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Alaska Deaths in Custody Tie Record High

Article • February 1, 2026 • from PLN February, 2026

Filed under: DOC/BOP misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference, Compassionate Release

Alaska Deaths in Custody Tie Record High by In a grim milestone that reflects Alaska’s neglect of prisoners, the state Department of Corrections (DOC) reported 18 deaths in 2025, tying the previous record set in 2022. In its coverage of the concerning matter, the Alaska Beacon claimed the death toll …

NEWS IN BRIEF

Article • September 15, 2025 • from PLN October, 2025

Filed under: News in Brief

NEWS IN BRIEF by Alaska: Alaska Public Media reported that former Anchorage Police Department Off. Nathan Keays, 45, convicted of conspiring with a ConocoPhillips employee to embezzle over $3 million from the firm, is seeking a new trial, alleging his conviction was tainted by a secret romantic relationship between two …

$4.77 Million Settlement for Three Alaska Prisoners Exonerated of Murder After 18 Years

Article • November 15, 2024 • from PLN November, 2024

Filed under: Settlements, Wrongful Conviction

$4.77 Million Settlement for Three Alaska Prisoners Exonerated of Murder After 18 Years by David Reutter by David M. Reutter On November 6, 2023, three of the “Fairbanks Four” accepted $5 million from the Alaska city for 18 years they spent wrongfully incarcerated for a teen’s 1997 murder before their …

Federal Prisoner Will Appear on Alaska Congressional Ballot

Article • October 15, 2024 • from PLN October, 2024

Filed under: Post-release, ex-offender, re-entry

Federal Prisoner Will Appear on Alaska Congressional Ballot by On September 10, 2024, an Alaska court refused to keep Eric G. Hafner from appearing on the upcoming November ballot as a Democratic candidate for the state’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives—even though he has never been to …

Alaska Supreme Court: DOC Can’t Unilaterally Redefine ‘Parole Release Date’

Article • October 15, 2024 • from PLN October, 2024

Filed under: U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release

Alaska Supreme Court: DOC Can’t Unilaterally Redefine ‘Parole Release Date’ by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney On December 8, 2023, the Supreme Court of Alaska held that the state Department of Corrections (DOC) violated the rulemaking process laid out in the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) when it unilaterally changed the …

Alaska Supreme Court Revives Prisoner’s Claim for 11-Month Solitary Confinement That DOC Admitted Was Improper

Article • August 15, 2024 • from PLN August, 2024

Filed under: Guard Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Prison Regulations

Alaska Supreme Court Revives Prisoner’s Claim for 11-Month Solitary Confinement That DOC Admitted Was Improper by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney On December 22, 2023, the Supreme Court of Alaska reversed dismissal of a state prisoner’s claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress (IIED) against officials with the state Department …

Alaska’s Prison System: Dangerous, Deadly Yet Repeating Past Mistakes

Article • July 1, 2024 • from PLN July, 2024

Filed under: Totality of Conditions

Alaska’s Prison System: Dangerous, Deadly Yet Repeating Past Mistakes by David Reutter by David M. Reutter   Alaska is a small state with enormous natural resources. The native people, who largely subsist off the land, enrich its culture. The beauty of its landscape draws millions of tourists annually. Yet behind …

Alaska Prisons Report Three Deaths in Three Days

Article • April 1, 2024 • from PLN April, 2024

Filed under: Statistics/Trends, Wrongful Death

Alaska Prisons Report Three Deaths in Three Days by

News in Brief

Article • November 15, 2023 • from PLN November, 2023

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by Alabama: Three jail guards in the Yellowhammer State were hit with drug smuggling charges in August 2023 and another the month after. WAFF in Huntsville reported that Morgan County Jail guard Bobby Simmons, 19, was arrested on August 3, 2023, when he was charged with promoting …

Gary v. Alaska Dept of Corrections, AK, Complaint, Religious Accomodations, 2023

Brief • November 14, 2023

Filed under: Religious Practices, Religious Freedom/Worship

Gary v. Alaska Dept of Corrections, AK, Complaint, Religious Accomodations, 2023 ACLU OF ALASKA FOUNDATION 1057 W. Fireweed Ln. Suite 207 Anchorage, Alaska 99503 TEL: 907.258.0044 FAX: 907.263.2016 EMAIL: courtfilings@acluak.org Ruth Botstein Alaska Bar No. 9906016 Melody Vidmar Alaska Bar No. 2305044 ACLU of Alaska Foundation 1057 West Fireweed Lane, …

