Family Rights and Advocacy in Alaska

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Internal links (5): Alaska inmate search, send money to Alaska inmates, Alaska reentry resources, Staying Connected hub, how prison works hub

Voice: Formerly-incarcerated narrator. Plain, direct, honest. Written to the family member on the outside.

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Family Rights and Advocacy in Alaska | InmateAid

Alaska's prison system has a problem that most states do not: it has periodically transferred hundreds of incarcerated people to private facilities in Arizona -- CoreCivic (formerly CCA) facilities in Florence and Red Rock -- because Alaska's own facilities are overcrowded. For families in Anchorage or Fairbanks or a rural village, a loved one in Arizona is not a seven-hour drive. It is a different world. Visiting becomes nearly impossible. Phone calls become the only contact.

This is the starting point for Alaska families. Your loved one may be in a state DOC facility. They may be in a county facility. They may be in Arizona. The first step is knowing where they are.

Alaska's family advocacy infrastructure is thin. There is no statewide organization equivalent to what other states have built. What exists is the **ACLU of Alaska**, which published a new and improved Prisoner Rights Guide in July 2025; **Alaska Correctional Ministries (ACM)**, which operates a program called Beyond Walls specifically for family members of incarcerated people; and the **Alaska Native Justice Center (ANJC)**, which works on Alaska Native involvement in the justice system. Alaska Native people represent approximately 15% of Alaska's general population and roughly 36-38% of people in Alaska DOC custody.

This article maps the landscape honestly. It is smaller than what families in larger states have access to. But the contacts that exist are real, and this article names them.

What Families Are Facing in Alaska

Alaska DOC operates correctional facilities across the state -- in Anchorage, Juneau, Ketchikan, Palmer/Wasilla (Matanuska-Susitna), Fairbanks, Seward, Kenai/Soldotna, and other locations. The geographic spread is extreme. Alaska is the largest state by area with a small population. A family in Bethel visiting someone at the Anchorage Correctional Complex is not just driving across town. Some Alaska communities have no road access. Travel requires flights.

Then there is Arizona. Alaska has contracted with CoreCivic (CCA) to house overflow prisoners in out-of-state private facilities. For the Alaska Native families who are disproportionately affected -- families in rural villages who already face barriers of distance and cost -- transfers to Arizona represent a fundamental severance from family, community, and culture.

As of January 1, 2025, Alaska DOC states that all visitation is open at all state facilities. Contact the specific facility directly for hours and appointment requirements.

On phone: Alaska participates in NASPO ValuePoint contracts with both **Securus Technologies** and **ViaPath (formerly GTL)**. Individual facilities choose which vendor to implement. Implementation differs by site. You must confirm with your loved one's specific facility which vendor is in use before setting up an account.

- Anchorage Correctional Complex: 907-269-4100

- Lemon Creek Correctional Center (Juneau): 907-465-6200

- Ketchikan Correctional Center: 907-228-7350

- For other facilities: find contact information at doc.alaska.gov or alaskaprisons.org

On mail: Alaska DOC requires mail to be addressed to the specific facility with the inmate's name and ID number. Confirm current mail policy with your loved one's facility -- Alaska has not announced a system-wide mail scanning transition, but individual facility policies can vary. Check doc.alaska.gov or contact the facility directly.

On out-of-state transfers: if your loved one is in an Arizona CoreCivic facility, contact Alaska DOC at 907-269-7400 (main administrative line) for information on their specific housing status and available communication options.

Your Rights as a Family Member in Alaska

Alaska DOC's Friends and Family Handbook (updated April 2024) sets out the framework for family contact.

Visitation rights

Key rules under the Alaska DOC Friends and Family Handbook:

- All visitors must be on the prisoner's Approved Visitors List

- A person can be on only one prisoner's visitation list at a time -- except that a person may be on the list of another prisoner who is an immediate family member, or with the warden's approval

- During the first 24 hours of a prisoner's admission on new criminal charges, family and friends may visit outside of normal visiting hours

- Visitation by minor children of the prisoner will not be restricted unless parental rights have been terminated or limited by a court order; a court order precluding visitation during probation applies during incarceration as well

- If your loved one is transferred to a different facility, you may need to be re-approved for the new facility's visitation list -- contact the new facility

- Show up on time; some facilities will not admit late visitors

A person can only be on one prisoner's visitation list is an unusual rule that affects extended family situations -- if you are already on another incarcerated person's list, you will need a waiver or to come off the first list before being added to a new one.

Communication rights

You have no legal right to receive calls. Your loved one must add your number to their approved call list. The phone vendor varies by facility -- confirm which one (Securus or ViaPath/GTL) before setting up your account. Post-FCC rate caps (April 2026) apply to interstate calls.

