Advocacy
Alaskan reentry advocates support education, awareness, and direct advocacy for issues that impact justice-involved Alaskans, their families, providers of services, neighbors, and communities.
Advocacy efforts focus on accessing supports and services before, during, and after incarceration—including transition support, case management, therapeutic courts, housing and employment assistance, treatment and recovery, peer support, parenting and family reunification, life skills, faith-based and cultural support.
A staff member at Cordova Center in Anchorage speaks on behalf of Alaskans living in halfway houses and the need for employment and housing assistance, treatment, and recovery support.
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JUNEAU LEGISLATIVE FLY-IN
January 21-24, 2024
Advocacy for Justice-Involved Alaskans
(People with lived experience of incarceration, family members,
providers of services - pretrial, during incarceration, reentry)
√ Advocacy Training
√ Meetings with Legislators
√ Reentry Simulation
√ Legislative Reception
Details
All costs for transportation, meals, and lodging are on your own.
There is no cost to participate in the fly-in, but participants must register in advance (see below).
Meetings with policymakers will be arranged for participants based on recommendations and preferences.
Participants agree to work in solidarity with the Alaska Reentry Partnership’s mission and talking points.
TO REGISTER, CONTACT: advocacy@akreentry.org
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CURRENT ADVOCACY EFFORTS
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2023 Community In-Reach Programs and Activities in Alaska Prisons and Halfway Houses
The Alaska Reentry Partnership supports resources and policies that promote community rehabilitative programs and activities inside Alaska’s prisons and halfway houses, such as substance abuse treatment and recovery, education and vocational training, reentry and transition planning, parenting and life skills, faith-based and cultural activities. Community in-reach has shown to increase the likelihood of success after release and reduce the likelihood of recidivism (the commission of new crimes).
Read more here.
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2023 Access to State ID Upon Reentry From Incarceration
The Alaska Reentry Partnership supports processes that ensure every individual leaving incarceration returning to an Alaskan community has the appropriate documentation accepted by the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for a valid State ID. Not having acceptable documentation for an ID at the time of release can mean critical delays for accessing housing, employment, treatment, training, education, and other supports and services that increase the likelihood of success and reduce the likelihood of future criminal behavior (recidivism).
Read more here.
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2023 Digital Technology to Better Serve Justice-Involved Alaskans
The Alaska Reentry Partnership supports expanding access to digital resources in Alaska’s corrections and therapeutic court systems to better serve justice-involved Alaskans at all phases of their justice-involvement—pretrial, incarceration, and reentry. Jurisdictions across the United States are using digital technology to safely and securely deliver rehabilitative programming and activities through video-conferencing, closed circuit channels, tablets, distance learning, computer labs, and more. Improved digital technology means more access to treatment and recovery services, education and training, housing and employment assistance, reentry and transitional planning, faith-based, peer support, tribal, visitation, and more.
Read more here.
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2022 Access to Digital Technology to Better Serve Justice-Involved Alaskans
The Alaska Reentry Partnership supports expanding access to digital resources in Alaska’s judicial and corrections systems, including working with communities, to better serve justice-involved Alaskans at all phases of their justice-involvement—pretrial, incarceration, and reentry. Jurisdictions across the United States are using digital technology to safely and securely deliver rehabilitative programming and activities through video conferencing, closed circuit television channels, tablets, distance learning, and more. Improved digital solutions means improved access to education and training, treatment and recovery services, housing and employment assistance, reentry and transitional planning, faith-based, peer support, tribal, visitation, and more. Access to community supports increase the likelihood of stability and success in the community, reduced recidivism, and reduced need for more costly services, like emergency medical services, law enforcement, hospitals, jails, and prisons.
Read more here.
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2022 Legislative Advocacy Priorities
The Alaska Reentry Partnership supports policies and funding that promote improved access to supports and services for justice-involved Alaskans at all phases of their justice involvement—pretrial, incarceration, and reentry. The 2022 Alaska State Legislature is hearing several bills and budget items that impact behavioral health treatment grants, telehealth, crisis stabilization, peer support certification, and intensive early intervention services for at-risk families and children.
Read more here.
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2021 Legislative Advocacy and Outcomes
The Alaska Reentry Partnership supports policies and funding that promote access to services and supports and increase the likelihood of success after incarceration—including access to reentry planning, treatment and recovery, housing and employment assistance, education and training, faith-based and culturally-appropriate supports, and more. During the 2021 legislative session, Partnership tracked several bills and budget items impacting justice-involved Alaskans. Click below to see them and their outcomes from the 2021 legislative session:
Read more here.
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2021 Advocacy for Digital Technology in Alaska's Prisons
The Alaska Reentry Partnership supports efforts to expand digital technology resources and opportunities in Alaska’s correctional system for improved access to supports and services—including mental health and addiction treatment, telehealth, education and training, reentry and transitional services, housing and employment assistance, faith-based, peer support, tribal, visitation, and ID/Social Security acquisition—to promote successful recovery, reentry after incarceration, and reduced recidivism.
Read more here.
Juneau Reentry Fly-In, Advocacy Training, Meetings with Policymakers, Reentry Simulation
January 22-25, 2023 – Juneau, Alaska
Reentry advocates from around Alaska participated in a four-day Juneau Reentry Fly-In that educated policymakers about the value of reentry programs, services, and supports to improve the lives of people returning to their communities after incarceration, and reduce the likelihood of future criminal behavior (recidivism).
Fly-in activities included a full-day advocacy training that offered tips for meetings with policymakers, tips for speaking in public testimony, the difference between advocating and lobbying, and how to tell your personal story to a policymaker, for the most impact, in under 3 minutes.
The training was followed by two full days of meetings with legislators at the State Capitol—introducing them to the work of the reentry coalitions, sharing personal stories that included challenges, successes, and recommendations for solutions, and advocacy for community reentry and in-reach programs.
On the final day, advocates participated in a reentry simulation attended by legislators and staff, the commissioner of the Department of Corrections and staff, alongside Juneau community members.
The fly-in was co-sponsored by the Alaska Reentry Partnership and the Juneau Reentry Coalition, with generous support for the advocacy training and simulation by the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority.