[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-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],{"_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",6097466,"mediaKeyId","2827957-380506e4eebc89d672ae54598fbced36","parentId",2827957,"title","Expert urges Alaska to create independent external oversight for prisons and jails","audioSeconds",1883,"startMs",6117000,"endMs",8000000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2827957-380506e4eebc89d672ae54598fbced36&start=6117&end=8000","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2827957-380506e4eebc89d672ae54598fbced36/thumbnail_6117000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6097466/Alaska/Expert-urges-Alaska-to-create-independent-external-oversight-for-prisons-and-jails","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6097466-cc358e185db2fa822bfad7b2b29eab66/orig.mp4?Expires=1770853702&Signature=SSV0V~~B0euBrrjSWbc1fdUOgBJzwWnnTDkKl07ril1HtfFBQA8pEX8Nvq~8vTkfyazT2gn0OSWwHY1vnfDGPM3RqFHmg3sioOHXSudRqSywe9TnQofSV2FytlzlIfVe1CT7uC2SNQivK5TX1ct6yVMj17zJ5EsK6FltCaHMg0THt~pKFm86~q0SCOkbsckTtVERj7nMLP~XFuTAiwIkAWeeZdOwOIZtJ3TWKvLnpz68Niowci2t6xHvfPTodXnnl1iyHGoa9noIw80CPNtE1JUkHFjL1rmMq9pMmnimMncLs2CPm-753-~fz2neGKOi9FHwPdADa1TGsgJ6d3lVvg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Alaska State Legislature","date","2025-03-31T00:00:00Z","article","A national corrections oversight expert urged the Alaska House Judiciary Committee on March 31 to establish independent external oversight of the state’s correctional system, saying routine, unfettered inspections and public reporting reduce risk and improve accountability.

\"Independent external oversight is absolutely critical for the safe and humane operation of prisons,\" said Alicia Welch, associate director of the Prison and Jail Innovation Lab at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin. Welch described the National Resource Center for Correctional Oversight (NRCCO), a project of her lab, and advised lawmakers on models and features of effective oversight.

Key features Welch named included institutional independence (an office outside the corrections agency with separate administrative and financial support), mandated routine inspections, and \"golden-key\" access allowing confidential interviews with incarcerated people and staff and unscheduled visits to any part of a facility. She said oversight offices should publish reports with findings and recommended corrective actions and that agencies should publicly respond with implementation timelines.

Welch described oversight functions ranging from proactive monitoring and routine inspections to reactive investigations, legal remedies and legislative review. She said no single entity can do every oversight function; instead, a multilayered system (internal reviews, accreditation, external oversight and legislative hearings) produces stronger accountability.

The NRCCO researcher noted that several U.S. states have recently created oversight bodies (examples cited in the presentation included Connecticut, Maryland and Hawaii) and that states use different models — ombuds offices, inspector general-type entities or commissions. Welch recommended Alaska study models in states with unified correctional systems (she highlighted Hawaii as a potentially informative example).

On data about deaths in custody, Welch said national reporting is incomplete because federal reporting systems have implementation gaps; external oversight offices in jurisdictions that have them typically publish reports on deaths in custody that internal structures do not. She said some states have started legislative changes to ensure deaths tied to in-custody events are captured even if a person dies after release from custody for medical reasons.

Committee members asked whether jurisdictions with oversight see fewer deaths in custody; Welch said comprehensive cross-state data matching oversight status to death rates are not yet available but noted oversight improves transparency and public access to information that can inform policy choices.

