00HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 19                                                                                      
01 Requesting the Governor to direct the Department of Corrections to establish a                                          
02 task force to study current and future department operations.                                                           
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
04  WHEREAS a growing number of people are being arrested, prosecuted, adjudicated,                                        
05 and incarcerated in the state; and                                                                                      
06  WHEREAS the inmate population in the state's prisons has been steadily increasing                                      
07 over the last several years; and                                                                                        
08  WHEREAS the inmate population in the state's prisons is expected to continue to                                        
09 increase; and                                                                                                           
10  WHEREAS several of the state's correctional facilities are in poor condition and in                                    
11 need of substantial repair or replacement; and                                                                          
12  WHEREAS the cost of operating the prisons and jails is steadily increasing; and                                        
13  WHEREAS advancements in technology are providing new and innovative methods                                            
14 of monitoring and detaining prisoners; and                                                                              

01  WHEREAS the state's revenue is declining, and capital funding is becoming more                                         
02 difficult to obtain; and                                                                                                
03  WHEREAS the private sector has shown significant interest and ability in constructing                                  
04 and operating prison facilities;                                                                                        
05  BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests the                                             
06 Governor to direct the Department of Corrections to convene a task force to study current                               
07 operations and future options for the department, and to develop a comprehensive plan,                                  
08 including options for private construction of prison facilities and private operation of prison                         
09 facilities; and be it                                                                                                   
10  FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force should be comprised of two members of                                             
11 the Alaska State House of Representatives selected by the speaker of the house, two members                             
12 of the Alaska State Senate selected by the senate president, five representatives of the                                
13 executive branch selected by the Governor, one representative of the judicial branch selected                           
14 by the chief justice of the supreme court, and three representatives of the public familiar with                        
15 construction of large facilities or with operations of large organizations selected by the                              
16 commissioner of corrections; and be it                                                                                  
17  FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force should contract with independent                                                  
18 consultants with expertise in private and public correction institutions; and be it                                     
19  FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force, using appropriate contractors, should                                            
20 study the operations of the Department of Corrections and potential for changes in its facilities                       
21 and operations, including                                                                                               
22   (1)  a cost benefit analysis of the Department of Corrections as it now exists;                                       
23   (2)  analysis of the department's population increases, workload changes, and                                         
24 projections of future trends;                                                                                           
25   (3)  examination of inmate classification, placement, custody, and programming                                        
26 and their consequences for public safety;                                                                               
27   (4)  a forecast of capital construction needs; and                                                                    
28   (5)  analysis of the opportunities, benefits, and costs of contracting for private                                    
29 construction and operation of prisons; and be it                                                                        
30  FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is authorized to begin its work                                                   
31 immediately and should report its findings and recommendations to the legislature on or before                          

01 January 31, 1996.