HB 47: "An Act instructing the Department of Corrections to study the principles involved in restorative community justice and produce a plan for the development of a restorative community justice approach for Alaska; and providing for an effective date."
00HOUSE BILL NO. 47 01 "An Act instructing the Department of Corrections to study the principles involved 02 in restorative community justice and produce a plan for the development of a 03 restorative community justice approach for Alaska; and providing for an effective 04 date." 05 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 06 * Section 1. FINDINGS. The legislature finds that 07 (1) restorative community justice is an approach toward providing a criminal 08 justice system; 09 (2) restorative community justice is based on the following seven core values: 10 (A) crime is an offense against human relationships; 11 (B) victims and the community are central to the justice process; 12 (C) the first priority of the justice process is to assist victims; 13 (D) the second priority of the justice process is to restore the 14 community to the degree that restoration is possible;
01 (E) the offender has personal responsibility to victims and the 02 community for crimes committed; 03 (F) the offender will develop improved competency and understanding 04 as a result of the restorative community justice experience; and 05 (G) interested parties share responsibility for restorative community 06 justice through partnerships to achieve positive results; 07 (3) there are many practical applications of the principles and values of 08 restorative community justice, and some of those applications are already being used in 09 Alaska; and 10 (4) further study of the restorative community justice approach is necessary. 11 * Sec. 2. The Department of Corrections shall examine the restorative community justice 12 approach to criminal justice. The department shall review and assess the state's approach to 13 criminal justice as it relates to the restorative community justice approach. The department 14 shall identify those programs and practices of the state criminal justice system that fit within 15 a restorative community justice approach, shall identify those areas of the state criminal justice 16 system that do not fit within the parameters of a restorative community justice approach, and 17 shall identify how the areas could be changed to bring them within the restorative community 18 justice approach. Based upon the results of the examination, review, and assessment, the 19 department shall develop a plan to apply the restorative community justice approach to the 20 state's criminal justice system. The department shall deliver the results of the examination, 21 review, and assessment and the plan to the presiding officer of each house of the Alaska State 22 Legislature by June 1, 2000. 23 * Sec. 3. This Act takes effect July 1, 1999.