Opinion ID: 1189753
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Does the placement of probation officers in the executive rather than the judicial branch of government violate the separation of powers doctrine?

Text: Smith's argument on this issue is that probation officers are labeled officers of the superior court in AS 33.05.030; AS 33.05.020 commits the hiring, training, and supervision of probation officers to the Commissioner of the Department of Corrections, an official of the executive branch; and, thus, the legislature has violated the separation of powers doctrine by granting an official of the executive branch control over officials of the judicial branch. As the State points out, however, Smith's argument does not withstand scrutiny. The mere label officer of the court does not necessarily make probation officers core members of the judicial branch of government. Rather, as we stated in Bradner v. Hammond, 553 P.2d 1, 6 (Alaska 1976), the question is whether the government action involved is a legislative, executive or judicial function. The question whether probation officers should be included within the judicial rather than the executive branch of government is reasonably debatable. In some states and in the federal system probation officers are part of the judicial branch, in others they are part of the executive branch. See 18 U.S.C. § 3602 (1985); Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 12-251 (1992) (probation officers part of judicial branch); Cal.Penal Code § 1203.6 (West 1992) (same); Idaho Code § 20-214 (1993) (Board of Corrections has power and authority to employ and fix duties of probation officers). The probation function, in fact, appears to be one of those areas of shared responsibilities among the executive and judicial branches. See e.g., Mistretta v. United States, 488 U.S. 361, 390, 109 S.Ct. 647, 664, 102 L.Ed.2d 714 (1989) (stating that the sentencing function long has been a peculiarly shared responsibility among the Branches of Government and has never been thought of as the exclusive constitutional province of any one Branch). [13] The Alaska Constitution does not assign probation officers to the exclusive jurisdiction of either the executive or the judicial branch of government. It follows that the Alaska Legislature's decision to place probation officers in the executive branch does not violate the separation of powers doctrine.
For the reasons stated above, the decision of the superior court is AFFIRMED.