[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6328657,"mediaKeyId","2318481-20164cfc2ae79d9eb8eb2fb23366e0f5","parentId",2318481,"title","DOC: inmate calling rules changed after FCC order; agency now provides two agency‑paid calls per month","audioSeconds",166,"startMs",5112000,"endMs",5278000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2318481-20164cfc2ae79d9eb8eb2fb23366e0f5&start=5112&end=5278","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2318481-20164cfc2ae79d9eb8eb2fb23366e0f5/thumbnail_5112000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6328657/Alaska/DOC-inmate-calling-rules-changed-after-FCC-order-agency-now-provides-two-agencypaid-calls-per-month","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6328657-4140b027ec0573cfb5cf20abb8375b41/orig.mp4?Expires=1771164988&Signature=fbKTQBTimuB2p-V-YNELhLzCU1bn~u9E6OY9mv2MbbcJs46ESkGASjhKbnfjWUBHkYMJ9giUeeqJIJcLHBFGVNC9V3NoLlbcszWYwAlKokUOAWFTmM8q24E6rHUswE1PHjLd7PffYHdx-orYtZz06E4PE3Ix3kYEUQCWccbgaAgsnZtcLpyiiqveJr84Nhb5xU4UP8mHbal-wHkP8~268TcuIRanUc7lKFKJcWIYTl8nR0Mm1QinyAdILL1ZxjLok81pE0DfKsn6uxiNFKEepxjJvzLlB-Utd7iKN~twQlGYjTZuO-XfUL8YRQ~r6KvPusLS4KjFmKRa30cfwMmh~Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Alaska Legislature","date","2025-02-14T00:00:00Z","article","Department of Corrections officials told the Senate State Affairs Committee on Feb. 13 that a Federal Communications Commission order required contract changes that altered inmate calling availability and revenue models, and that the department now provides two agency‑paid phone calls per inmate per month.

Why it matters: Phone access affects inmates’ ability to contact counsel, family and legislators, and the revenue model previously subsidized some facility communications during COVID‑era policies.

DOC director Kevin Worley and deputy commissioners described a contract with Securus for telephone services. During the height of the COVID‑era restrictions, the agency had funded additional calls for inmates; Worley said an FCC decision published in September 2024 required the state to separate communications fees from security and recording services. As a result, the department renegotiated contracts and now provides two agency‑paid phone calls per month; the per‑minute rate for calls dropped from $0.14 to $0.06 per minute.

Worley said that legislators, ombudsmen, public defenders and private attorneys can be placed on a list to receive calls without charge; the department also said it can coordinate responses to constituent letters and inquiries forwarded from legislators’ offices.

Ending: Committee members raised constituent concerns about inmate communications and letter responses; DOC offered to coordinate with legislative offices to respond to correspondence and to add numbers to the free‑call list where appropriate.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate STATE AFFAIRS 02/14/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Following an FCC order that altered inmate‑calling revenues, the Alaska DOC said it restructured contracts and now provides two agency‑paid phone calls per month and lower per‑minute rates; security and recording services were separated from communication fees.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature Alaska, Alaska","taxId",78559,"location","Alaska","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6328662,"Board of Parole processed 181 discretionary applications in 2024; grant rate 34%",161,4334000,4495000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2318481-20164cfc2ae79d9eb8eb2fb23366e0f5&start=4334&end=4495","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2318481-20164cfc2ae79d9eb8eb2fb23366e0f5/thumbnail_4334000.jpg","/articles/6328662/Alaska/Board-of-Parole-processed-181-discretionary-applications-in-2024-grant-rate-34","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6328662-590430ccce1b4ccb88cf0403a5014672/orig.mp4?Expires=1771164988&Signature=XVnAJkEa2vR9b4lgLzt3ywiXBMv0lTBz6gdD8NMD5ealf7m9Wda8cjuJtdSgJOUxGvoEeNbpMGq1njtJji-PYYfrf2ZhaofGr8ymDF2OWGrYtv8sEisoZWO1XOqs1EcvoFERONrhSQA3SVluOEdpYxRSkHCpmSBO6A2IIn5a20a3tUALiNE0LD~p~nDZ54maEtju~DZAAhq32o8mmoog0eoW8Gwnfry3eMb63cv7sIj-yWmpTRzVkG~pXh7ladla3Bl3bDy4WrEvdUH87EzufYTdUnTQdnGcO45BdnCI01Kq2J8EQoGnQuHhyT2LAq-xLzxdlBRLOv~oQXiOwcS9Aw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kelsey Wallander, deputy director of the Alaska Board of Parole, told the Senate State Affairs Committee on Feb. 13 that the board handled 181 discretionary parole applications in calendar year 2024 and granted 34% of those petitions.

