A pair of bills in the Alaska Legislature seek to create a statewide sentencing program specifically for military veterans. The Senate version of the bill has only had one hearing, and its supporters are doubtful it'll pass this year. Still, they're hoping to generate more conversation about how restorative justice programs could help Alaska veterans.
The Veterans Justice Act would give state courts rehabilitative sentencing options like deferred judgements, treatment plans, therapeutic intervention and probation.
Sen. Löki Tobin, the bill's sponsor in the senate, represents the district that contains Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. She said the way wars are fought has changed over the last few decades — and that's created new and lasting pressure on service members.
"Consequences of military service have increased rates of PTSD and substance misuse," she said, "and the need for us to really take into consideration all those impacts on the person's psyche and body and their ability to reason through situations."
Tobin said Alaska veterans deserve more support in the justice system, and that the bill would give state courts more tools for treatment-based sentencing options.
Similar laws exist in other states, like California, Texas, and Minnesota. And Alaska already has two local veteran courts — one in Anchorage and one in Fairbanks. But advocates of the bill say that's not enough, and that some Alaska veterans are slipping through the cracks.
Brock Hunter is the co-founder of Veterans Defense Project, a Minnesota-based nonprofit that provides legal defense for veterans in the justice system. In his April 23 testimony to the Alaska House, Hunter pointed out that Alaska has the nation's highest population of veterans per capita. And he said the new sentencing program that the bill would establish would not cost the state any money.
"This bill is intended to use existing resources within the court system," Hunter said.
Tobin said work in the Legislature will continue past the current session, and she expects the bill will pass within the next couple years.
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