STATE OF ALASKA
THE LEGISLATURE
2020
Legislative
Source Resolve No.
SCR 9 23
Establishing the Task Force on Therapeutic Courts.
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BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:
WHEREAS, according to a 2000 report by the Alaska Criminal Justice Assessment
Commission, alcohol was a primary or contributing factor in 80 to 95 percent of all criminal
offenses in the state; and
WHEREAS, according to a 2004 report by the Alaska Judicial Council, almost 70
percent of convicted offenders in the state who had been charged with a felony offense had an
alcohol abuse disorder; and
WHEREAS therapeutic courts are highly effective in treating offenders with
substance abuse or mental health disorders through a combination of substance abuse and
mental health treatment, cognitive-behavioral therapy, peer support, recovery meetings,
employment and finance workshops, case management, community supervision, drug testing,
and judicial supervision; and
WHEREAS studies show that the use of therapeutic courts reduces recidivism,
reduces costs to the criminal justice and public health systems, and improves community
restoration; and
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 WHEREAS the therapeutic court model has been successful in some communities in
the state and may be replicable in additional communities in the state, and the criminal justice
system in the state could benefit from following therapeutic court principles and practices;
BE IT RESOLVED by the Alaska State Legislature that the Task Force on
Therapeutic Courts is created in the legislative branch and shall consist of 10 members as
follows:
(1) one senator appointed by the President of the Senate;
(2) one representative appointed by the Speaker of the House of
Representatives;
(3) one current or retired judge selected by the chief justice of the Alaska
Supreme Court;
(4) one member of the administrative staff of the Alaska Court System
selected by the administrative director of the Alaska Court System;
(5) one prosecutor from the Department of Law selected by the attorney
general;
(6) one defense attorney from the Public Defender Agency selected by the
head of the Public Defender Agency;
(7) one member from the Department of Health and Social Services selected
by the commissioner of health and social services;
(8) one member from the Department of Corrections selected by the
commissioner of corrections;
(9) one member from the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority; and
(10) one member who has completed a therapeutic court program in the state;
and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED that a vacancy on the task force shall be filled in the
manner of the original appointment; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED that the legislators on the task force shall select a chair
from among themselves, and the chair may assign legislative staff to provide support to the
task force; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall
(1) examine matters relating to
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 (A) the therapeutic court model, including current rates of substance
abuse related to criminal offenses in the state;
(B) the ways in which substance abuse-related criminal offenses and
recidivism affect and cost the criminal justice system in the state;
(C) the effectiveness of prior criminal justice policies regarding the
costs to the criminal justice system and recidivism;
(D) the effects of implementing therapeutic courts in this and other
states; and
(E) challenges that therapeutic courts in the state currently face;
(2) evaluate and make recommendations for
(A) enhancing the effectiveness and scope of current therapeutic courts
in the state, including recommendations relating to providing attorneys in the state
with information about therapeutic court principles and practices;
(B) employing full-time therapeutic court attorneys;
(C) providing culturally appropriate treatment resources, including
certified or licensed Alaska Native treatment providers;
(D) establishing standardized screening and referral criteria;
(E) establishing and formalizing links between local treatment
providers and state and local alcohol and drug agencies;
(F) expanding the capacity of current therapeutic court programs;
(G) making policy or statutory changes;
(H) implementing data collection procedures for therapeutic courts in
the state, including for
(i) data regarding the number of individuals to whom a
program is offered in the state and the number of individuals who opt in to a
program;
(ii) program completion rates;
(iii) criminal charges of the individuals to whom a program is
offered;
(iv) program attendance rates;
(v) post-program recidivism rates;
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 (vi) noncompletion rates and reasons for noncompletion;
(vii) costs to the criminal justice system; and
(viii) costs to emergency rooms; and
(I) expanding therapeutic courts to rural communities in the state; and
be it
FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall begin meeting in July 2020 and
meet as necessary, including during the interim, to produce the required recommendations;
and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is terminated on January 18, 2021; and
be it
FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall submit a final report summarizing
the task force's findings and recommendations to the legislature.
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