Welch offered to provide the committee with NRCCO resources and to connect lawmakers with oversight officials in other states.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","03/31/2025 01:00 PM House JUDICIARY","oneSentenceSummary","Alicia Welch of the Prison and Jail Innovation Lab told the House Judiciary Committee that independent, external oversight—such as an ombuds office with 'golden-key' access—improves transparency and can help prevent deaths in custody by identifying problems early.","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},6097467,"Alaska State Troopers: unanticipated in-custody deaths are treated as suspicious; investigators summarize procedures",492,3374000,3866000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2827957-380506e4eebc89d672ae54598fbced36&start=3374&end=3866","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2827957-380506e4eebc89d672ae54598fbced36/thumbnail_3374000.jpg","/articles/6097467/Alaska/Alaska-State-Troopers-unanticipated-in-custody-deaths-are-treated-as-suspicious-investigators-summarize-procedures","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6097467-777936e2c83bd6132ecd4bca87113a0a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770853702&Signature=K0JazQ7D5gpr2MeGIDJ76c0nocDX6RZSjY7OCpPsUjUNvBlELURRufXm~wUDMa~fd7gL1rOkuKMtv4nOP0uq2nSOuQgm7K35EIlaegN0OBpw1DR90iSrvjegE7iRlS38mlx9sc6-RHDdq60AOCXkpeEpsOusCkKzRz7slqA6RDWKfSGuNQV5eyrxfVsJ3XONXRA0lUG-swwB1ikTctF7rHl~OZV7ys4Y50DCRVUHUIo82m97k3wbqqqwDdRfBeNdziH7AW98cc~~lGJIcppAo3JnVOjIo9NYJS3y0uRhL7Aw2SLPQdzGFa9FVDBWq43zWqf4BoccrR-OorSAFjn9sg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Lieutenant Ron Hayes, deputy commander of the Alaska Bureau of Investigation, told the House Judiciary Committee on March 31 that troopers respond to and investigate all unanticipated deaths in correctional custody and coordinate autopsies with the Alaska State Medical Examiner.

\"AST treats all unanticipated death as suspicious until proven otherwise,\" Hayes said, describing an investigative process that begins with scene security and evidence collection. DOC staff, he said, typically notify troopers through regional dispatch after a superintendent or shift supervisor contacts regional dispatch and provides identifying details and immediate observations.

Hayes outlined investigative steps: secure and map the scene; collect physical evidence and photographs; review surveillance footage; interview staff, inmates and medical personnel; and coordinate autopsy and cause-of-death determination with the state medical examiner. He said troopers aim to produce a comprehensive report that can be forwarded to prosecutors when appropriate.

Hayes told the committee some common challenges include delayed reporting (which can hinder evidence collection), limited witness cooperation from other inmates, evidence contamination in high-traffic areas, and medical complexities from preexisting conditions.

On whether troopers investigate assaults that later result in death, Hayes said such incidents are pursued: \"If they die while in custody or even out of custody at the hospital, then those charges could be upgraded to homicide. But at the very least, we're still investigating an assault that happened within DOC.\" He also told the committee troopers generally find DOC staff cooperative in securing scenes and separating witnesses for interviews.

The troopers' presentation was followed by committee questions about notification timeliness, whether DOC staff receive appropriate training to secure crime scenes, and the relationship between trooper investigations and DOC administrative reviews. Hayes said the troopers work closely with DOC and do not typically perform internal-affairs functions for DOC.","Lieutenant Ron Hayes told the House Judiciary Committee that the Alaska State Troopers treat unanticipated in-custody deaths as suspicious, secure scenes, work with the state medical examiner and face challenges such as delayed reporting and limited witness cooperation.",{"_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},6097474,"Alaska DOC describes death-review policy, family-notification process and medical screening tools",1629,1911000,3540000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2827957-380506e4eebc89d672ae54598fbced36&start=1911&end=3540","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2827957-380506e4eebc89d672ae54598fbced36/thumbnail_1911000.jpg","/articles/6097474/Alaska/Alaska-DOC-describes-death-review-policy-family-notification-process-and-medical-screening-tools","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6097474-c22511204efb8890890a5ab818788684/orig.mp4?Expires=1770853702&Signature=YWY9T-AWQYNXUJEVs-yq6jBcDPU1Ooel~xc7guXnnQx8~4L4HXZKsoomT5e9nBHdTjnKUwtJabg6p6qzHEcTH4-UYkT0hm1vR5OjLxe8Wd0r0PuK9dhmyyeD8YIR4X4qWS-lKLfxE-zSjxRbbnWDL8NrIgJ1X9DU0mNZe3IiSeEJ8y3zxCIOUbSmpLCc5R3eyxQZ9TYeCW54JIKWWwHq0N~9sl1Vtcz5V6Ky7713Tvjag~CVr-RPXtl7mglMiVYI225CW-XbR7Ke8zED0Tv5tnS~Xn9y2I3BmDbHznYxwYBu61HtF1eycnQEBQvu2D9CH~7pH-OXKCruCJJeqIuKxw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Department of Corrections officials briefed the House Judiciary Committee on March 31 about the agency’s practices for investigating deaths in custody, family notification, and medical review.

