Issue Position: Crime

Issue Position

Crime statues are fluid -- the nature of crime in Alaska, or anywhere, changes as criminals find ways around laws. This is why Kevin has made it a point to address crime head-on throughout his legislative career. It has been more than just rhetoric; it has been action. And Kevin has the record to show it.

Since 2001, Kevin has sponsored over 23 crime related bills and resolutions directed at the pressing issues of harassment, minor consumption of alcohol, bullying, synthetic drugs, sexual assault, and exploitation of minors, among others. While not all of these efforts were successful, it demonstrates his desire to make Alaskans feel safe in the state they love.

Of all the legislation Kevin worked on during his career, the one he is most proud of is the passage of his bill relating to statute of limitations for those who commit sexual assault and/or sexual abuse of minors.

This bill, which became effective in October of 2001, removed the statute of limitations and allows the State to bring action against an offender at any time for the crimes of sexual assault or sexual abuse of a minor. Kevin believed then, as he does now, that a just society holds people accountable for their crimes against children, and that the passage of time does not exonerate someone for answering for these awful actions.

Most recently, Kevin took the lead in addressing some of the shortcomings of SB 91. While the Senate started to fix some of the issues in the Special Sessions of 2017, with SB 54, that work continued with an omnibus crime bill created in the Senate Rules Committee. HB 312 is the crime bill that removes instances when a judge must release a defendant on their own recognizance and allows judges to consider out-of-state criminal histories when determining bail conditions. Additionally, House Bill 312 contains a vast array of provisions that also impact how the Attorney General classifies controlled substances -- a key in fighting the growing drug epidemic.

One of the most controversial aspects of SB 91 was the development and use of a pretrial assessment tool that uses data to determine a person's chance of reoffending while they wait for their trial. Part of that tool was a mandatory provision that required judges to release defendants charged with either low- risk class-C felonies or low-risk and moderate-risk misdemeanors. Many have argued that this system
empowered criminals to keep offending without risk of jail time. Changes passed in HB 312 now gives our state judges discretion when to keep a person in custody for low-level offenses -- no more catch and release for these lower level crimes----giving control back to the criminal justice system, instead of the criminals.

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