State v. Stafford

OPINION

STEWART, Judge.

In 2001, the Alaska legislature toughened the penalties for driving while under the influence by requiring sentencing courts to count all a defendant’s prior drunk driving convictions — no matter how old — in determining the defendant’s mandatory minimum sentence. Before that time, the law had counted only convictions within the previous ten years. But in 2004, the legislature concluded that the 2001 law was too harsh. It therefore amended the law again, effective June 30, 2004. Under the 2004 amendment, only an offender’s convictions within the previous fifteen years…