Legislature(2023 - 2024)BUTROVICH 205
03/15/2024 01:30 PM Senate JUDICIARY
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Confirmations Confirmation Hearings Alaska Police Standards Council | |
| Confirmations Confirmation Hearings State Commission for Human Rights | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE JUDICIARY STANDING COMMITTEE
March 15, 2024
1:30 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Matt Claman, Chair
Senator Jesse Kiehl, Vice Chair
Senator James Kaufman
Senator Löki Tobin
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Cathy Giessel
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CONFIRMATION HEARING(S)
ALASKA POLICE STANDARDS COUNCIL
Dusty Dumont - Juneau
- CONFIRMATION ADVANCED
STATE COMMISSION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
Rebecca Carrillo - Auke Bay
William Craig - Sitka
- CONFIRMATIONS ADVANCED
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
DUSTY DUMONT, Appointee
Alaska Police Standards Council
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as the governor's appointee to the
Alaska Police Standards Council.
REBECCA CARRILLO, Appointee
State Commission for Human Rights
Auke Bay, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as the governor's appointee to the
State Commission for Human Rights.
WILLIAM CRAIG, Appointee
State Commission for Human Rights
Sitka, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as the governor's appointee to the
State Commission for Human Rights.
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:30:56 PM
CHAIR MATT CLAMAN called the Senate Judiciary Standing Committee
meeting to order at 1:30 p.m. Present at the call to order were
Senators Kaufman, Kiehl, and Chair Claman. Senator Tobin arrived
immediately thereafter.
^confirmations CONFIRMATION HEARINGS ALASKA POLICE STANDARDS
COUNCIL
CONFIRMATION HEARINGS
ALASKA POLICE STANDARDS COUNCIL
1:31:51 PM
CHAIR CLAMAN announced consideration of Dusty Dumont, appointee
to the Alaska Police Standards Council. He invited Ms. Dumont to
begin her testimony.
1:32:14 PM
DUSTY DUMONT, Appointee, Alaska Police Standards Council,
Juneau, Alaska, testified as the governor's appointee to the
Alaska Police Standards Council. She provided a brief overview
of her employment history, education, and background. She
expressed strong support for the Alaska Police Standards
Council's mission and core services, stating that her personal
values align with its goals. She noted that it has been an honor
and privilege to serve on the Council and that she takes the
appointment seriously. She thanked the committee for its time
and consideration.
1:34:13 PM
SENATOR TOBIN joined the meeting.
1:34:56 PM
CHAIR CLAMAN asked whether she is a new appointee to the
Council.
MS. DUMONT replied that this is a new appointment.
CHAIR CLAMAN asked whether she is currently serving on the
Council.
MS. DUMONT replied in the affirmative.
1:35:12 PM
SENATOR KIEHL asked what the greatest needs of the Council are
in terms of its work.
MS. DUMONT replied that the Council faces multiple challenges,
such as:
- High vacancy rates among probation officers.
She stated staffing shortages has led to a high number of
caseloads, causing the Department of Corrections to operate
more reactively than proactively.
- Substance abuse plagues communities.
She highlighted a successful program in Palmer called Crisis
Now, which provides early intervention services. The program
offers alternatives to incarceration, peer support, and mental
health clinicians who engage directly with individuals in the
field. She emphasized that expanding similar programs statewide
could have a meaningful impact. She expressed hope that the
State would move in that direction. She added that substance
abuse treatment often addresses underlying issues beyond the
addiction.
1:37:08 PM
SENATOR KIEHL asked where the legislature should focus its next
efforts with respect to the needs of officers the Council
certifies.
MS. DUMONT expressed her belief that officers not only need
initial training but ongoing training to maintain statewide
standards for all Council certified officers. She emphasized
that training needs to hit home, hit hard, and be consistent.
Practices that are repeated become natural to people. She
believes training would be a good focus for the Council.
1:38:16 PM
SENATOR TOBIN referenced a past decline in the number of
discretionary parolees and asked for her perspective on that
trend. She inquired about potential practices that could be
implemented to help ensure individuals were successful once
discretionary parole was granted.
MS. DUMONT replied that supervisors hold discretionary parolees
to a higher standard and greater level of accountability than
mandatory parolees because discretionary parole allows
individuals to serve part of their sentence in the community.
1:39:06 PM
CHAIR CLAMAN sought clarification, asking which group is held to
a higher standard and which is supervised more closely.
MS. DUMONT replied that mandatory parolees are subject to a
standard set of conditions, and a few of them apply. In
contrast, the State Board of Parole may impose other conditions
on discretionary parolees, such as placement in a halfway house
prior to transitioning to electronic monitoring.
MS. DUMONT explained that for long-term offenders, a step-down
program is often essential. The pace of change in society, such
as reliance on cell phones, can be overwhelming for individuals
who have spent extended periods of time incarcerated. She
expressed her belief that better equipping individuals through
structured transitions can improve outcomes. She cited positive
results with peer-to-peer support programs.
MS. DUMONT expressed her belief that the State Board of Parole
should not grant discretionary parole to every individual as
some should absolutely remain incarcerated. However, she
emphasized the value of programming while in custody. If the
Parole Board asks individuals to complete programming and they
do so successfully, a gradual transition through a step-down
approach may be more effective than direct release. She noted
that returning home can be overwhelming; individuals are
immediately faced with bills, family demands, and children.
