Legislature(2003 - 2004)
02/04/2003 03:45 PM Senate STA
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE STATE AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
February 4, 2003
3:45 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Robin Taylor, Chair
Senator Fred Dyson
Senator Gretchen Guess
Senator Lyman Hoffman
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator John Cowdery
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
Confirmation Hearings:
Commissioner, Department of Corrections-Marc Antrim;
Commissioner, Department of Military and Veterans'
Affairs-General Craig E. Campbell
CONFIRMATIONS ADVANCED
PREVIOUS ACTION
No previous action to record.
WITNESS REGISTER
Marc Antrim
Department of Corrections
431 N. Franklin, Suite 400
Juneau, AK 99801
POSITION STATEMENT: Commissioner-Designate
General Craig E. Campbell
Department of Military &
Veterans Affairs
P.O. Box 5800
Fort Richardson, AK 99505-0800
POSITION STATEMENT: Commissioner-Designate
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 03-1, SIDE A
CHAIR ROBIN TAYLOR called the Senate State Affairs Standing
Committee meeting to order at 3:45 p.m. Present were Senators
Guess, Hoffman, Dyson and Chair Taylor.
The first order of business to come before the committee was the
confirmation hearing for Mr. Marc Antrim as Commissioner of the
Department of Corrections. Chair Taylor asked Mr. Antrim to
swear and affirm that the testimony he was about to give was the
truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
MARC ANTRIM, Commissioner-Designate of the Department of
Corrections, so swore and affirmed.
CHAIR TAYLOR asked for a brief resume and an outline of his
plans for the department.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE ANTRIM introduced himself and said he
would diverge from his prepared statement and begin with his
resume. He moved to Juneau when he was a teenager, graduated
from the local high school then went on to graduate from the
University of Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF). While at UAF he worked
with the campus security police. This experience exposed him to
the full gamut of law enforcement activities and gave him good
experience.
He began working for the Department of Corrections full time in
1983 and has been there continuously except for a short time in
1985 when he attended law school in California. He has been
involved with a number of employment organizations associated
with the department and has been very active in the educational
activities of his two children. Currently he serves on the
nonprofit board of the local football league.
In 2001 he began serving as site contact for President Bush's
Faith-Based Initiative effort. Juneau's Catholic Community
Services is funded for a statewide project called the Children
of Incarcerated Parents. The concept is based on the precept
that children of convicted offenders are unintended victims of
crime, and the aim of the project is to develop strategies to
reconnect these children with their parents. At the
demonstration facility at Lemon Creek, prisoners were able to
videotape Christmas holiday messages and send them to their
families. This was well received and the program has since been
expanded to include birthdays and other holidays. In his current
position he looks forward to giving this program ongoing
support.
Given his history with the department, he stressed how honored
he feels to have been selected by Governor Murkowski. He started
as an officer and worked his way up through the ranks. This
department has a unique working environment with most of the
staff working together in very close-knit teams on twelve-hour
shifts. These teams are asked to do things that most people
never see in their normal workday. They tussle with drunks,
strip-search people and deescalate combative prisoners with
little more than wit and quick tongues. One of the more
difficult tasks is putting people back together after suicidal
ideations. Doing this work professionally builds character as
the employees work to get themselves and their shift members
through the workday safely. The men and women that work for the
department say they have the toughest beat in the state and he
couldn't agree more.
The goals of the prison system, as outlined in the state
constitution, are to protect the public, provide for community
condemnation of offenders, protect the rights of victims, seek
restitution from offenders and provide for the principle of
reformation. He supports those points and his priority is to
protect the public. The department is working to remedy the
large number of correction and probation officer vacancies and
making a particularly concerted effort to recruit more Alaska
Natives and women into uniform and probation officer ranks.
Prisoners should be treated firmly but fairly and rules should
be applied fairly and uniformly. The approach determines the
response is the tenor and tone he wants to set with the
department's employees; if you treat someone fairly, you're
likely to get that response in return.
Although there are offenders that may be beyond redemption, most
offenders are released and need tools to ensure their success
outside the prison system. To that end, he has begun a review of
all programs to ensure they are both effective and cost
efficient. He looks forward to expanding faith-based programs
because they are some of the most effective programs prison
systems offer. This department will look at new and innovative
approaches and to new partnerships with Native corporations for
treatment programs.
