Alaska’s Justice System is Failing Victims. It’s Time to Speak Up.
I want to respond to this story by ProPublica and Anchorage Daily News on January 2025 titled Anchorage Police Say They Witnessed a Sexual Assault in Public. It Took Seven Years for the Case to Go to Trial.
Justice isn’t just about what happens in a courtroom.
It’s about what happens while victims are forced to wait.
And in Alaska, waiting is the name of the game.
Right now, felony cases for the worst crimes, including sexual assault and murder, are dragging on for years. What used to take a little over a year to go to trial now takes more than three. That’s three years of victims being stuck in limbo. Three years of looking over their shoulders. Three years of reliving trauma without closure. Some victims don’t even live long enough to see their day in court.
Defense attorneys ask for delays. Judges grant them. The system allows it. And every time that happens, the weight falls on the people who have already suffered the most.
The truth is that Alaska is failing survivors. This isn’t just about bureaucracy or backlogged cases. This is about justice being out of reach. A trial delayed is a trial denied. Every extra month, every extra year—this all benefits the accused while the victims are left to suffer.
Alaska’s governor and lawmakers need to address this crisis. We need leadership that prioritizes survivors, not a system that protects those who do harm. Justice should not be a waiting game, and victims should not have to beg for it.
If the system has silenced you, now is the time to speak up. Share your story. Demand change. The more we talk about this, the harder it will be for those in power to ignore. Survivors deserve better, and it’s time for Alaska to prove it.
Scott Slone
Founder of Mighty AK
Related Reporting:
- Alaska Public Media: Pretrial delays leave everyone in Alaska’s court system waiting
- Anchorage Daily News: How 10 years of delays have prevented a ‘horrendous’ sexual assault allegation from going to trial
- ProPublica: Domestic Violence, Child Abuse and DUI Cases Are Being Dismissed en Masse in Anchorage
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