DOC: Title 47 holds and restoration beds strain system; Lima mod provides 10 restoration beds
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Summary
DOC staff told the House Finance subcommittee that Title 47 holds (mental‑health holds) and Title 12 competency restoration cases can leave people in DOC custody while they wait for limited Alaska Psychiatric Institute (API) capacity; DOC provides up to 10 beds at the Anchorage Correctional Complex 'Lima mod' that API staff use for restoration services, and waits of up to about 90 days are possible depending on bed availability and legal contesting.
Department of Corrections officials explained to the House Finance subcommittee how Title 47 and Title 12 cases affect custody and capacity.
Travis Welch, director of Health and Rehabilitation Services, told the committee that Title 47 holds refer to people maintained in DOC custody for mental‑health reasons while awaiting transfer to API or other care and that the department regularly houses individuals awaiting beds. He said Title 12 applies to competency restorations for individuals not competent to stand trial and that some people are converted to Title 47 to allow continued custody while legal and treatment processes proceed.
Welch described a partnership in which API provides restoration services and staff sometimes come to DOC units; he said DOC maintains a 10‑bed capability at the Anchorage Correctional Complex “Lima mod” where API staff provide restoration services. He said waits of up to about 90 days are typical in some cases while people await beds, though time varies with bed availability and whether the court process is contested.
“We have 10 beds at API for this purpose, and we can see anywhere from 50 to 60 people in our care and custody throughout our system, largely in our subacute units, waiting for a bed at API to be restored,” Welch said. “We also have a program with API where we have up to 10 beds available on our Lima mod ... where API's team ... will come over and provide that restorative service.”
Members pressed for a list of the offenses that trigger involuntary commitment under the Department of Law's current practice; Welch said he did not have that list on hand but DOC will provide it to the committee. DOC also agreed to provide the committee with data on Title 12 counts and further details about the restoration program and tracking rates of restoration success.
Committee members asked whether the presence of Title 47 beds had contributed to reduced in‑custody suicides; Welch said the restoration beds are not mental‑health treatment per se and he would not attribute suicide reductions to those restoration beds.
