ARCUS | Arctic Research Consortium of the United States

6th Annual ARCUS Award for Arctic Research Excellence


Submitted by   Stephen Smith
Authors   Stephen Smith
Category   Social Science
Title   Alaska Federation of Natives Convention in Anchorage: A Case Study in Sexual Assault Prevention
Affiliation   College of Business and Public Policy, University of Alaska Anchorage, Eagle River, AK, USA

Abstract

The routine activity approach to crime, and related lifestyle theory of victimization and situational crime prevention, were used to assess the efforts of the Alaska Native Women Sexual Assault Committee to lower the incidence of sexual victimization to Alaska Native women during the annual Alaska Federation of Natives convention in Anchorage. The strategy used by the committee in its effort was shown to generally comport with the selected criminological theories. The committee was shown to have succeeded in raising awareness of and initiating dialogue about the specific crime problem, however, quantitative data supporting its effectiveness in lowering sexual assault are currently lacking. A more comprehensive study performed when local data collection processes are improved was shown to be needed to quantitatively assess the effectiveness of the committee.