Notification rights

Alaska DOC is not required to notify family members of a transfer. Use the Alaska DOC inmate locator at doc.alaska.gov to check current location. For emergency medical situations or death, Alaska DOC notifies next of kin as designated in the prisoner's institutional file. Make sure your loved one has listed you as emergency contact and next of kin.

Grievance rights

Internal Alaska DOC grievances must be filed by the incarcerated person. You cannot file on their behalf. As a family member, you can contact Alaska DOC's administrative staff, the Inspector General, and outside advocacy organizations. None of these can file the internal grievance for your loved one -- only the incarcerated person can.

Alaska Family Advocacy Organizations

Be honest about what exists in Alaska: it is limited. What follows is the complete picture.

Alaska Correctional Ministries (ACM) -- Beyond Walls

godinprison.com

ACM operates **Beyond Walls**, a program specifically for adult family members and loved ones of people incarcerated in Alaska, whether on state or federal charges. It is faith-based and is the only Alaska-specific program identified that focuses on family members rather than on the incarcerated person directly.

ACM has chaplains at multiple Alaska facilities and operates community programs including the Beyond Walls family support ministry. They are an official Pick.Click.Give. organization -- Alaska residents can designate them through the PFD donation process.

If you need peer support, connection to other families going through the same experience, or faith-based accompaniment, ACM's Beyond Walls is the contact.

Alaska Prisoner Reentry Coalitions

anchoragereentry.org (Anchorage)

Active coalitions in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, and Palmer/Wasilla. These coalitions are primarily focused on reentry -- connecting incarcerated people to services as they approach and pass their release date. But they include family support components and can connect families to local resources.

The Anchorage Reentry Coalition Coordinator is currently working on expanding systems that support individuals before and after release. Family members who are preparing for a loved one's release -- or who want to understand what services will be available -- should contact the coalition in the city or region closest to them.

Alaska Native Justice Center (ANJC)

aknatjustice.org

1111 W. 9th St., Anchorage, AK 99501

Phone: 907-793-3550

If your loved one is Alaska Native, the ANJC is the organization that specifically works on Alaska Native involvement in the criminal justice system. Alaska Native people are significantly overrepresented in Alaska DOC custody -- roughly 36-38% of incarcerated people while representing approximately 15% of Alaska's population. The ANJC addresses the systemic conditions driving that disparity and provides advocacy, services, and resources for Alaska Native individuals and families navigating the justice system.

Contact ANJC if your loved one is Alaska Native and you need culturally appropriate support, advocacy, or resources -- particularly if they have been transferred out of state to an Arizona facility, which compounds the cultural disconnection.

Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM)

famm.org

National organization with a network that includes Alaska. If your loved one is serving what you believe is an excessive mandatory sentence, FAMM connects families to advocacy networks, sentencing reform campaigns, and each other.

Prisoner Rights Organizations Families Can Contact on Their Loved One's Behalf

ACLU of Alaska

acluak.org

P.O. Box 201844, Anchorage, AK 99520

Phone: 907-258-0044

The ACLU of Alaska is the primary prisoner rights legal organization in the state. In July 2025, they published a new and improved Prisoner Rights Guide for incarcerated people in Alaska -- the most current and comprehensive resource available on what rights Alaska DOC prisoners hold and how to assert them. Additional guides were expected in 2025.

What ACLU of Alaska does: litigates civil rights cases including prisoners' rights; monitors Alaska DOC for rights violations; produces public resources including the Prisoner Rights Guide. They do not take individual grievance cases routinely. Contact them when the issue involves a pattern of rights violations, dangerous conditions, abuse, or a systemic problem that may affect many people.

Contact: acluak.org

Human Rights Defense Center (HRDC)

humanrightsdefensecenter.org

Phone (for family members): 561-360-2523

HRDC advocates nationally on prison phone costs, mail restrictions, free speech issues in facilities, and government accountability. Based in Lake Worth Beach, Florida. If your loved one's mail or publications have been blocked without justification, or if phone or communication access is being improperly restricted, HRDC has expertise in these specific areas. Family members can call directly.

Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALSC)

alsc-law.org

Phone: 907-272-9431 (Anchorage)

ALSC provides free civil legal services to low-income Alaskans. While their primary focus is not prisoner rights, they can provide referrals to appropriate legal resources for issues that arise at or after release, and may assist with civil matters related to incarceration in some circumstances. Contact them for legal referrals if you cannot afford an attorney.

