Alaska is a centralized state. A single state executive department administers services to delinquents in Alaska.

How is detention organized? 

The Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Juvenile Justice funds and operates eight juvenile detention facilities, four of which also serve as juvenile correctional facilities for the long-term confinement of youth.

Juvenile probation officers, working for the Division of Juvenile Justice, make diversion decisions First-time juvenile offenders or those alleged to have committed minor offenses, such as misdemeanors or violations of municipal ordinances, are eligible for diversion.

The statutory rights of crime victims in Alaska reside in Alaska Statutes Chapter 12.61. Victims of juvenile offenders have the same rights as those of adult offenders in Alaska, including the right to be informed of and be present at all juvenile proceedings; the right to make a statement before adjudication or disposition; and the right to be told of the release or the escape of the offender.

In Alaska, the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), an executive branch agency, administers juvenile probation services, which are organized into 16 field probation offices in four separate regions of the state.  Juvenile probation officers from the Division of Juvenile Justice carry caseloads of only juvenile offenders and supervise them whether at home or in a residential placement.

Juvenile probation officers must have a bachelor's degree or a high school diploma/GED and several years’ experience in justice or youth-related work. Alaska does not certify its juvenile probation officers.

The court grants the authority to commit a juvenile to the Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ).

Juvenile probation officers from the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) supervise juveniles after their release from commitment or placement, which is referred to as aftercare in Alaska. DJJ uses the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI) assessment instrument in the aftercare planning process, with a reassessment performed 60—90 days post-release.

The Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Juvenile Justice makes release decisions. A review board in the correctional facility makes the final decision with recommendations from the juvenile institution and juvenile probation, subject to the court's review.

Alaska’s purpose clause is rooted in Balanced and Restorative Justice (BARJ) philosophies.  The BARJ movement advocates that juvenile courts give balanced attention to three primary interests: public safety, individual accountability to the victims and community, and the development in offenders of those skills necessary to live law-abiding and productive lives. 

Lower Age: None specified

Upper Age: 17

Extended Age : 18  

The Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI) is used in probation services statewide to assist in making intake, probation, and after-care/reentry decisions. Probation officers perform the YLS/CMI for youth referred to the formal court process, those who have been placed on informal probation, and those who have been referred to the Division repeatedly within a two-year timeframe.