SPOKE ARTICLE - Video Visitation series - ALASKA (first UNIFIED-SYSTEM state in this series)

Target URL: /information/video-visitation-in-alaska (confirm path with Selva)

Links up to: /prisons/alaska (state hub)

Editorial: no em dashes, plain former-insider voice, FAQ headings under 60 chars, NO hardcoded per-minute prices in body

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ARTICLE BODY

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Inmate Video Visitation in Alaska

If you are trying to see someone who is locked up in Alaska, there is one thing that makes this state simpler than most: Alaska runs a unified corrections system. That means the Alaska Department of Corrections operates both the jails and the prisons across the state, so there is no maze of separate county jails to figure out. Almost everyone in custody in Alaska is held by one agency, under one set of visitation rules.

That said, Alaska is a huge, spread-out state, and getting to a facility in person can mean a long drive or even a flight. That is exactly why video visitation matters here, and the good news is that it is available. This guide explains how video visiting works in the Alaska DOC, how to set it up, what it costs, and how the federal and immigration side fits in.

How visitation works in Alaska's unified system

Because Alaska does not have county jails the way most states do, you do not have to track down a sheriff's roster or a separate local vendor. The Department of Corrections runs roughly two dozen institutions statewide, from the larger prisons like the Anchorage Correctional Complex, Goose Creek, and Hiland Mountain, to smaller community jail facilities in places like Kodiak, Ketchikan, and Bethel. Whoever you are visiting, the process runs through the DOC and its contracted vendor.

The DOC uses Securus for inmate phone calls and video. Video visits run on the Securus Video Connect system, which supports two formats: onsite video, where you go to the facility and use a kiosk there, and remote video, where you connect from home using a smartphone, tablet, or computer. In a state as large as Alaska, the remote option is often the only realistic way for families in distant communities to see their person face to face.

Getting on the approved visitor list first

Before you can schedule any visit in Alaska, in person or by video, you have to be on the inmate's approved visitor list. This is the step that trips people up, so handle it early.

The visitor application is not available online. The incarcerated person has to request it and send it to you, you fill it out, and it goes back for a background check. Each inmate can have up to about 10 approved visitors. New arrivals generally cannot receive visitors during the initial classification and intake period, which can run up to about 30 days, except for legal visits. Inmates are typically eligible for around one hour of visitation per week, and visiting is a privilege that can be suspended for disciplinary reasons. Confirm the current specifics on the facility's page, since they vary by institution and custody level.

Setting up a video visit

Once you are approved, the steps run through Securus:

First, create a Securus account online or in the Securus app and verify your identity. You will need a valid government photo ID, and the system may ask you to photograph it.

Second, add your incarcerated person to your account using their name and DOC offender number, and select the correct Alaska facility.

Third, schedule a session. Choose onsite or remote, pick an available time slot, and pay for the session if it is a paid remote visit. Onsite sessions are often free or lower cost, while remote-from-home visits usually carry a fee. Save the confirmation.

Fourth, for a remote visit, test your device, camera, and internet ahead of time, and log in early, usually about 15 minutes before the start. Visits start and end on time and are not restarted if you are late. If the session drops because of a problem on the facility's end, you can request a credit from Securus.

This guide does not quote a price, because video rates depend on the facility and have been changing. Federal rules that took effect through 2024 to 2026 pushed video and call costs down, so the current rate is whatever Securus lists for that Alaska facility when you book. Always check before you pay.

Can you still visit in person in Alaska?

Yes. Unlike some states and county jails that have replaced in-person visiting with video entirely, Alaska's DOC still offers in-person visitation as a core option, with video as an additional way to connect. Whether a given visit is contact (where you can hug or sit together) or non-contact (through glass) depends on the facility and the person's custody level. For families who live near the facility, in-person remains available; for those far away, video fills the gap. Check the specific institution's page for its current in-person schedule and rules.

Federal and immigration custody

Here is something specific to Alaska: the state has no federal prison. If someone is sentenced on a federal charge in Alaska, they are eventually transferred to a Bureau of Prisons facility in another state to serve their time. You would use the BOP's national inmate locator to find them once they are moved, and arrange visitation, mostly in-person with limited video, through whatever out-of-state federal facility holds them.

Immigration custody in Alaska is unusual and worth understanding. Alaska has no standalone ICE detention center, so when ICE holds someone here, it is inside Alaska DOC facilities under a contract, and usually only temporarily before they are moved out of state. This has gone in both directions recently. In mid-2025, ICE transferred dozens of detainees into the Anchorage Correctional Complex from an out-of-state facility because of overcrowding elsewhere, and most were moved back out within about a month. Because immigration detainees in Alaska can be moved quickly and across long distances, the most reliable way to find and follow someone in ICE custody is the federal ICE Online Detainee Locator, searching by their A-Number. Confirm visitation options through the specific facility holding them, and getting legal help early is worthwhile.

A note on staying connected

Video visits are one piece of staying in touch, and in a state as spread out as Alaska they can be a lifeline, but they are not the only tool. Mail still reaches almost everyone in custody, it is the steadiest form of contact, and a person who hears from home regularly does easier time. Phone calls are the other backbone. Many families use a mix: mail as the constant, calls for regular contact, and video visits when they want to actually see each other's faces. To set any of this up for the specific facility holding your loved one, find that facility on InmateAid and follow the instructions on its page, since the rules and costs can differ by institution.

[Internal link block to render at foot of article:]

- See every prison and jail facility in Alaska: /prisons/alaska

- Understand the new 2026 call and video rates: link to FCC Prison Phone Rate Caps 2026 guide

- Search arrest records across Alaska: Arrest Record Search (honestly labeled affiliate)

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