ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE                                                                                  
               HOUSE JUDICIARY STANDING COMMITTEE                                                                             
                         April 2, 2004                                                                                          
                           1:12 p.m.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS PRESENT                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Representative Lesil McGuire, Chair                                                                                             
Representative Tom Anderson, Vice Chair                                                                                         
Representative Ralph Samuels                                                                                                    
Representative Les Gara                                                                                                         
Representative Max Gruenberg                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS ABSENT                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Representative Jim Holm                                                                                                         
Representative Dan Ogg                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
^PRESENTATION  BY ALASKA  JUDICIAL COUNCIL  ON THE FELONY  PROCESS                                                              
IN ALASKA                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
[For the  regular meeting minutes,  see the 2:55 p.m.  minutes for                                                              
this date.]                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
TAPES                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
04-56, SIDE(S) A & B                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LESIL  McGUIRE convened the  meeting of the  House Judiciary                                                            
Standing  Committee   at  1:12  p.m.     Representatives  McGuire,                                                              
Anderson, Samuels,  and Gara  were present at  the call  to order.                                                              
Representative Gruenberg arrived as the meeting was in progress.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
LARRY  COHN, Executive  Director, Alaska  Judicial Council  (AJC),                                                              
presented  an overview  of the Alaska  Felony  Process study.   He                                                              
spoke  on the  methods,  data, and  findings  associated with  the                                                              
study, which  addressed the issues  of fairness within  the Alaska                                                              
judicial  system   in  regard  to  ethnicity,  and   responded  to                                                              
questions regarding  the fairness of  the system and  the apparent                                                              
increase in the  number of cases that are pleaded  down within the                                                              
court  system  as  compared  to  the  last  similar  study,  which                                                              
occurred in 1987.   Among the issues discussed  were discrepancies                                                              
in  offenders   and  sentencing,   by  ethnicity,  in   regard  to                                                              
drug/alcohol  dependencies, prior  convictions, violence  level of                                                              
crimes, and  types of  crimes.   Also discussed  was the  issue of                                                              
discrepancies  by   the  type  of  attorney,  whether   public  or                                                              
private, that  the defendant has.   Also discussed was  the length                                                              
of jail  time sentenced  dependent on  all of the  above-mentioned                                                              
issues.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
TERESA W. CARNS,  Senior Staff Associate, Alaska  Judicial Council                                                              
(AJC), assisted  with the presentation by responding  to questions                                                              
and comments from members.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
BARBARA   BRINK,   Director,   Public   Defender   Agency   (PDA),                                                              
Department  of  Administration  (DOA), in  response  to  questions                                                              
from members, provided comments during the AJC's presentation.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
SUSAN  A.  PARKES,   Deputy  Attorney  General,   Central  Office,                                                              
Criminal  Division,  Department  of  Law  (DOL),  in  response  to                                                              
questions  from  members,  provided   comments  during  the  AJC's                                                              
presentation.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
ANNOUNCEMENTS                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
There were no announcements.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE ACTION                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
The committee took no action.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
The House  Judiciary Standing  Committee took  an at-ease  at 2:30                                                              
p.m. in order  to prepare for  the regular meeting.   [For regular                                                              
meeting minutes, see the 2:55 p.m. minutes for this date.]                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
NOTE:   The meeting  was recorded and  handwritten log  notes were                                                              
taken.   A copy of the  tape(s) and log  notes may be  obtained by                                                              
contacting  the House  Records Office  at State  Capitol, Room  3,                                                              
Juneau,  Alaska  99801  (mailing  address),  (907)  465-2214,  and                                                              
after  adjournment  of  the second  session  of  the  Twenty-Third                                                              
Alaska  State Legislature  this  information  may  be obtained  by                                                              
contacting the Legislative Reference Library at (907) 465-3808.