The department is working with the Department of Labor and Work
Force Development to put together more meaningful job training
programs. The goal is to work with trade unions around the state
and put some apprenticeship programs in the facilities to teach
prisoners a skill so when they are released they have a
marketable skill. This increases the likelihood prisoners will
not reenter the prison system and makes it possible for them to
pay their restitution.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE ANTRIM knows he will be called upon to
make reductions in his department and to outline areas that need
improvement. He expects to be able to give that information
based upon his knowledge of how the facilities work and where
cuts or changes can be made with the least impact to security
operations.
He asked committee members whether they had any questions.
SENATOR GRETCHEN GUESS asked whether all Commissioner Antrim's
work has been at Lemon Creek.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE ANTRIM said she is correct.
SENATOR GUESS asked how he plans to expand his knowledge base of
other facilities.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE ANTRIM reported he has had wide contact
and involvement with a number of statewide projects. Most
training takes place in Anchorage and those trainings are used
as an opportunity to network.
SENATOR GUESS observed that with the goal to protect the public
comes the assumption that behavior can be changed. She asked him
to expand on his plans to evaluate the success or failure of
programs.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE ANTRIM explained they have an auditor who
will perform basic program audits to determine whether the
particular model is successful and cost effective. Anecdotal
substance abuse program evidence suggests that although
prisoners go through the phases of treatment while in the
system, they become repeat offenders and are quickly back in the
system. If this is actually the case, then program changes need
to be instituted. Wellness Courts, Wellness Jails and other
experimental programs will be thoroughly examined.
SENATOR GUESS asked whether the audits would be financial or
program audits.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE ANTRIM replied both types would be done
because they are tied together, but his emphasis is on program
audits because the initial concern is whether the program works.
However, he certainly wants to know whether they are cost
effective as well.
SENATOR LYMAN HOFFMAN referred to the plan to hire more Alaska
Natives and asked if he had a target.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE ANTRIM explained that while roughly
thirty-four percent of the prison population is Alaska Native,
their representation in the corrections workforce has dropped
from six to four percent in the last eight to ten years. This is
particularly unacceptable since prisoners model prison staff.
Recognizing this fact, it makes sense to hire more Alaska
Natives as correction officers. These officers are some of the
most stable elements in offenders' lives so more Alaska Native
correction officers should be models for the value of holding a
job and going to work on a daily basis. Karen Neagel is the
Cultural Affairs Coordinator and is tasked with developing
strategies to address the specific problems associated with
current hiring practices.
SENATOR HOFFMAN asked how he could measure progress to increase
Alaska Native hire within the correction system.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE ANTRIM said he was hesitant to give a
number because he doesn't know what is realistic, but there are
specific systemic issues with the way they are interviewing and
administering tests. Having ten percent of the workforce as
Alaska Native in the next year or two would be his goal, but he
isn't sure whether or not that is attainable.
SENATOR HOFFMAN then asked whether the percentage would be
increased in subsequent years.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE ANTRIM said that was one of his goals.
SENATOR HOFFMAN asked whether he has a timeframe for
accomplishing the management merger of the Anchorage Jail and
the Cook Inlet Pretrial Facility.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE ANTRIM explained the reorganization calls
for developing several new job classes. They will begin working
through the Department of Administration, Division of Personnel
next month. There are a number of employees whose lives will be
affected so they need to know; and from a management perspective
the department wants to start realizing savings as soon as
possible.
SENATOR HOFFMAN asked for an outline of his plans to bring
prisoners home so they have better access to their families.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE ANTRIM said he is aware of a number of
construction proposals and getting adequate bed space in the
state is a priority. Bed space is driving everything they are
doing or unable to do. Years ago the system was fairly cohesive
and had various facilities identified with specific missions.
The population in the state was fairly stable and long-term
treatment was provided to prisoners in facilities that were as
close as possible to their homes. Due to bed-space constraints,
this is no longer the case.
SENATOR HOFFMAN then asked for his position on public versus
private beds in Alaska.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE ANTRIM replied he supports Governor
Murkowski's position in favor or public prisons. However, he
will listen to all proposals and looks forward to working with
the legislature through the process.
SENATOR FRED DYSON asked for his views on upgrading the quality
of personnel by upgrading the threshold of education and other
requirements because he has seen that be counterproductive.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE ANTRIM said the certification process
under the Alaska Police Standards Council that requires all
prospective staff to undergo a mental health screening has been
problematic. It's not a simple issue to resolve because although
they don't want to hire people who are deemed unsafe, the
standards are a major stumbling block that is preventing Alaska
Natives and women from getting through the process. Beginning on
February 6, discussions begin to evaluate the standards and
decide on modifications.