Why it matters: Parole outcomes affect incarceration length, community supervision caseloads and victims’ interests.

Wallander said board functions include discretionary parole reviews, special medical and geriatric releases, and mandatory statutorily mandated releases. She explained the board is administratively housed within the Department of Corrections budgetarily but remains autonomous; board members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the legislature.

For 2024 the board received 181 discretionary applicants; 34% were granted, 7% continued and 59% denied, Wallander said.

Ending: The committee accepted Wallander’s report without formal action; senators asked clarifying questions about discretionary releases and board composition.","The board of parole, administratively housed within DOC but autonomous, told the Senate committee it handled 181 discretionary applications in 2024 and granted 34% of those petitions.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6328667,"DOC describes pretrial, probation and parole operations; electronic monitoring options remain mixed public/private",93,3722000,3815000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2318481-20164cfc2ae79d9eb8eb2fb23366e0f5&start=3722&end=3815","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2318481-20164cfc2ae79d9eb8eb2fb23366e0f5/thumbnail_3722000.jpg","/articles/6328667/Alaska/DOC-describes-pretrial-probation-and-parole-operations-electronic-monitoring-options-remain-mixed-publicprivate","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6328667-f373475511018a4ee0b6a6c0e31d93cf/orig.mp4?Expires=1771164988&Signature=msT517e6R91crGESslTKvVo8gte~4ut3HrlpyvlZXpjpnPlEjkfzxXdxASZMzU4O0EPRKhi6MzNjyBK-cJ292LOpJwumfeeVjbzRHRubQ6FH5dsYezVy7hLHWMNr7x2MZzIFYUK0LewfURJD4we6~wx5SNyZLWPdMp2lL~AJeSlP23dgq4a0RffN6o45uLvgKz2Y-zwRNWe3TJi5Cnjus4nXJ3p-biANBoPP2QxFww1T00m~t8wl7rvKDLOvcdchC4CuLcaffaaHABarPFCVb08CYh6iK~qpM0yr9b1TxP7fyuTu7ogwy1N9fvkNdascRdYan0yFtdzGaApymgIAtQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Department of Corrections officials described the structure and work of the combined Division of Pretrial, Probation and Parole during a Feb. 13 Senate State Affairs hearing, including distinctions between institution‑based sentence electronic monitoring and the pretrial monitoring used for court‑ordered releases.

Why it matters: Pretrial supervision and electronic monitoring affect who remains in custody, who is released under conditions and how courts manage public safety and caseflow.

Deputy Commissioner April Wilkerson told senators that the pretrial division was originally established under Senate Bill 91 and maintained under House Bill 49. She said the 2019 merger of pretrial with probation and parole reduced administrative costs and kept supervision in 13 regional locations.

Wilkerson and other officials emphasized that defendants ordered to electronic monitoring may choose either DOC’s program — which the department provides at no cost to the individual — or a private vendor that charges fees to participants. “DOC is no cost,” Wilkerson said. She also described cases in which defendants have moved between private vendors and DOC supervision depending on court outcomes.

Committee members pressed DOC on unsentenced populations and the time people spend in custody awaiting adjudication. Deputy Director Sydney Wood said the average unsentenced stay is a number of days rather than weeks or months but did not supply a precise average; she offered to provide written data. DOC officials also said they are revalidating the pretrial risk assessment tool with completion expected by July 1 and are evaluating the overall pretrial program.

