Legislature(2023 - 2024)GRUENBERG 120
02/01/2023 01:00 PM House JUDICIARY
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Department of Corrections Overview | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE JUDICIARY STANDING COMMITTEE
February 1, 2023
1:00 p.m.
DRAFT
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Sarah Vance, Chair
Representative Jamie Allard, Vice Chair
Representative Ben Carpenter
Representative Craig Johnson
Representative David Eastman
Representative Andrew Gray
Representative Cliff Groh
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS OVERVIEW
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
JEN WINKELMAN, Commissioner Designee
Department of Corrections
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-offered a PowerPoint and answered
questions during the Overview of the Department of Corrections.
JEREMY HOUGH, Director of Institutions
Department of Corrections
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided information during the Department
of Corrections Overview.
DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WILKERSON
Department of Corrections
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-offered a PowerPoint and answered
questions during the Overview of the Department of Corrections.
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:00:18 PM
CHAIR SARAH VANCE called the House Judiciary Standing Committee
meeting to order at 1:00 p.m. Representatives Gray, Groh,
Allard, and Vance were present at the call to order.
Representatives Carpenter, C. Johnson, and Eastman arrived as
the meeting was in progress.
^Department of Corrections Overview
Department of Corrections Overview
1:00:56 PM
CHAIR VANCE announced that the only order of business would be
the Department of Corrections Overview.
1:01:52 PM
JEN WINKELMAN, Commissioner Designee, Department of Corrections,
began the overview of the Department of Corrections (DOC) via a
PowerPoint [hard copy included in the committee packet], and
brought attention to slide 2, "Mission and Core Services." As
seen on the slide, the mission of the department read as
follows: "To provide secure confinement, reformative programs,
and a process of supervised community reintegration to enhance
the safety of our communities." She gave a brief history of the
department, noting that in fiscal year 2024 (FY 24) there are
approximately 2,109 full-time positions and a budget request of
just over $419 million. She noted that the graphic at the
bottom of slide 2 shows where the different core services of the
department fit within divisions. She noted that slide 3 lists
"Core Services," which are broken down into three categories:
secure confinement, supervised release, and reformative
programs.
1:04:18 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN turned to slide 4, "DOC At A
Glance," and noted that Alaska is one of seven states that
operates a unified correctional system, one in which there is an
integrated state-level prison and jail system. She noted that
in FY 22, DOC booked 27,748 offenders. As of January 1, 2023,
DOC was responsible for 10,748 individuals.
1:06:30 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN, in response to a question from
Representative Groh as to whether Alaska spends more than local
governments compared to other states, said she does not know but
would look for an answer.
1:07:42 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN continued on slide 5, which
provides an organizational chart of DOC, including: the Office
of the Commissioner, the Division of Institutions, the Division
of Health and Rehabilitation Services, the Division of Pretrial,
Probation, and Parole, the Division of Administrative Services,
and the Parole Board. She pointed out that Parole Board is
housed under DOC in terms of budget but is autonomous; the
members of the board are appointed by the governor and approved
by the legislature.
1:08:36 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN discussed slide 6, "Division of
Institutions," which read as follows [original punctuation
provided, with some formatting changes]:
square4 Institution Director's Office
square4 Inmate Time Accounting
square4 Chaplaincy Program
square4 Prison Rape Elimination Act Oversight
square4 Inmate Grievance Resolution
square4 Security Threat Group
square4 Inmate Transportation and Point of Arrest
square4 Inmate Medical Transports
square4 Inmate Housing Transports
square4 K-9 Unit
square4 Point of Arrest
square4 Classification and Furlough
square4 Inmate Classification
square4 Inmate Furlough
square4 13 Correctional Centers
square4 7 Community Residential Centers (CRC)
square4 5 Locations
square4 6 Sentenced Electronic Monitoring (EM) Offices
square4 Out-of-State
square4 Medical and Separatee placements
1:11:20 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN showed a map on slide 7,
"Facility Locations," and noted there are institutions in
Bethel, Nome, Juneau, Ketchikan, and several in the Southcentral
Valley and Kenai Peninsula area.
1:11:53 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN, in response to Representative
Groh, confirmed that DOC oversees 15 community and regional
jails.