SENATOR DYSON asked if the problems were mental health issues or
old convictions that prevented hire. Individuals who did
something dumb at one time and got busted for their actions may
have learned from their mistakes and might be exemplary staff.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE ANTRIM said past felonies certainly are
an issue, but there is a time limit for misdemeanants. The
largest stumbling block is that drug use was widespread in the
1970s and 1980s and it's in many people's background. However,
the mental health exam is also causing difficulties.
SENATOR DYSON assured him the legislature wants him to be able
to get qualified people and they stand ready to help.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE ANTRIM thanked him then added he thought
his department could make internal adjustments to address the
concerns.
SENATOR GUESS asked how he would evaluate mental health services
to inmates. Reading she has done indicates the prison population
has an extraordinary percentage of people who are struggling
with mental illness.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE ANTRIM informed members his department
considers itself to be the primary mental health provider in the
state. At any given time they have three to four hundred
chronically mentally ill prisoners. The department's large
mental health staff does an excellent job of stabilizing this
population then directing them into a number of nonprofit
providers around the state upon their release.
SENATOR GUESS then asked if there are any plans to move the sex
offender program away from the women's prison in Anchorage.
4:20 pm
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE ANTRIM admitted it was an unusual
combination and explained Highland Mountain Correctional Center
has been a sex offender treatment facility for most of its
existence. In the early 1990s, the number of convicted females
in the state got so large corrections needed to designate a
facility for that population. Highland Mountain was selected
because of its size and because it provided access for children
of the offenders and access to obstetrician and gynecological
care. At that point, males were moved from Highland Mountain to
the old female facility. The shift has worked well for both
populations but he does share her concern about the locale.
There have been few incidents because there is little contact
between the two populations and he intends to keep it that way.
There are no current plans to move either population.
SENATOR HOFFMAN asked whether prisoners with mental illness are
better off in prison or in an institution.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE ANTRIM thought that was a question the
legislature should answer. There are mental health courts that
are trying to divert people out of the prison system, but at
this time in Alaska's history, the role of the Department of
Corrections is a provider of last resort for a number of things,
mental health services being just one.
Mental health is a large issue for the Department of Corrections
while the role of Alaska Psychiatric Institute (API), which is
operated by Health and Social Services, has grown smaller in the
field.
SENATOR HOFFMAN asked whether the department has considered
trying to get assistance from the Mental Health Trust.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE ANTRIM replied the department receives
roughly $450 thousand in budgetary support directly from the
Mental Health Trust. They support a number of smaller programs
as well. The department's general fund line is about $4.5
million dollars of dedicated mental health money.
CHAIR TAYLOR asked how he sees corrections interplaying with
victim's rights organizations and whether the lines of
communication are open and working.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE ANTRIM said the department has a staff
member with the division of probation and parole who does lots
of victim interaction and provides services as needed. The staff
member also operates the Victim Information and Notification
Everyday (VINE) system, an automated system that provides
information to victims and other members of the public regarding
the whereabouts and status of a prisoner.
CHAIR TAYLOR then asked him to address the White Buffalo
program.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE ANTRIM confessed he has seen the program
as a line item in the budget but he isn't familiar with it and
there is no money directed to it at this time. He assured
members the department is looking at any kind of innovation.
He's convinced current programs and approaches have been
successful for some prisoners, but there is need to make some
programs more culturally relevant for some segments of the
population. Different approaches such as the Wellness Courts or
the Wellness Jail that are being discussed.
CHAIR TAYLOR explained White Buffalo is a spiritual program
based on culture that Senator Ward wanted Native corporations to
use. He encouraged the Commissioner to continue to explore such
programs to evaluate their merit.
BRUCE TANGEMAN, Fiscal Analyst with Legislative Finance, spoke
from the back of the committee room to explain the White Buffalo
project was appropriated $50 thousand in general funds last year
and was subsequently moved to the parole board.
CHAIR TAYLOR said he and Senator Dyson have both spent years
working to make systemic changes within welfare programs and now
they are trying to find ways in which various government
agencies can increase partnering to more effectively help the
entire family unit. He stressed a willingness to lend
legislative support to coordinate those efforts.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE ANTRIM thanked him and assured him that
was at the heart of Governor Murkowski's direction to him and
Commissioner O'Cleary. Part of the Children of Incarcerated
Parents project grant that was given to Catholic Community
Services involves tying those services together. He agreed there
are lots of duplicative efforts in state government.
SENATOR GUESS agreed with Senator Taylor that increased
coordination between departments is needed. She cited instances
in which a disconnect between the court system and corrections
resulted in batterers and domestic violence offenders being
housed in the same neighborhood as the victim.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE ANTRIM agreed this area needs work
because such instances would be very disturbing to the victim.
