Candidate: Beta Gardner

District: House District 24 (Anchorage)

Seat Running For: State Representative

Party Affiliation: Democrat

1. As a legislator, what have you done to support women and children victims of domestic violence and/or sexual assault? What specifically have you done to help end violence against women and children in Alaska ?

Prior to becoming a legislator I worked both as a CASA volunteer and Guardian Ad Litem for children in protective custody. I bring that experience and understanding to my work as a legislator. In addition to advocating for funding, I have co-sponsored legislation to curb sex trafficking, increase penalties for sexual offenders, start a pilot project to investigate complaints from victims of sexual assault, and promoted therapeutic court options.

2.Women in Alaska , particularly Native women, are disproportionately victims of violence. What are the issues or causes you believe increase violence against Alaskan women?

There are numerous reasons Alaska tops the list, all of which we need to do more to address. Alaskans suffer from high levels of alcohol and drug abuse. In addition, in rural Alaska, there has been a lack of law enforcement, education and treatment for victims of sexual and domestic violence. Domestic and sexual violence perpetrators have often been victims themselves who never recieved the support and treatment they needed to end the cycle.

A recent study by the Alaska Justice Center also found that of over 1000 sexual assaults reported to APD between 2000-03 only 17.9% were referred to the Department of Law for prosecution. What causes this discrepancy between reported assaults and prosecutions has not yet been studied.

3. Alaska has ranked nationally in the top three per capita for sexual assault in the past 29 years (per the Uniform Crime Reporting Code). What type of legislation would you support to increase perpetrator accountability and ensure safety for women and children?

I support legislation that increases the penalties for the heinous crimes of sexual violence, domestic violence, and child abuse. But, we must do more than just increase the penalities after these crimes have been committed. I am also a supporter of increased theraputic approaches that are proven to lower recidivism rates. The legislature must also enure that there is adequate funding in place to provide supportive services to victims. Finally, we can not just react to these crimes after they have been committed. I also believe we must do more to ensure that they are never committed in the first place by increasing law enforcement officers, education efforts, and especially addressing the alcohol and drug problems that plague our communities.

4.  Shelter programs in Alaska are finding it difficult to keep and maintain staff due to a lack of competitive wages.  This causes a high turnover of staff because they can receive better paying jobs working for the state and municipality.  Due to the high rate of staff turnover, the amount and type of services that can be offered to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault are greatly impacted.  As a legislator, what will you do to address this problem?

Non-profit work is too often defined by burnout and low wages. Shelters in Alaska receive their funding from a veriety of sources, of which that State is only one. As a State Representative, I am and will continue to be a staunch advocate for stable funding for sheltesr and associated support programs.

5. Funding for shelter programs has increased only 4% in the last 10 years while services have increased by over 42%. As a legislator, what will you do to address this problem?

I believe I have multiple responsibilites as a legislator. The first is to advocate and support better funding for shelter programs and other victim's services. As a legislator I also have a responsibility to determine why the need for services is increasing and what the State can do to address the root causes driving the increasing need for services and then diligently fund efforts that will reduce the need for these services in the first place.

What is the name of the domestic violence.sexual assault intervention program(s) that serves your constituents? STAR, AWAIC, AK Women's Resource Center.

Who are the Current Executive Directors?

STAR: Anna Fairclough

AWAIC: Judy Sullivan-Pickens

AK Women's Resource Center: Rosalie Nadeau

 

Go to Berta Gardner's Ak Legislature Page