Legislature(1997 - 1998)
04/24/1997 03:34 PM Senate STA
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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+ teleconferenced
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SB 25 TELEPHONE VICTIM NOTIFICATION SYSTEM
SB 26 APPROP: VICTIM NOTIFICATION SYSTEM
CHAIRMAN GREEN called the Senate State Affairs Committee to order
at 3:34 p.m. and brought SB 25 and SB 26 before the committee as
the first order of business.
SENATOR JOHNNY ELLIS, prime sponsor of SB 25 and SB 26, said in
December 1993, Kentucky resident Mary Byron was murdered by her
rapist just days after his release on bail. Neither Mary nor her
family were aware that Mary's attacker had been released. Waiting
for her outside a shopping mall, Donovan Harris shot and killed
Mary Byron; it was her 21st birthday. He said that although this
tragic event didn't happen in Alaska, there are compelling stories
from people in this state who faced the same of kind dilemma.
Senator Ellis stressed that proper and timely notification to
victims of violent crime about the release or escape of their
attackers is a serious problem, both nationally and in Alaska. In
1996, Alaska prisons and pretrial facilities housed 2,990 inmates,
49 percent of whom were considered violent offenders. He pointed
out that each day over 600 concerned Alaskans call our state
institutions seeking information about the status of inmates.
Senator Ellis related that in order to keep crime victims informed
of inmate status, a state-of-the-art computer system called Victim
Information and Notification Everyday (VINE) was developed and is
now in place in over 150 counties in 12 states.
VINE provides two important services which enhance the vital link
of communication between the justice system and victims of violent
crime: (1) the system provides automatic notification phone calls
to crime victims when an inmate status changes within 10 minutes of
a change in the offender's status; and (2) it provides critical
inmate information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through the
automated telephone system.
Senator Ellis said he believes implementing VINE will increase
state compliance with the Victims' Bill of Rights, overwhelmingly
passed by the people of Alaska in the 1994 election. SB 25 is what
he considers a piece of unfinished business on the victims' rights
agenda. He noted the legislation has strong support throughout the
state, and he urged the committee's favorable consideration.
Number 090
SENATOR GREEN asked if there was any change in the fiscal notes
attached to the legislation. SENATOR ELLIS responded that he
worked closely with the Department of Corrections to reduce the
amount of the appropriation bill from $250,000 to $150,000 which is
the bare bones start-up costs. It is estimated that the ongoing
operating cost would be about $90,000 a year. He added that there
may be a possibility in the future to apply for some federal funds
to offset those costs.
Number 120
JOHN RICHARD, Chief Municipal Prosecutor, Municipality of
Anchorage, related that his office prosecutes about 1,500 domestic
violence cases a year. His major concern is the portion of the
Domestic Violence Act of 1996 which added to the bail statutes by
requiring the correctional facility to notify his office of a
defendant's release and then they must take reasonable steps to
immediately notify the alleged victim of the release.
Mr. Richard said his office receives faxes from all the
correctional institutions of a proposed release date, and it is
burdensome to attempt to notify the victims with that, but it is
something that they have just barely been able to manage. He said
there is no way, his office can make any meaningful compliance with
the requirement to immediately notify the victim of a defendant's
release on bail when that occurs in the early morning hours, which
they usually do. He believes that an automated system is the only
way to meaningfully comply with the statute.
Concluding, Mr. Richard said that when victims can be given more
safety, more assurance and more information, they are more
cooperative with his office and they can be more effective in
prosecuting these offenses.
ARNE FRITZ, Victim Witness Coordinator, Domestic Violence Unit,
Municipality of Anchorage, testifying in support of SB 25 and SB
26, said he is also a member of the Board of Directors for the
Abused Women's Aid in Crisis Center in Anchorage. He pointed out
that the vast majority of cases they deal with are misdemeanor
cases, and in misdemeanor cases, the sentences are not necessarily
very long. Bail conditions can sometimes change daily, and there
is no ability to really keep track of what a person's bail
conditions are much less of when they make those bail conditions.
He thinks it is vital that victims have the empowerment and the
ability to get the immediate information when they need it.
Number 215
ETHEL BARNZ of Eagle River related she was the winner of the "Send
Me to Juneau Contest" sponsored by the Anchorage Daily News.
Testifying in support of SB 25 and SB 26, Ms. Barns stated she has
been threatened, attacked and stalked, and this is still occurring.
She said the VINE program is needed to keep her children and
elderly parents safe. She found out that her attacker was lose by
him attacking her parents' tenant a week after he got out of jail.
She urged the committee's support for the legislation.
Number 225
CHAIRMAN GREEN thanked Ms. Barnz for her testimony, and related
that her own sister went through a similar situation for months,
and it was a very difficult time in their family.
Number 236
SENATOR MACKIE moved SB 25 and SB 26 and the accompanying fiscal
notes be passed out of committee with individual recommendations.
Hearing no objection, it was so ordered.
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