The Alaska Senate passed a bill Monday that aims to close the loopholes that allowed a known offender to stab a woman while she was in the Anchorage library last year.
Sen. Matt Claman, D-Anchorage, speaks to Angela Harris, far right, the victim of a stabbing outside Loussac Library that left her paralyzed last year, after a bill she helped inspire passed the Senate. The legislation would increase the time a person could be involuntarily committed to two years in Juneau on May 8, 2023
In addition to requiring involuntary commitment filings for certain offenders, the bill would extend allowable involuntary commitment periods for such offenders from the current maximum of 180 days to a new maximum of two years. It would limit the state to keeping offenders incarcerated for up to 10 days if there is no space in the Alaska Psychiatric Institute — which is reported to have long wait times and insufficient capacity.
Harris’ persistent advocacy appeared to be effective. On Monday, House Judiciary Committee Chair Sarah Vance, a Homer Republican, was noncommittal when asked if she would schedule the bill for a hearing before the session ended, calling it “tentative.” Sen. Löki Tobin, an Anchorage Democrat, voted against the bill after saying it could have unintended consequences for people suffering from mental illness.
“It’s time to focus more on the mental health aspect. Because if you look at Corey’s situation, he’s just as much of a victim as I am, for a lot longer than me,” she said.should not stop the state from acting to address the existing loophole that could add around 60 mentally ill individuals per year to the list of those involuntarily committed in the Alaska Psychiatric Institute.
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