1:13:37 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN continued to slide 8, "Facility
Capacity," which offers a bar chart showing capacity in all the
facilities, with the yellow lines representing general capacity,
and the red lines representing maximum capacity. She emphasized
the department's efforts to keep capacity below the general
level and how that positively affects the safety and well-being
of both staff and inmates. She discussed prison population by
legal status, as shown on slide 9, noting that the unsentenced
population has surpassed the sentenced population. She
indicated factors of consideration around backlogs during the
COVID-19 pandemic and changes in criminal charges. In response
to Representative Allard, she explained that during the
pandemic, hours of court operation were reduced, thus people
waited in unsentenced status for a longer period of time. To a
follow-up question, she said she does not know about backlogs
prior to the pandemic, but would return with an answer at a
later date.
1:17:16 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN returned to the PowerPoint, to
slide 10, "Prison Population By Length Of Stay." It lists the
population on July 1, 2022: 47 percent of the population was
serving 6 months or less; second to that was those serving 37
months or more. She next showed slide 11, which shows prison
population by offense class, also as a snap shot on July 1,
2022. She explained that this slide shows the same populations
as from slide 10, and it lists the crimes for which they were
being held. She said sex offenders typically fall under the
category of crimes against a person, but the slide shows those
as two categories because of perceived interest. In response to
Representative Allard, she confirmed that crimes against
children are included in crimes against a person, and she
indicated she could find out the standalone number for crimes
against children. In response to a question from Representative
Groh, she explained that driving under the influence (DUI) crime
falls under the category of alcohol, while the "vehicle"
category indicates such crimes as driving without a license. In
response to a follow-up question, she added further information
regarding crimes against children.
1:20:49 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN, moved on to slide 12, "Division
of Health and Rehabilitation Services," which read as follows
[original punctuation provided, with some formatting changes]:
square4 Health & Rehabilitation Director's Office
square4 Medical Oversight
square4 Medicaid Assistance
square4 Physical Health Care
square4 Medical
square4 Dental
square4 Behavioral Health Care
square4 Mental Health Services
square4 Assess Plan Identify & Coordinate (APIC)
square4 Institutional Discharge Planning Plus (IDP+)
square4 Substance Abuse
square4 Assessment
square4 Residential Treatment
square4 Institutional Out-Patient Treatment
square4 Sex Offender Management
square4 Polygraph
square4 Institutional Sex Offender Program
square4 Community Sex Offender Program
square4 Domestic Violence Program
square4 Batterer's Intervention Program
square4 Reentry & Recidivism Unit
square4 Offender Reentry
square4 Community Coordination
square4 Education/Vocational Programs
square4 Basic Adult Education
square4 Apprenticeship Training
square4 Vocational Training
1:23:52 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN discussed Reentry Services,
shown on slide 13, and she said this is a critical piece of what
the department does. She noted that these services include:
offender management plans (OMPs) and reentry coalitions.
1:25:08 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN, in response to a question from
Representative C. Johnson regarding how beds are counted, said
DOC currently has 339 individuals in a community residential
center, and that is separate from the institutional population.
To a follow-up, she indicated that population is not full
currently. She deferred to Jeremy Hough for further response.
1:26:20 PM
JEREMY HOUGH, Director of Institutions, Department of
Corrections, related that the current capacity at the CRCs is 74
percent. In response to a follow-up, he said he would find out
the difference between the cost of a CRC bed and that in a
prison cell.
1:27:47 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN returned to the PowerPoint, to
slide 14, "Division of Pretrial, Probation, and Parole," which
read as follows [original punctuation provided, with some
formatting changes]:
square4 Probation and Parole Director's Office
square4 Victim Service Unit
square4 Pretrial Services
square4 Assessments
square4 Supervision
square4 Pretrial Electronic Monitoring
square4 Statewide Probation and Parole
square4 13 regional locations
square4 Probation Accountability with Certain Enforcement
square4 Pre-Sentencing Unit
square4 Interstate Compact
square4 15 Regional and Community Jails
square4 Bristol Bay Borough
square4 City of Cordova
square4 City of Craig
square4 City of Dillingham
square4 City of Haines
square4 City of Homer
square4 City of Kodiak
square4 City of Kotzebue
square4 North Slope Borough
square4 City of Petersburg
square4 City of Seward
square4 City of Sitka
square4 City of Unalaska
square4 City of Valdez
square4 City of Wrangell
1:30:54 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN continued to slide 15,
"Supervised Release," which is a map depicting the location of
DOC's Pretrial and Probation Offices, Community Residential
Centers, and Sentenced Electronic Monitoring Offices. Slide 16,
"Pre-Trial Services," reflects the population [on July 1, 2022]
for pre-trial. It compares numbers for community supervision
and pending release in both 2021 and 2022. She explained the
nuances of those individuals involved in multiple cases. Moving
to slide 17, "Probation and Parole," she noted that the increase
in the numbers from 2021 to 2022 means more cases are being
resolved. She further noted that there is a cap on the number
of cases parole officers can have, which is something to watch
as case numbers rise.
