Tell your legislators to hold Alaska's Department of Corrections accountable for deaths in custody

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Hold DOC accountable for deaths in custody

Dear [elected official],

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I am deeply concerned about the unprecedented number of deaths that have occurred in Department of Corrections (DOC) facilities across the state since 2022. Please investigate DOC’s practices that have led to record-breaking numbers of Alaskans dying in prison and demand transparency from the department.

Alaska doesn’t have the death penalty, yet almost 50 Alaskans have died a death by incarceration – commonly by suicide, medical neglect, and for still-unknown reasons while in the custody of DOC from 2022 to 2025. Another unreported death has already happened this year. Many of the people who died were young, under 40, pre-trial, and had spent only a short time in DOC custody.

Oversight and transparency are also needed to address the deaths that DOC failed to report, like deaths resulting from medical neglect and emergencies that occurred while the person was in custody. Families deserve answers, including about conditions of confinement and their loved ones’ health condition prior to death. Staff from DOC have presented to members of the legislature with a positive outlook on the status of deaths and efforts to mitigate them, but individual stories and details from these deaths show a different reality that Alaskans are facing. It's critical that the legislature understand the full picture of deaths in DOC facilities across the state.

DOC is legally required to keep people in its custody safe and alive; the sheer number of deaths reflects that they are failing to do this. Please make Alaska’s jails and prisons safer and hold DOC accountable for this failure by investigating the practices that have led to deaths in jails and prisons across the state and demand transparency from Corrections.

Sincerely, [Your information here]