Legislature(2021 - 2022)GRUENBERG 120
04/08/2022 01:00 PM House JUDICIARY
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation: Alaska Victimization Survey Results | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
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ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE JUDICIARY STANDING COMMITTEE
April 8, 2022
1:05 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Matt Claman, Chair
Representative Liz Snyder, Vice Chair
Representative Harriet Drummond
Representative David Eastman
Representative Christopher Kurka
Representative Sarah Vance
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION: ALASKA VICTIMIZATION SURVEY RESULTS
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
INGRID JOHNSON, PhD, Associate Professor
Alaska Justice Information Center
University of Alaska Anchorage
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave a PowerPoint presentation, titled
"Results from the 2020 Alaska Victimization Survey" and answered
questions.
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:05:52 PM
CHAIR MATT CLAMAN called the House Judiciary Standing Committee
meeting to order at 1:05 p.m. Representatives Kurka, Snyder,
Vance, and Claman were present at the call to order.
Representatives Eastman and Drummond arrived as the meeting was
in progress.
^PRESENTATION: Alaska Victimization Survey Results
PRESENTATION: Alaska Victimization Survey Results
1:06:40 PM
CHAIR CLAMAN announced that the only order of business would be
a presentation on the results of the Alaska Victimization
Survey.
1:07:15 PM
INGRID JOHNSON, PhD, Associate Professor, Alaska Justice
Information Center, University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), gave a
PowerPoint presentation, titled "Results from the 2020 Alaska
Victimization Survey" [hard copy included in the committee
packet]. She stated that the Alaska Victimization Survey (AVS)
documented the prevalence of intimate partner violence and
sexual victimization among adult women in Alaska on a lifetime
and a past year basis. The Survey was a joint effort between
the Alaska Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
(CDVSA) and the University of Alaska Anchorage Justice Center.
It was modeled after the National Intimate Partner and Sexual
Violence Survey (NISVS). Overall, 13,000 women had
participated; in 2020, there were 2,100 participants. She
pointed out that the 2020 results show that 48 out of every 100
adult women in Alaska experience intimate partner violence (IPV)
in their lifetimes, with 6.9 percent in the past year; 41
experienced sexual violence (SV) in their lifetime, with 3.4
percent in the past year; and 58 experienced intimate partner
violence, sexual violence, or both in their lifetime, with 8.1
percent in the past year. Rates of IPV and SV against women
were higher in Alaska compared to the national average. She
stated that between 2015 and 2020, experiences with SV in the
past year stayed relatively stable, while IPV fluctuated up and
down. The study found that an increase in IPV and SV correlated
with both unemployment or reduced work hours and negative
impacts to financial stability as a result of the COVID-19
pandemic.
1:40:12 PM
DR. JOHNSON, in response to a question from the committee,
discussed data collection and the proportional weighting of the
sample size. She reported that Alaskan women were included in
the NISVS data; however, the Alaska sample was not weighted
enough to skew the national prevalence rates. Lifetime
prevalence of IPV was fairly consistent across different
regions; past year prevalence of IPV was the highest in the
Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta at a rate of 16.9 percent and the lowest
being Sitka at 6.8 percent. In addition, violence was twice as
prevalent in women under 40. She discussed potential research
on the effectiveness of prevention efforts, which is challenged
by the state's small population. The 2020 AVS found that women
with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) were two times as
likely to have experienced violence in the past year compared to
those with no ACEs; consequently, preventing ACEs could be an
important mitigator.
2:25:38 PM
DR. JOHNSON, in response to additional questions from the
committee, explained that the Department of Public Safety (DPS)
received federal funding in 2016 and 2017 to submit and test the
backlog of sexual assault kits and conduct research on sexual
assault investigations, prosecutions, and victim support and
engagement. The UAA Justice Center worked with DPS on the
research component to take a holistic, victim-centered approach,
considering involvement of state agencies in all stages of
sexual assault. Research showed that "belief" was the top-rated
justice priority for sexual assault victims. On the topic of
reporting, a small survey of women who had experienced sexual
assault in Alaska during their lifetime found that 22 percent
failed to report the incident due to fear of harm by the
perpetrator; 22 percent failed to report because nothing
happened with a prior report; 18 percent were too ashamed to
report; and 18 percent failed to report the incident out of fear
of not being believed by police. Two important findings were
displayed on page 10 of the AVS report: first, women under 40
were more than twice as likely as those 40 and older to
experience IPV, SV, or both in the past year; second, women
under 40 were significantly more likely to have experienced most
types of ACEs. In addition, 41.9 percent of parents under 40
who were separated or divorced had experienced past year
violence or ACEs compared to 29.1 percent of those over 40.
DR. JOHNSON highlighted an ongoing effort to compile ACEs data
sources and launch a separate survey which includes protective
factors. She concluded the presentation by acknowledging that
most victims are not reporting to the police. She added that
there is not a consistent sense of why the rates were
fluctuating. Nationally, 40 percent to 50 percent of crime
victims report their victimization experience to the police;
victims of IPV report at a rate of 50 percent to 54 percent, per
the NISVIS; and the most commonly reported victimization
experience was motor vehicle theft at 75 percent. She noted
that men were excluded from the AVS because they would need to
be oversampled to generate reliable estimates.
2:59:26 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Judiciary Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 2:59 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska Victimization Survey 2020 Final Report 4.8.2022.pdf |
HJUD 4/8/2022 1:00:00 PM |
|
| 2020 Alaska Victimization Survey Results Presentation to HJUD Committee 4.8.2022.pdf |
HJUD 4/8/2022 1:00:00 PM |