\"The Alaska Department of Corrections does not investigate and make deaths. We notify the appropriate legal authorities and cooperate with them to do their investigation as they see fit,\" said Dr. Timothy Ballard, DOC chief medical officer, describing the agency’s relationship with the Alaska State Troopers and the state medical examiner.

DOC officials told the committee the agency follows a written policy — DOC Policy 104.04, \"Death of a Prisoner\" — that requires staff to secure scenes, preserve 24 hours of video, log access, document witnesses and work with the Alaska State Troopers on evidence collection. Director of Institutions Zane Niswonger said administrative reviews called \"death reviews\" have shifted toward a continuous-quality-improvement approach that looks beyond single bad outcomes to emergency responses, suicide attempts and assaults in order to identify systemic fixes.

On family notification and property: DOC staff collect and validate next-of-kin information at booking and the facility superintendent is responsible for notifying the statewide DOC chaplain, who then notifies next of kin. The agency told the committee that property and any funds are released to next of kin 30 days after the event and that the chaplain explains the process during notification.

On classification: Ballard said DOC \"counts all deaths that occur within custody regardless of location. This does include those that are hospitalized.\" He also said that if an individual is released from custody while hospitalized \"a death occurring after release from custody is not reported by the Department of Corrections\" because the agency no longer has legal or medical authority to gather records once custody ends.

Ballard cited federal privacy law in explaining limits to post-release investigation: \"I no longer have legal ability to investigate the cause and nature of the death because... HIPAA law.\" Committee members raised concerns that injuries sustained in custody and followed by death after release might be omitted from DOC reporting.

Medical and screening practices: DOC said it replaced its electronic health record and embedded standards from the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) and integrated evidence-based screening tools, including the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale, CIWA (Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol), COWS (Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale) and ASAM-related triage tools. Adam Rutherford, deputy director of Health and Rehabilitation Services, told the committee roughly 18,000 people had been placed on detox protocols since 2022.

Capacity and staffing: DOC reported facilities were at \"just under 84% of general capacity,\" but internal study data showed operational capacity closer to 92% when beds offline for maintenance, specialty populations or classification are accounted for. DOC officials said staffing has improved from earlier shortages; the department is actively recruiting and reported single-digit vacancy rates for correctional officers at the time of the hearing, though they acknowledged overtime has been used historically to meet minimum staffing requirements.

Administrative-review process: DOC described multidisciplinary teams from other facilities that review incidents (security, medical, nursing, mental-health clinicians), who examine training records, video, medical records and phone logs and generate a summary report with recommendations. The department said administrative reviews have produced policy, staffing and physical-plant changes.

Accreditation: DOC said it was not yet NCCHC accredited but had completed a pre-accreditation review to identify gaps that would need addressing to achieve accreditation.