1:33:56 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN, in response to Representative
Eastman, said the cap of 75 cases is a worst-case scenario. In
response to a follow-up question regarding the optimal number,
she said it depends on the circumstances, but she has heard
numbers from the mid-20s to 50 or 60. She said it would be
difficult to state how many officers are managing numbers higher
than optimal based on each of their capabilities.
1:36:34 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN, in response to Representative
Gray, shared her background with DOC. In response to a follow-
up question, she shared her personal experience with issues that
have arisen, and said she thinks a caseload of 50 is reasonable.
That said, she related that she never covered sex offender
caseloads, which are much more time intensive. She spoke about
the benefit of community partnerships to access a variety of
resources. To another question, she named housing as a
challenging issue, especially to house sex offenders within a
community.
1:41:28 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN, in response to Representative
Allard, explained that the court orders where a sex offender
will be housed, and where the individual cannot be housed, for
example, within so many miles of the victim. Sometimes sex
offenders are released to shelters. Landlords are sometimes
hesitant to place a released sex offender in their rental units.
In response to a follow-up question, she confirmed that a sex
offender released to a shelter could mean the individual is
close to a school.
1:43:01 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN, in response to Chair Vance,
regarding how DOC reacts to the courts' decisions to return a
person to place of arrest, outlined the steps taken. In the
case of a sex offender, DOC may need to approach the court to
request "an alteration" on "a condition."
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN, in response to Representative
Allard, offered an idea for a solution would be to have some
sort of housing for released sex offenders. Beyond that, she
indicated that it is a complicated matter.
1:45:19 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN, in response to Representative
C. Johnson, confirmed that it is the place of arrest where DOC
must return a released person; therefore, even if the person is
from Fairbanks, for example, the person would be returned to
Anchorage if that is where they were arrested. To a follow-up
question, she affirmed there is a transfer process available for
those on probation or parole so that they can get back to where
they are from in order to return to, for example, their support
system. In response to Representative C. Johnson asking if it
would be helpful to change statute to allow the person to be
released directly to their home, she indicated that the parole
officer who has worked with the person would try really hard to
get them back to where they want to be.
1:49:21 PM
DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WILKERSON, Department of Corrections,
clarified that exceptions are allowed under "the administrative
manual." For example, when it is documented that it is in the
best interest of the state, DOC can get the documentation
approved to transport the individual back to their community
rather than to the place of arrest.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN, in response to Representative
C. Johnson inquiring again if the statute needs to be changed,
said she would investigate and provide an answer at a later
date.
1:50:56 PM
CHAIR VANCE suggested that a change in statute may save the
department administrative time.
REPRESENTATIVE ALLARD made an observation about saving costs via
efficiency.
1:52:37 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN, in response to a question from
Representative Eastman regarding whether there is ever a
circumstance in which a person cannot be returned to their home
and have a parole officer available, spoke about a collaborative
approach wherein the individual released to a small village may
check in with a teacher at a school or undergo treatment by
video, for example. She indicated one restriction in a parolee
being sent home is if the victim lives in that home.
1:54:34 PM
DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WILKERSON, in response to Representative
Gray, offered her understanding that the current process taken
under regulation is not burdensome; however, she said she is not
aware of the impact of individuals released from custody at
place of arrest and "not being given (indisc.) back to a
different location because they have other resources."
REPRESENTATIVE GRAY posited that there may be good reason to
continue with the status quo if it is not currently problematic
to do so.
