Alaska Native Justice Center

The second in a series highlighting the CIRI family of nonprofits

Alaska Native people face increasingly disproportionate rates of victimization, incarceration and other justice-related issues in Alaska. Through culturally based advocacy, prevention and intervention initiatives, the Alaska Native Justice Center (ANJC) works to restore dignity, respect and humanity to all Native peoples.

ANJC was established as a Tribal nonprofit in 1993 by CIRI. In 2016, it became a subsidiary of another CIRI-affiliated nonprofit, Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC). The new partnership more closely aligned ANJC’s services with CITC’s and provided ANJC additional administrative and funding support.

ANJC’s “Pillars of Justice” include:

• Social Justice Advocacy: Bringing partners together to advocate for fair and equitable treatment of Alaska Native people within the justice system.
• Restorative Justice: Providing those returning to society after incarceration the tools they need to successfully rebuild their lives.
• Advocacy for Victims: Standing up for the rights of Alaska Native people and providing the tools they need to advocate for themselves.
• Education: Equipping individuals with knowledge about the criminal justice system.

ANJC serves individuals from across Alaska and in every Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act region. For the most up-to-date information, visit ANJC’s Facebook page.

Paul H. Chapman Award

Congratulations to the Alaska Native Justice Center (ANJC) for being one of six organizations nationwide to receive the Paul H. Chapman Award. ANJC received the award for its efforts in advocating for statewide legislative reform to fix gaps in Alaska’s sexual offense laws.

In 2018, ANJC partnered with the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) to successfully create two resolutions advocating for more rigorous sexual assault laws and greater equality for victims. ANJC’s advocacy came after a case involving the sexual assault of an Alaska Native woman exposed a loophole in state law and led to extremely lenient sentencing for the white male perpetrator.

The resolutions, which were adopted at the annual AFN gathering, later prompted Alaska lawmakers to propose and pass Senate Bill 12, legislation that rectified loopholes in sentencing structure and better protects Native people and others from predators.