CHAIR TAYLOR assured members that, from his experience, there
has always been a disconnect between the courts and corrections.
The court may, in fact, impose a sentence and it may not fit
with corrections plan for that individual. He urged the
commissioner to do all he could to foster cooperation between
agencies and branches of government.
Although he said he strongly supports Senator Hoffman's concerns
about the number of individuals in different racial groups that
may be working for the state, he doesn't want the Commissioner
to be left with the impression that he, as chairman, is looking
for quotas. He applauds the commissioner's hiring goals but
would rather not hear it stated in terms of quotas.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE ANTRIM said he did not understand Senator
Hoffman to say he wanted the department to impose a quota. The
goal to hire more Alaska Natives in the department is admirable,
particularly when they are working with a sizeable population
from that group.
CHAIR TAYLOR related he frequently sentenced individuals to
Anabuse when they were before him [as judge] after having nearly
died because of their use of alcohol and drugs.
CHAIR TAYLOR said he would entertain a motion.
SENATOR DYSON made a motion to forward Commissioner Marc
Antrim's name from committee with individual recommendations.
There being no stated objection it was so ordered.
CHAIR TAYLOR asked General Craig Campbell to step forward and
swear and affirm that the testimony he was about to give was the
truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE CRAIG CAMPBELL did so swear and affirm.
CHAIR TAYLOR gave him the floor and asked him to proceed as he
saw fit.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE CRAIG E. CAMPBELL identified himself and
said he lives in Eagle River, Alaska. He began with his
biography because knowing who he is would help members
understand the type of background he brings to the position.
He has almost 28 years in the military. The United States Air
Force brought him to Alaska in 1981 and stationed him at
Elmendorf Air Force Base. Three years later he was transferred
to Illinois. Although he negotiated to stay in Alaska, it was to
no avail. At that point he separated from active duty with
almost ten years of service.
He is an air traffic controller by background and he separated
with the intention of going into the National Guard. He began
looking at the Alaska National Guard and found they don't have
air traffic controllers. He found an air traffic control
position in the California National Guard and worked in that
position for seven years. He remained in Eagle River during
those seven years and commuted on weekends, once a month and
several weeks a year. He did that to keep his military
experience alive knowing that sometime he would be able to join
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the Alaska Air National Guard. Finally, when the 168Air-
Refueling Wing began at Eielson, he was able to find a home
th
there. In 1991 he became the 168resource manager, squadron
commander and served in that position for seven years. From
there he worked in headquarters as the chief of plans for the
Alaska Air National Guard and was the executive support officer
for General Kanellis. Having completed Air War College, a
prerequisite for promotion to colonel, he volunteered and was
selected as one of two Air National Guard representatives to
spend a year attending the Naval War College and obtained a
graduate degree.
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He returned to Alaska to serve the 168wingas vice-commander.
He explained he was vice-commander because he doesn't wear
wings. It is significant in an Air Force organization that the
commander wears wings. He feels fortunate, not being a pilot or
a navigator, to have been allowed to be a vice-commander.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE CAMPBELL explained there were about eight
applicants and he was one of the last to put in his application.
In the National Guard it is important to have leadership that
comes from within the organization. Of the last four adjutant
generals, two came from the active duty force, one from the Air
Force and one from the Army. Both did outstanding jobs, but it
was difficult for them to transition from an Air Force culture
into a National Guard culture, to learn the political process of
the State of Alaska, and to be successful for the organization.
After watching the other two, who were from the National Guard,
he determined the next adjutant general needed to come from the
Alaska National Guard.
He also thought the next adjutant general should come from the
Air National Guard. Primarily, this is because the Air National
Guard has grown rapidly and is now larger than the Army National
Guard. There has not been an adjutant general from the Alaska
Air National Guard since 1980. This sends a message to the
senior leadership within the Air National Guard that they can
succeed and be recognized as leaders in the state.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE CAMPBELL said he is a planner by trade
and he wasn't able to identify the direction the Alaska Air
National Guard was heading. He began looking for the strategic
plan to determine their objectives and found the plan started
about eight years ago never came to fruition so there is no
written strategic plan for the Department of Military and
Veterans' Affairs.
Additionally, the most current annual report for the department
is from 1997. His research indicates that although the
department has been doing many important things, it hasn't been
in an organized direction and there has been no organized report
to the Legislature with demonstrative conclusions that the
department was meeting its goals.
His findings caused him to became passionately interested in
becoming the new adjutant general to provide the "blue suit" Air
National Guard leadership with planning and direction.
He has begun working with the Murkowski Administration to
reorganize the horizontal or flat structure of the department.
All division managers were reporting directly to the adjutant
general who was also trying to develop policy direction. This
plate was too full so they reorganized to give the deputy
commissioner more authority under administrative functions.
He organized a two-column system with the Army National Guard,
the Air National Guard, state defense services and the national
militia under the military column of forces and homeland
security and emergency services under the civilian column. In
the civilian column, Sam Johnson, as assistant commissioner, is
charged with merging homeland security and emergency services
into one team. He sets the policy; and his team brings him the
action plan so they will be able to respond as a team for
civilian services. On the military side, General Craig
Christensen is deputy military director and the lead for
direction of military activities. A team of about five
individuals formed from the two columns serves as an executive
board to develop and implement a strategic plan and report to
the Legislature on their accomplishments.
The priority missions are:
· Homeland Security: It's ill defined today in terms of what
it will look like, how it will be managed, where will the
funding come from and how to respond to the citizens. The
department has two basic pillars of government it is
responsible for. They are the safety and security of the
citizenry. If that can't be provided, government can't be
provided. The department will work closely with federal
agencies to develop a cohesive program.
· Recruiting and Retention: There has been a decline in the
number of individuals in the National Guard even though
the Air National Guard has grown. This trend must be
changed for the Army National Guard. Specifically,
declines have occurred in rural Alaska and there will be a
concerted effort to improve the recruiting and retention
of Native Alaskans. Having just four weeks on the job he
doesn't yet have a solution, but he has done the research
and he understands the problem. He is working with General
Christensen on the Army side to find different ways of
accomplishing the mission. As he goes forward with
strategic plans and performance measures he will ask the
Legislature to help him by building performance measures
that create a positive direction for recruiting and
retention is Western Alaska.
· National Missile Defense: The Army, the Air Force and the
U.S. Space Command are advancing the program. They are
charged with having it operational in 2004 with full
buildup in 2005. The Army National Guard is the lead for
providing the people and the training for that facility.
There will be about 300 Army National Guard people at Fort
Greeley in about two years. The majority will be security
police and the rest will be operators. The operational
control will stay with the active duty but the guard will
do the hiring the training and the staffing of the people.
That brings a number of challenges including housing
people in Delta and whether the skilled recruits will come
from Alaska. He would like to attract as many Alaskans as
possible to fill those billets.
· National Guard Transformation: He would like to change the
way the Alaska branches do business. They should work
together in one aerospace defense organization that allows
each branch to compete equally for assignments. Although
this is a difficult challenge in the military structure,
he believes it's natural for Alaska and he will be
pursuing that approach.
· Veteran Issues: Because Alaskan veterans deserve some type
of return when they retire, the veterans' home issue needs
to come to fruition. The study regarding what is right for
Alaska must be completed, the facts assembled, and the
veterans enfranchised to support the program that is
ultimately selected.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE CAMPBELL assured members he is a fiscal
conservative. He accepted the job knowing he would have to work
with the Legislature to provide for the safety and security of
Alaska without an increased budget. It will be a challenge, but
he has already informed his department they will not ask for
personnel costs for 2003. When he builds a budget, he expects
his divisions to live within that budget. Part of fiscal
discipline is requiring people to be accountable for what they
ask for.
That being said, he will be asking for a supplemental amount for
disaster relief. The earthquake and Kenai floods have been
significant incidents and will require additional help as is
traditional with disasters.
He said he is motivated to run the department, has the
qualifications to lead the department and has the fiscal
understanding to know what must be done to ensure success.
He asked members for questions.
SENATOR GUESS expressed her appreciation to General Campbell for
taking the position. She asked him to discuss the Military Youth
Academy and how it fits into his strategic plan.
COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE CAMPBELL emphasized the value of the
Youth Academy within the Department of Military & Veterans
Affairs (DMVA). Although it has receives funding from its tie to
the education formula, the success of the program comes from its
military structure. As one of the few accredited youth academies
in the country, it provides troubled youth the opportunity to
enter a structured environment and achieve the goal of a general
education diploma (GED) or high school diploma. He advised
members that facility money is needed at some point because the
Camp Carroll facility is old and overcrowded.
CHAIR TAYLOR thanked General Campbell for taking the time to
provide the people of the State of Alaska with his exemplary
service and assured him his dedication is much appreciated.
There was no additional testimony.
CHAIR TAYLOR asked for a motion.
SENATOR DYSON made a motion to forward General Campbell's name
to a joint session for consideration.
There being no stated objection it was so ordered.
CHAIR TAYLOR adjourned the meeting at 5:00 p.m.
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