Alaska's juvenile delinquency rates have dropped significantly in the past several years, according to a recent report published by the University of Alaska Anchorage Justice Center.
Data provided to the Justice Center by the Alaska Division of Juvenile Justice shows a 42 percent decline in the rate of juvenile delinquency between 2003 and 2012.
"That's a remarkable decline. It's very unprecedented in the history of juvenile justice," says Dr. Andre Rosay, the center's director.
Rosay says the center is seeing a steady decline in all categories of juvenile offenses. Regardless of how staff looked at the data, they found remarkable declines in the rates of referrals to the Division of Juvenile Justice -- but the reasons behind the reductions are tougher to pinpoint.
"I think what we can say is, it's due to some well-coordinated prevention and intervention efforts that are happening both in Anchorage and statewide," Rosay said. "But at this point it's difficult to say exactly what caused the decline, other than simply saying agencies are working well together and providing good services to Alaska's youth."
While the delinquency rate steadily drops, the report also details an increase in Alaska schools' rate of suspensions and expulsions in the 2010-2011 school year. Data provided by the state Department of Education and Early Development show a 27 percent increase in suspensions and expulsions from the previous school year.
Dr. Marny Rivera, an associate professor with the Justice Center, says the increase is likely due to a policy change in the way schools report offenses, not a change in student behavior.
"When we see reductions in referrals to the juvenile system and increase in suspensions and expulsions, you wonder if this is an intentional change in policy -- or numbers that aren't really related intentionally, but statistically they have different trends," says Rivera.
Former Anchorage School District superintendent Carol Comeau also contributed to the study, adding her perspective as a former school administrator.
"I'm always happy when I see numbers like that go down, but most importantly, anything we can do to get more kids graduating with a high-school diploma, (that) is the key to success," Comeau said.
Comeau attributes the decline in juvenile delinquency to preventative measures schools have taken as well as programs like Step Up, established to give students who commit low-level crimes a chance to continue their education.
"Zero-tolerance policies are simply not in favor anymore," Comeau said. "I think every school district is struggling between their budget cuts, trying to recognize they've got to do something for this group of young people."
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