1:56:45 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN returned to the PowerPoint and
gave information related to slide 18, "Board of Parole," which
read as follows [original punctuation provided, with some
formatting changes]:
square4 Board of Parole
square4 Discretionary Parole
square4 Mandatory Parole
square4 Special Medical Parole
square4 Geriatric Parole
square4 Executive Clemency Program
square4 Parole Board Members
square4 Leitoni Matakaiongo Tupou, Chair
square4 Sarah Possenti, Vice Chair
square4 Steve Meyer, Member
square4 Jason Wilson, Member
square4 Ole Larson, Member
1:58:22 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN continued to slide 19, "Division
of Administrative Services," which read as follows [original
punctuation provided, with some formatting changes]:
square4 Administrative Services
square4 Budget and Finance
square4 Inmate Banking
square4 Auditing and Internal Controls
square4 Alaska Police Standards Council (APSC)
square4 Construction Procurement and Space Liaison
square4 Alcohol Ignition Interlock Device Certification
square4 Information Technology
square4 Alaska Corrections Offender Management System
square4 Inmate Law Library
square4 Inmate Technology Support
square4 Research and Records
square4 Permanent Fund Dividend Eligibility
Determination/Appeals
square4 Research and Reporting
square4 Criminal Justice Information Security
square4 Data Management
square4 Web Page
square4 Inmate DNA Collections and Tracking
square4 Facilities Capital Unit & OSHA Compliance
square4 Management Renovation, Repairs, and Construction
Management
square4 OSHA Compliance and Oversight
1:59:38 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN picked up at slide 20, "Office
of the Commissioner," which read as follows [original
punctuation provided, with some formatting changes]:
square4 Commissioner's Office
square4 Constituent Relations
square4 Compliance Standards
square4 Inmate ADA Grievances
square4 Public Information
square4 Policy and Procedures
square4 Employee Wellness Program
square4 Human Resources
square4 Employee Backgrounds
square4 Recruitment and Retention
square4 Recruitment Outreach
square4 Applicant Assistance
square4 Officer Medical Reimbursement
square4 Recruitment Incentive Leave Program
square4 Correctional Officer Seniority Tracking
square4 Training Academy
square4 Basic Officer Training
square4 Field Officer Training
square4 Prisoner Transportation Officer Training
square4 Firearm / Taser Training and Certification
square4 Municipal Officer Academy
square4 Offender Time Accounting
square4 Use of Force
square4 Methods of Instruction
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN explained that slide 21,
"Positions By Category," illustrates comparisons between
budgeted versus filled positions for FY 23 in the following
categories: Adult Probation Officer; Correctional Officer;
Critical Support; Maintenance; and Medical/Mental Health. She
stated that today DOC's departmental vacancy is at 13 percent.
She discussed the challenges in recruitment and retention.
2:02:14 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN, in response to Chair Vance,
confirmed that 13 percent is an improvement compared to prior
rates. She segued to slide 22, "Positions by Institutions,"
which compare the budgeted and filled positions for FY 23 for
each institution. She said this includes maintenance and other
support areas of the department.
2:04:32 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN, in response to Representative
Eastman, confirmed that the Matanuska-Susitna Correctional
Facility does show as having a higher level of filled positions
than budgeted positions. She deferred to Deputy Commissioner
Wilkerson for further explanation.
2:05:00 PM
DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WILKERSON added that this is a strategic
move in anticipation of staff turnover, to ensure assignments
are filled and to allow for temporary assignments to other
locations.
2:05:36 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN, in response to Chair Vance,
said housing seems to be one of the bigger challenges for the
Spring Creek Facility. She characterized the work as "a
constant juggling game." She moved on to slide 23, "Goals and
Objectives," and listed the three main goals of DOC: health and
wellbeing of staff; ensuring those who come in to DOC's custody
leave better than they entered; and identifying efficiencies and
resources to reduce recidivism. She commended DOC's staff and
spoke about the efforts being made and challenges being met,
including medical examinations, investigations, the reimbursable
service agreement, the death of an inmate policy, public
awareness, and Project 2025 to reduce suicides within DOC.
2:17:01 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN, in response to Chair Vance,
said DOC has "pieces and parts" in terms of supporting staff who
experience hardships in the corrections environment. She
emphasized her vision is to focus on the well-being of
employees. She thanked the committee and concluded the
presentation by showing slide 24, which shows photos of the
department's canine unit members.
2:20:25 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN, in response to Representative
Eastman, said the traditional work schedule for corrections
officers are 12-hour day shifts, followed by one week off,
followed by 12-hour night shifts; however, this schedule can
vary. In response to a follow-up question about planning a
schedule to get overtime pay, she said she has not heard of
that. She noted that DOC works with the Alaska Correctional
Officers Association, as well as bargaining units, to arrive at
desired work schedules.
2:22:48 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE WINKELMAN, in response to a comment from
Representative Gray regarding possible resistance from inmates
at being transferred to other facilities, said this could be for
various different reasons. For example, an incarcerated
individual may receive more visitors in one location or is
working with an attorney in the area. She said DOC's
classification staff considers all the factors.
2:24:21 PM
CHAIR VANCE thanked both presenters.
2:25:13 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Judiciary Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 2:25 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| FINAL-H-Judiciary February 1, 2023 DOC Overview.pdf |
HJUD 2/1/2023 1:00:00 PM |
FINAL-H-Judiciary February 1, 2023 DOC Overview |