measures and
the need to measure accountability for the initiative. He
asked how accountable the initiative was and when the total
cost of the program could be determined.
2:39:50 PM
Commissioner Streur responded that accountability depended
on the project. He exemplified the vulnerable adults'
increment in the budget and expected measurable results
next year. Some of the prevention projects might take years
to experience change. He observed that accountability
varied "significantly" depending on the project. He
advocated measuring "everything" for "effectiveness and
efficiency."
Commissioner Masters added that accountability would be
measured by the results of the past year data from the
surveys in 2015 for victimization. He noted that it was
more difficult to gather timely information for measuring
reporting. The active data took one year to 18 months. He
believed that measuring the effectiveness of strategies was
vital. He exemplified VPSO placement in communities. The
VPSO program had a positive effect on crime and the rates
that serious crime was prosecuted. Villages with VPSO
experienced a 40 percent reduction in serious physical
injury from assault and lower rates of suicide. Placement
of VPSOs in communities was an effective strategy. He
thought that prevention showed a cumulative effect on
dollar costs as well as human costs.
Co-Chair Austerman appreciated the work on coordination. He
was concerned about the costs of duplicated efforts. He
wanted to see more funding coordination without duplication
between all of the different entities involved in the
initiative.
Vice-Chair Neuman asked about "costs and measurables." He
wondered how to create a "methodology" to measure success
against the financial costs of programs. He cited page 4 of
the "Choose Respect" report and asked whether the
initiative measured the financial costs when measuring the
goals for determining success. Commissioner Masters stated
that the cumulative amount spent on the initiative was not
determined. The issue was so far reaching and complex
definitive costs were difficult to determine.
Vice-Chair Neuman stated that "the rate of recidivism was
92 percent for people who commit sexually violent crimes."
He believed the only solution was imprisonment due to the
criminal's propensity for sexual predation.
2:49:04 PM
Commissioner Masters responded that the recidivism and
rehabilitation question was best answered by DOC. The worst
cases required incarceration. He stated that the repetitive
misdemeanant needed a "mechanism" for rehabilitation other
than incarceration because it "did not work" and created a
revolving door of incarceration, which was more expensive.
Representative Kawasaki cited slide 17 related to shelter
nights. He wondered whether the victims were staying in
shelters for longer periods or the number of victims was
increasing. Ms. Morton responded that the answer was both;
victims were staying longer and the numbers of victims were
increasing.
Representative Kawasaki asked how the shelter night's costs
were established. Ms. Morton explained that the number was
derived by taking the amount of funds given to the programs
and dividing the amount into the number of shelter nights.
Representative Kawasaki requested a brief explanation of the
types of programs offered in shelters. Ms. Morton shared
that shelters provided services such as crisis lines, actual
food and shelter, advocacy services, and personal support. A
wide variety of services were combined in a shelter to
provide support.
Representative Kawasaki wondered whether the reimbursement
rates were adequate to meet the shelter's needs. Ms. Morton
responded that the current DPS House budget closeout
included a recommendation of increased costs for shelters.
Shelters were experiencing increased costs in utilities and
personnel. Shelters were an area of need and concern for
the council. She appreciated the legislature's efforts to
meet the need.
Representative Gara pointed to slide 11 and asked about
adverse childhood experiences and the impact on the brain.
He asked what percentages of children were reached in order
to remedy the impact on the child. He asked what measures
were taken to remedy the impacts on the brain.
Commissioner Streur answered that the Kaiser study provided
the information and he did know the percentages. He offered
to provide the information.
Representative Gara asked what measures were being
addressed to prevent damage to the child. Commissioner
Streur replied that multiple DHSS programs such as trauma
informed care addressed the program.
Representative Gara wondered whether services similar to
trauma informed care were provided to children who had not
committed crimes. Commissioner Streur replied in the
affirmative. The problem was being addressed throughout the
department; in behavioral health, Medicaid services, and
department wide trauma informed care focus.
Representative Kawasaki asked about the "Fairbanks
Misdemeanant Probationer Accountability Certain Enforcement
Project". He cited that nine people were in the program. Mr.
Taylor replied in the affirmative. He clarified that the
nine were included in the current fiscal year.
Representative Kawasaki thought that was a small amount of
participants compared to the $200 thousand cost. Mr. Taylor
responded that the initial pilot intended to serve 20
people. He added that DOC was working with the courts,
governor's office, DOL, and public defenders in order to
increase the numbers. Part of the problem was the difficulty
placing misdemeanants on consenting formal supervision.
3:00:34 PM
Representative Holmes asked at what point did the
increasing reporting or incident numbers indicating the
initiative's success move from being a positive result to a
negative result. Commissioner Masters stated that the
answer was unknown. He stated that part of the answer
involved trending statistics. If the rates of victimization
were trending down and reporting increased that was a good
result in the short term.
Representative Edgmon referenced slide 5 and recognized
that the initiative was only two years along in a ten year
program. He pointed to the various bullet points and
wondered where the program was on a scale of one to ten. He
noted that the numbers kept increasing.
Commissioner Masters responded that the timeline of the
initiative was only two and one half years into the
initiative. He commented that different areas were
progressing at different paces in line with effort. He
agreed that the law enforcement side was further along. He
mentioned the different prevention programs and noted a
recent more comprehensive effort in the prevention area.
Commissioner Streur stated that a new generation of
perpetrators emerged that won't be affected much by the
initiative. The initiative was attempting to deal with
current intervention while trying to reach the upcoming
generation with prevention. He offered that most of the
intervention and prevention services were barely adequate
to reach a small percentage of needy recipients. He
believed that even small efforts were necessary to figure
out solutions. Prevention and coordination could be
developed more fully. He was a strong advocate of using the
scorecard to evaluate, qualify and quantify efforts. He did
not think the challenges of DVSA were fully identified yet.
He believed there was a long way to go.
Co-Chair Austerman stated that the committee would
constantly review the program in order to identify
progress.
ADJOURNMENT
3:09:16 PM
The meeting was adjourned at 3:09 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| FINAL DVSA Initiative 2013 Legislative Report.pdf |
HFIN 2/26/2013 1:30:00 PM |
DVSA Initiative Report |
| 02.18.2013 Finance Co-Chairs Letter_DVSA Initiative 2013 Legislative Report.pdf |
HFIN 2/26/2013 1:30:00 PM |
DVSA Initiative Letter |
| 02 26 13 House Finance Presentation - DVSA Initiative Update.pdf |
HFIN 2/26/2013 1:30:00 PM |
DVSA Initiative Update Presentation HFIN |