Ending: DOC officials agreed to follow up with written answers on average unsentenced lengths of stay and other pretrial metrics; the committee did not take formal action.","The Department of Corrections told senators that pretrial services (created under SB91 and maintained under HB49) supervise people released under court conditions and offer a DOC no‑cost electronic monitoring option, while private vendors charge defendants for monitors.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6328672,"DOC health and rehab director: corrections is Alaska’s largest behavioral‑health provider; 313 inpatient psychiatric beds systemwide",106,3064000,3170000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2318481-20164cfc2ae79d9eb8eb2fb23366e0f5&start=3064&end=3170","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2318481-20164cfc2ae79d9eb8eb2fb23366e0f5/thumbnail_3064000.jpg","/articles/6328672/Alaska/DOC-health-and-rehab-director-corrections-is-Alaskas-largest-behavioralhealth-provider-313-inpatient-psychiatric-beds-systemwide","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6328672-3adebc6de4a2048a65b254ee82118630/orig.mp4?Expires=1771164988&Signature=WeWPb56PP2pQaqKWbchtZQ-QkIMbkQ1i734LKepD7bLa8mEBX0thYVuHBtRkitgYeqBaqnaBgpmxqI~0-RDqHDGgy4cwy5GMjHyCHSLMADCphS6GSWOIJYQMGGt2YbxZeuSEA7wzbEu1I~bNuW6Sf3NFC77DnTJqghOGAHA09B-pRnGBLSCGu~BH~6cC6J2ixYo96blVlffXlHfUXJC00G4a1wXhKq8xqqQCZbR2RA4Y2tNagbVGYRIFF6GT8Xhhws6F9WCHgllK50LstOsqIOs3PXTwDOMsuwKrZ46SZEZtM3~xgoKGEFW3Q27sxlpO~Qu0RCaq5RokOWQobVmYcA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Travis Welch, director of Health and Rehabilitation Services (HARS) for the Alaska Department of Corrections, told the Senate State Affairs Committee on Feb. 13 that corrections remains one of the state’s largest behavioral‑health care providers and operates inpatient and subacute psychiatric units and programs for substance use disorder.

Why it matters: DOC health and rehabilitative services affect inmate care, hospital use, continuity of treatment after release, and state health spending.

Welch said DOC operates two acute inpatient psychiatric units (one at the Anchorage Correctional Complex and one at Highland Mountain for women) and five subacute units. In total the department reported about 313 inpatient psychiatric beds across facilities; the Alaska Psychiatric Institute (API) has roughly 80 inpatient psychiatric beds, 10 of which are forensic beds, Welch said.

The division reported about 1,200 individuals receive some level of substance‑use‑disorder services in DOC facilities, ranging from residential substance abuse treatment (RSAT) to outpatient models, and about 280 slots for structured substance‑use treatment programming. HARS described partnerships with community treatment providers — Set Free, True North Recovery, Salvation Army and Alaska Addiction Rehabilitation Services (AARS) — for bed‑to‑bed transfers into community programs and for pilot community placements.

Welch described an API‑DOC jail‑based restoration program: API clinicians come into the Anchorage Correctional Complex’s subacute psychiatric unit (Lima Mod) and provide outpatient restoration services to people in DOC custody who require competency restoration under Title 12 procedures. Welch said a similar model operates for women at Highland Mountain.

The division also described reentry services aimed at continuity of care after release, including medical social workers, an APIC (Assess, Plan, Identify, Coordinate) release program and a parallel IDP Plus casework approach for people on probation. REVS (Reentry Education and Vocational Services) coordinates education, vocational and reentry coalitions to link people to services and job training before release. Welch said a pilot pre‑apprenticeship with the Carpenters Union runs at Wildwood and Highland Mountain.

“We currently operate 2 acute inpatient psychiatric bed units… and we have about 313 inpatient psychiatric beds,” Welch told the committee, placing DOC treatment capacity in context with API.