There are expectations that many are not ready for, especially
those who left a little bit of a destructive path behind them on
their way to jail.
1:41:08 PM
SENATOR TOBIN remarked that she had seen a recommendation last
year to lower the minimum age requirement for Department of
Corrections (DOC) officers. She noted that individuals entering
the profession at a younger age may still be undergoing brain
development. This could affect their decision-making and it
raises concerns about how past behaviors may surface once hired
in that role. She asked about her thoughts on age requirements
and how that dynamic might play out in this line of work.
MS. DUMONT said these are important questions and should be
considered carefully. She replied that she has seen very mature
18-year-olds as well as very immature 29-year-olds and believes
the key focus should be on the screening and training process.
She acknowledged that there are risks to hiring individuals who
may be more impressionable. She stated that she worked in a jail
and the environment can be manipulative. She said it is a
business like one she had never seen and emphasized the
importance of being aware and protective.
MS. DUMONT expressed her belief that it is important to pair
young officers with senior officers who can help their juniors
glean some expertise and help them recognize warning signs and
patterns of inmate behavior. She believes this would help
prevent younger staff from becoming involved in situations that
could cause harm. She expressed her belief that the lower age
requirement would interest only a small population of younger
recruits. Perhaps those preparing for a career in law
enforcement but are not yet 21 and old enough to move forward in
other roles.
^confirmations CONFIRMATION HEARINGS STATE COMMISSION FOR HUMAN
RIGHTS
CONFIRMATION HEARINGS
STATE COMMISSION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
1:43:16 PM
CHAIR CLAMAN announced consideration of Rebecca Carrillo,
appointee to the State Commission for Human Rights. He invited
Ms. Carrillo to state her name for the record and proceed with
her testimony.
1:43:44 PM
REBECCA CARRILLO, Appointee, State Commission for Human Rights,
Auke Bay, Alaska, testified as a governor's appointee to the
State Commission for Human Rights. She stated that she is a
reappointee. She provided a brief overview of her employment
history, education, and background.
1:49:52 PM
CHAIR CLAMAN expressed appreciation to Ms. Carrillo for joining
the committee.
1:49:54 PM
CHAIR CLAMAN announced consideration of William Craig, appointee
to the State Commission for Human Rights. He invited Mr. Craig
to state his name for the record and proceed with his testimony.
1:50:11 PM
WILLIAM CRAIG, Appointee, State Commission for Human Rights,
Sitka, Alaska, testified as a governor's appointee to the State
Commission for Human Rights. He said this is a reappointment; he
has served five years on the Commission thus far. He was chair
for one of those years. He said it has been an honor to serve.
He provided a brief overview of his employment history.
1:50:45 PM
CHAIR CLAMAN commented that the committee had made efforts to
obtain a copy of his resume and confirmed that it was received.
He asked whether it was acceptable for the committee to have the
resume on file.
MR. CRAIG replied yes.
1:51:10 PM
CHAIR CLAMAN asked him to share a Commission experience that was
particularly satisfying or interesting during his five years of
service.
MR. CRAIG replied that it has been a personally satisfying
period of rebuilding. He recalled that when he first joined the
Commission it was difficult, explaining at one point there were
only two commissioners and no executive director. The Commission
now has an executive director and he praised Executive Director
Robert Corbisier for doing an excellent job. He noted that
staffing had been a challenge, as employees often left for
higher-paying positions to support their families. He stated
that serving on the Commission has been satisfying work and
shared that the Commission received a clean legislative review
in 2022, the year he served as chair.
1:52:36 PM
CHAIR CLAMAN opened public testimony on the governor's
appointees; finding none, he closed public testimony.
1:53:09 PM
CHAIR CLAMAN solicited a motion.
1:53:11 PM
SENATOR KIEHL stated [that in accordance with AS 39.05.080,] the
Senate Judiciary Standing Committee reviewed the following and
recommends the appointments be forwarded to a joint session for
consideration:
Alaska Police Standards Council
Dusty Dumont - Juneau
State Commission for Human Rights
Rebecca Carrillo - Auke Bay
William Craig - Sitka
SENATOR KIEHL reminded members that signing the report(s)
regarding appointments to boards and commissions in no way
reflects individual members' approval or disapproval of the
appointees; the nominations are merely forwarded to the full
legislature for confirmation or rejection.
1:53:40 PM
CHAIR CLAMAN said the appointee's names will be forwarded to the
joint session.
1:54:12 PM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Claman adjourned the Senate Judiciary Standing Committee
meeting at 1:54 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| State Commission for Human Rights Appointment - Rebecca Carrillo Application.pdf |
SJUD 3/15/2024 1:30:00 PM |
|
| State Commission for Human Rights Appointment - Rebecca Carrillo Resume.pdf |
SJUD 3/15/2024 1:30:00 PM |
|
| State Commission for Human Rights Appointment- William Craig Resume.pdf |
SJUD 3/15/2024 1:30:00 PM |
|
| State Commission for Human Rights Appointment- William Craig Application.pdf |
SJUD 3/15/2024 1:30:00 PM |
|
| Alaska Police Standards Council Appointment- Dusty Dumont Resume 3.15.2024.pdf |
SJUD 3/15/2024 1:30:00 PM |