The committee followed with questions about how DOC decides housing placements for people with severe mental illness, how the department coordinates with Alaska Psychiatric Institute for competency and restoration cases, and the limits that federal law places on post-release medical review. No formal committee votes occurred during the session.","Department of Corrections officials told the House Judiciary Committee they follow policy 104.04 for preserving scenes and conducting administrative reviews, use a new electronic health record and evidence-based screening tools, and count deaths occurring while in custody but not those that occur after formal release from custody.",{"_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},6097479,"Relatives of two men who died in Alaska custody tell lawmakers DOC failed to notify family, house unsafe placements",1022,854000,1876000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2827957-380506e4eebc89d672ae54598fbced36&start=854&end=1876","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2827957-380506e4eebc89d672ae54598fbced36/thumbnail_854000.jpg","/articles/6097479/Alaska/Relatives-of-two-men-who-died-in-Alaska-custody-tell-lawmakers-DOC-failed-to-notify-family-house-unsafe-placements","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6097479-b471761cf2634b008b1c5d7cc4147616/orig.mp4?Expires=1770853702&Signature=REaMikpRagDoMJAgdvTs2o~vpITCRbmcN2Tfrie2V-FXUntoVPweqzFiDiROX4aJS5JeLh2sKfi8lixtf09s-AsRKyBSZCA0aPvywxo7AbJapg3TorkcJ5TZODWauGNGtAifPf6yV1vHxPf4S3kxDrmcgmgNg2XOeO9OGJ9cCZemKeIQ7yc~e3XBmeLuLfLQjG217kqAO3xrmHrX8ilZ5ew0gdzeooYGxhFrn6ZySP~RhXXQor5m0aZfiOql2txODn7CL6V~VsPGvtK7IFsRj52zmcAQCvJL7sLbVF5GwYVHGZXdwwhnpkaIjb7YqNLVFLPI-iMZ-zF4MoJqTE-z7A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a March 31 hearing of the Alaska House Judiciary Committee, relatives of two men who died after sustaining injuries while in or after confinement said the Department of Corrections (DOC) failed to protect the incarcerated and to notify families in a timely manner.

Robin Farmer, the twin sister of William Farmer, told the panel William \"was murdered by his cellmate while in custody at the Anchorage Correctional Complex,\" and described a delayed family notification and restricted hospital visits. She said William was transferred to Providence Alaska Medical Center after a severe assault on Dec. 17, 2024, remained in critical condition and died on Jan. 6, 2025. \"Why had we not been notified immediately?\" Farmer asked, adding she learned by word of mouth rather than through DOC channels.

Elena Zimmerman, sister of Joshua Zimmerman, said the family was initially told by the DOC that \"no foul play\" was suspected after Joshua was found dead. Later, she said, state troopers told the family he had been \"suffocated with a soft object in his cell.\" Zimmerman said the family has had \"0 answers\" more than a year after his Jan. 12, 2024 death and criticized what she described as conflicting accounts from DOC and law enforcement.

The testimony laid out several specific family concerns heard on the record: notification delays (the Farmer family said they were not informed for more than 24 hours), limits on hospital visitation and what relatives described as inconsistent application of DOC visitation rules, the use of restraints while an injured person was hospitalized, and slow processing of burial-assistance paperwork at the Department of Public Assistance.

Why it matters: The committee convened the hearing to examine a statewide rise in deaths in custody and the DOC’s response procedures. Families’ accounts put pressure on legislators to examine how the state classifies, investigates and reports deaths tied to jail or prison incidents.

Committee members followed the testimony with questions about how and when families are notified and how DOC determines whether an injured person remains a custody case when transferred to a hospital. Lawmakers and the families said they want clearer reporting and better communication when serious incidents occur.

The hearing continued with presentations from DOC, the Alaska State Troopers and outside experts. Committee chair Representative Gray acknowledged the sensitivity of the testimony and directed subsequent questions to agency witnesses who were scheduled to explain policies and investigative practices.

The committee did not take any votes during the hearing; members signaled they would use agency briefings and further oversight to evaluate whether policy or statutory changes are needed.","At a March 31 House Judiciary Committee hearing, the sisters of William Farmer and Joshua Zimmerman told legislators the Department of Corrections failed in housing, notification and transparency after their relatives suffered fatal injuries while in custody.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Expert urges Alaska to create independent external oversight for prisons and jails

Alaska State Troopers: unanticipated in-custody deaths are treated as suspicious; investigators summarize procedures

Alaska DOC describes death-review policy, family-notification process and medical screening tools

Relatives of two men who died in Alaska custody tell lawmakers DOC failed to notify family, house unsafe placements