Ending: Senators asked about release planning and continuity of care; HARS officials said case workers and reentry units coordinate with community partners to secure housing, Medicaid and other services prior to release. No formal committee action occurred.","The Department of Corrections' Health and Rehabilitation Services told the Senate committee that corrections operates multiple psychiatric inpatient and subacute units, runs substance use disorder programs with community partners, and conducts release planning and reentry services for people leaving custody.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6328678,"Alaska DOC requests just over $481 million for FY26 as prison population eases below capacity",1337,483000,1820000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2318481-20164cfc2ae79d9eb8eb2fb23366e0f5&start=483&end=1820","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2318481-20164cfc2ae79d9eb8eb2fb23366e0f5/thumbnail_483000.jpg","/articles/6328678/Alaska/Alaska-DOC-requests-just-over-481-million-for-FY26-as-prison-population-eases-below-capacity","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6328678-40d884531e0fa95e266248989f5d6cd2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771164988&Signature=EYM-dCzpfQzE1m-f2ovy9G3-9rfg2E-5ZZv3942gIW~rFAetWJJ-kEO-prT0DpiR4UH9K8QNQJWu0PArq4TIa1Es7m8sKvSTJn-jOu5AZzEaFxjrVlnE00Sf9MqzAmJlxLRpgEdb6nKXkf8olRa4plc2A4y9XYquaUC-XaOxRmMH8056GQfe9VxB-O3vS1N~WgTSmJtBfUXwraLO5MaE86t62iXCaxM1FqFNb-NyxT7wODI01kiYsN7~H98rF~9b6P8gU9SRXwXNMXHlKEwcAZD~b7yuqLjep5VqLCGGZdKs-W0aTla-zui-CMIbUrqHTHdfvetkOKZsgGcbKRnSZQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Alaska Department of Corrections told the Senate State Affairs Committee on Feb. 13 that its proposed FY26 budget requests just over $481,000,000 while the department works to sustain recent gains on staffing and facility crowding.

Deputy Commissioner April Wilkerson, representing the department at the hearing, said the FY26 budget “reflects permanent full‑time positions” but did not specify the exact headcount in the presentation. The department presented the budget request and an overview of its four divisions and the Board of Parole to senators on the panel.

Why it matters: Corrections spending and prison population trends affect state operating and capital budgets, community safety and the delivery of health and rehabilitative services inside facilities.

DOC officials told the committee that, as of Jan. 1, 2025, the department had 9,767 individuals in its care and custody, about 4,200 of whom were held in jail or prison settings. The department reported roughly 3,382 people on probation or parole and 1,505 on pretrial supervision; 250 people were on sentence electronic monitoring and 364 were in community residential centers. The department also reported booking 26,998 offenders in fiscal year 2024, and noted releases are part of that throughput.

“We've worked hard to keep them below capacity for 3 years now,” Zane Niswonger, director of institutions, told the committee when asked about facility crowding. Niswonger said that after prior years of overcapacity — including bunks placed in gymnasiums — the department has shifted placements and used transportation and community placements to balance populations among facilities.

Department leaders said recruitment and retention remain central challenges despite recent improvement in correctional officer vacancies. Wilkerson said the statewide correctional officer vacancy fell from just over 17% when the current administration began in 2022 to below 5% this week, though some locations such as Seward still show higher vacancy rates.

Officials also highlighted longer‑term pressures: rising health care costs tied to an aging incarcerated population, aging infrastructure and obsolete systems that increase maintenance and upgrade needs, and continuing work to expand community placements and alternative treatment programs.

The department noted organizational changes and administrative oversight adjustments intended to focus on budgeting and workforce priorities. Chair Kawasaki and committee members asked for additional historical population trend analysis and more detail about drivers of population decline and capacity changes.

Ending: Committee staff said they would work with DOC to request additional written analysis, including a multi‑year population trend and drivers behind recent capacity changes. The committee adjourned at 5 p.m.","Department of Corrections leaders told the Senate State Affairs Committee on Feb. 13 that the FY26 budget request is slightly more than $481 million, vacancy rates have fallen and institutional population management has kept facilities below capacity after years of overcrowding.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

DOC: inmate calling rules changed after FCC order; agency now provides two agency‑paid calls per month

Board of Parole processed 181 discretionary applications in 2024; grant rate 34%

DOC describes pretrial, probation and parole operations; electronic monitoring options remain mixed public/private

DOC health and rehab director: corrections is Alaska’s largest behavioral‑health provider; 313 inpatient psychiatric beds systemwide

Alaska DOC requests just over $481 million for FY26 as prison population eases below capacity