Native Village and Tribal Offices

For Alaska Native families, tribal organizations and Native village corporations may also have advocacy resources, connections to the ANJC, and cultural support programs. Contact your specific tribe or village for what is available locally.

How to File a Complaint on Your Loved One's Behalf

Step 1: Document everything specific

Date, facility, name of staff member if known, what happened, any witnesses or evidence. Specific documentation gives any complaint substance. General reports without specifics are easily dismissed.

Step 2: Alaska DOC Inspector General

For serious misconduct, abuse, or major rights violations inside an Alaska DOC facility. Access through doc.alaska.gov -- navigate to the Inspector General or contact the administrative office at 907-269-7400.

Step 3: Alaska DOC administrative office

For informational issues, transfer concerns, or questions that are not Inspector General-level: doc.alaska.gov / 907-269-7400.

Step 4: Contact your Alaska state legislators

Your state senator and state representative have oversight interest in Alaska DOC. For families whose loved ones have been transferred to Arizona and who want that transfer reconsidered, legislative contact is one of the few levers available. Find your legislators at akleg.gov.

Step 5: Contact the ACLU of Alaska

acluak.org / 907-258-0044. If the situation involves civil rights violations, dangerous conditions, or a pattern of abuse, the ACLU of Alaska is the appropriate legal contact.

Step 6: Federal escalation

For civil rights violations: U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, Special Litigation Section (justice.gov/crt). For Alaska Native individuals: the DOJ's Office of Tribal Justice (justice.gov/otj) may also be relevant. For federal facilities in Alaska: BOP Alaska.

What families cannot compel: You cannot file an internal grievance on your loved one's behalf. You cannot compel a transfer from Arizona back to Alaska. You cannot override facility decisions on visitation or communication. External organizations can document, investigate, and advocate, but they cannot guarantee outcomes. The incarcerated person must file their own internal grievances.

Staying Connected: The Practical Guide for Alaska Families

Phone

Alaska does not have a single statewide phone vendor. Each facility operates under a NASPO ValuePoint contract and has chosen either **Securus Technologies** (securustech.com) or **ViaPath/GTL** (viapath.com). You must confirm which vendor your loved one's facility uses before setting up an account. Do not set up an account with the wrong vendor.

To confirm: call the facility directly, check the DOC website at doc.alaska.gov, or visit alaskaprisons.org/phone-calls/ for facility-by-facility vendor information.

Post-FCC rate caps (April 2026) apply to interstate calls.

Calls are recorded except legal calls to attorneys. Do not discuss legally sensitive matters on a recorded line.

Mail

Mail goes to the facility address with the inmate's name and ID number. Alaska DOC has not announced a system-wide mail scanning transition. Confirm current policy with the specific facility before sending.

For out-of-state Arizona facilities (CoreCivic/CCA): follow CoreCivic's mail policies, which may differ from Alaska DOC policies. Contact the specific Arizona facility for current mail rules and address.

Video visits

Video visitation availability varies by facility. Check with the facility for current availability and vendor.

Sending money

Money sending options vary by facility and vendor. Confirm through the facility or the vendor's website. For commissary accounts, platforms such as AccessCorrections or the vendor's own platform may be in use.

Locating your loved one

Alaska DOC inmate locator: doc.alaska.gov

If your loved one has been transferred to an out-of-state facility, the DOC locator should reflect this. Call 907-269-7400 if you cannot locate them.

InmateAid Alaska inmate search: [internal link]

Supporting Yourself While Supporting Them

Alaska's isolation is not just geographic. The distance from your incarcerated family member -- which can be literal (Arizona) or logistical (a flight to Anchorage from a rural village) -- is compounded by the lack of a robust family support infrastructure in the state.

Alaska Correctional Ministries' Beyond Walls (godinprison.com) is the most direct peer support resource for Alaska families. If you are in Anchorage, Fairbanks, or another location with ACM presence, find the nearest program.

The Alaska Native Justice Center (907-793-3550) is the contact if your family is Alaska Native and you are navigating a system that has disproportionately affected your community for generations.

Nationally, the organizations that track and fight the broader issues:

- Worth Rises (worthrises.org) -- fights financial exploitation of incarcerated people and families through phone costs, money transfer fees, commissary pricing

- Families Against Mandatory Minimums (famm.org) -- sentencing reform; connects families nationally

- Prison Policy Initiative (prisonpolicy.org) -- data and research on the Alaska incarceration landscape; their profiles of Alaska give families context for what they are navigating

The distance in Alaska is real. Phone calls are often the primary connection. The FCC rate caps help. They do not make calls free. Use the InmateAid Alaska phone page to verify current rates and find the best plan for your situation.