Pete v. State of Alaska, AK, Complaint, False Arrest, 2023

Brief • October 6, 2023

Filed under: False Arrest

Pete v. State of Alaska, AK, Complaint, False Arrest, 2023 30 E Goriune Dudukgian, AK Bar No. 0506051 g 3 (907) 308-3395 (telephone) (866) 813-8645 (fax) 2 Attorneys for Plaintiffs Nicholas Feronti, AK Bar No. 2106069 3g 2 £ NORTHERN JUSTICE PROJECT, LLC 406G Street, Suite 207 Anchorage, AK 99501 …

Estate of James Rider v. State of Alaska, AK, Complaint, Wrongful Death, 2023

Brief • August 31, 2023

Filed under: Wrongful Death, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death)

Estate of James Rider v. State of Alaska, AK, Complaint, Wrongful Death, 2023 .. Copy Onq1nal Received AUG 3 1 2023 Clerk of the Trial Courts IN THE SUPERIOR COURT FOR THE STATE OF ALASKA 1 THIRD JUDICIAL DISTRICT AT ANCHORAGE 2 3 MICHAEL COX AND TAMARA HALLIBURTON AS CO-PERSONAL …

Estate of Mark Cook Jr. V. State of Alaska, AK, Complaint, Wrongful Death, 2023

Brief • August 28, 2023

Filed under: Wrongful Death, Medical Neglect/Malpractice

Estate of Mark Cook Jr. V. State of Alaska, AK, Complaint, Wrongful Death, 2023

News in Brief

Article • August 15, 2023 • from PLN August, 2023

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by Alabama: A state Department of Corrections (DOC) guard was arrested on June 10, 2023, for allegedly smuggling drugs, including meth, to a prisoner at Kilby Correctional Facility, 1819 News reported. Charlie Townsend, 28, resigned from his position upon his arrest by the Law Enforcement Services Division. …

News in Brief

Article • July 15, 2023 • from PLN July, 2023

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by Alabama: A guard with the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) was indicted on April 27, 2023, on charges he sexually abused two prisoners at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Aliceville, according to a report by the Birmingham News. Robert D. Smith allegedly had sexual intercourse …

R.R. V. Garcia, AK, Complaint, Sexual Abuse, 2023

Brief • June 29, 2023

Filed under: Criminal Sexual Abuse

R.R. V. Garcia, AK, Complaint, Sexual Abuse, 2023 Charles W. Coe ABA#7804002 Law Office of Charles W. Coe 810 W 2nd Avenue Anchorage, Alaska 99507 Telephone: 907-276-6173 Facsimile: 907-279-1884 Email: charlielaw@gci.net Attorney for R.R. IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF ALASKA AT ANCHORAGE Case No. 3:23-cv-_________ …

Alaska Supreme Court Says Parole Challenge Must Be Sought via Post-Conviction Relief, Not Lawsuit

Article • May 1, 2023 • from PLN May, 2023

Filed under: Prospective Relief, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release, Grounds for Relief

Alaska Supreme Court Says Parole Challenge Must Be Sought via Post-Conviction Relief, Not Lawsuit by Mark Wilson by Mark Wilson On October 28, 2022, the Alaska Supreme Court held that a prisoner is required to challenge a discretionary parole decision in a post-conviction relief (PCR) action, rather than a civil …

Federal Judge Says Alaska DOC Policy Rejecting Prisoner Mail Without Notice Violates Due Process

Article • November 30, 2022 • from PLN December, 2022

Filed under: Due Process

Federal Judge Says Alaska DOC Policy Rejecting Prisoner Mail Without Notice Violates Due Process by Mark Wilson by Mark Wilson Can a prisoner’s mail be rejected without any notice whatsoever? Not without violating his Fourteenth Amendment due process rights. That was the decision of a federal court in Alaska on …

News in Brief

Article • August 1, 2022 • from PLN August, 2022

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by Alabama: On June 3, 2022, a guard was arrested for having sex with a prisoner at Alabama’s Pickens County Jail, according to a report by WTVA in Tupelo, Mississippi. The guard, Marquita Booker, 28, was fired after her arrest, which followed an investigation that earlier in …

News in Brief

Article • July 15, 2022 • from PLN July, 2022

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by   Alabama:The Birmingham News reported that a jail guard in Mobile was arrested on May 17, 2022, for smuggling adult movies intoMobile County Metro Jail. The guard, Fredrick Johnson, 37, was charged with 21 counts of promoting contraband that included a camera, phone chargers, and flash drives, …