Legislature(2025 - 2026)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
02/13/2025 03:30 PM Senate STATE AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
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| Start | |
| Presentation(s): Department of Corrections Overview | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE STATE AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
February 13, 2025
3:32 p.m.
DRAFT
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Scott Kawasaki, Chair
Senator Jesse Bjorkman, Vice Chair
Senator Bill Wielechowski
Senator Elvi Gray-Jackson
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Robert Yundt
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION(S): DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS OVERVIEW
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
APRIL WILKERSON, Deputy Commissioner
Office of the Commissioner
Department of Corrections
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented an overview by the Department
of Corrections.
JAKE WYCKOFF, Deputy Commissioner
Department of Corrections
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented an overview by the Department
of Corrections.
ZANE NIGHSWONGER, Director
Division of Institutions
Department of Corrections
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented an overview by the Department
of Corrections.
SIDNEY WOOD, Deputy Director
Division of Institutions
Department of Corrections
Wasilla, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions regarding Department of
Corrections processes.
TRAVIS WELCH, Director
Division of Health and Rehabilitation Services
Department of Corrections
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented an overview by the Department
of Corrections.
KELCEY WALLENDER, Parole Administrator
Parole Board
Department of Corrections
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented an overview by the Department
of Corrections.
KEVIN WORLEY, Director
Division of Administrative Services
Department of Corrections
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented an overview by the Department
of Corrections.
ACTION NARRATIVE
3:32:18 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI called the Senate State Affairs Standing
Committee meeting to order at 3:32 p.m. Present at the call to
order were Senators Wielechowski, Gray-Jackson, and Chair
Kawasaki. Senator Bjorkman arrived thereafter.
^PRESENTATION(S): DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS OVERVIEW
PRESENTATION(S): DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS OVERVIEW
3:33:00 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI announced an overview by the Department of
Corrections.
3:33:44 PM
APRIL WILKERSON, Deputy Commissioner, Office of the
Commissioner, Department of Corrections, Juneau, Alaska, moved
to slide 2 and began the overview of the department. She stated
that the Department of Corrections was established in 1984 after
separating from Health and Social Services. She said now the
Department has four divisions and a parole board. Its FY26
budget includes 2,124 full-time positions and over $481 million.
The mission, based on the Alaska Constitution, is to provide
secure confinement and public safety. She said each division's
roles align with the department's core services shown on the
chart.
3:36:26 PM
JAKE WYCKOFF, Deputy Commissioner, Office of the Commissioner,
Department of Corrections (DOC), Anchorage, Alaska, moved to
slide 3, Core Services. He stated that the Department of
Corrections provides core services to enhance community safety,
these include secure confinement, supervised release, and
reformative programs. First, Secure confinement operates 13
correctional facilities across Alaska and 14 community jails in
areas without state facilities. He said population management
includes furloughs, electronic monitoring, and inmate transport
in coordination with Public Safety. He said health care,
rehabilitation, and training are also provided, including a full
correctional academy and support for municipal jail training.
Next, the supervised release service covers statewide probation,
pretrial, and parole services, with oversight of halfway houses.
Last, reformative programs offer education, vocational training,
substance abuse and sex offender treatment, faith-based support,
and reentry services.
3:39:46 PM
MR. WYCKOFF moved to slide 4, Department of Corrections at a
Glance. He spoke about the following:
[Original punctuation provided.]
• Alaska is one of seven states that operate a
unified correctional system. A state unified
system is one in which there is an integrated
state-level prison and jail system.
• DOC booked 26,998 offenders into its facilities
in FY2024.
-16,868 were unique offenders
-567 were non-criminal Title 47 bookings
• As of January 1, 2025, DOC was responsible for
9,767 individuals.
-4,266 offenders in jail or prison
-250 offenders on sentenced electronic monitoring
(EM)
-364 offenders in community residential centers
(CRCs)
-3,382 offenders on probation or parole
-1,505 defendants on pretrial supervision (1,029
on pretrial EM)
3:43:16 PM
MS. WILKERSON moved to slide 5 and talked about the overall
structure outline of DOC's executive team and department
structure. She said the Board of Parole is administratively
housed in the Department of Corrections but operates
independently, reporting to the Governor. Its members are
appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Legislature.
3:44:24 PM
MS. WILKERSON moved to slide 6, FY2024 Major Accomplishments.
She spoke about the following:
[Original punctuation provided.]
• Partnered with the Department of Family and
Community Services and Alaska Psychiatric
Institute to establish and open the jail-based
restoration program at the Anchorage Correctional
Complex.
• Initiated the expansion of community placement
options by using alternatives to the traditional
community residential center placements. The
department is running a pilot project on these
placements, utilizing True North Recovery and
Alaska Addiction and Rehabilitation Services
(AARS).
• Utilized the American Foundation for Suicide
Prevention (AFSP) and the National Commission on
Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) resource guide
to complete a thorough proactive needs assessment
of all 13 correctional facilities statewide. The
finalized report and recommendation are part of
Project 2025, an effort to reduce in-custody
annual suicides rates 20 percent by Calendar Year
(CY) 2025.
• Partnered with the Carpenter's Union and
implemented a pre-apprentice carpentry program at
Hiland Mountain and Wildwood Correctional
Centers.
• Implemented a pilot tablet program at Hiland
Mountain Correctional Center. These tablets are
used in a limited/restricted capacity for:
Digital Law Library, Attorney Visitation, Court
hearings, and the inmate handbook. In addition,
the department and the Alaska Court System
partnered to have Court tablets operational for
inmates at Goose Creek Correctional Center.
• Under the department's statewide Wellness Program
for employees and inmates, formalized a Critical
Incident Stress Management/Peer Support team. The
department trained 35 staff to be peer supporters
and will be training additional supporters in
early 2025. The Wellness Unit trained 54 Stronger
Families trainers and implemented seven modules
department wide. Approximately 1,000 department
staff were trained in this program.
3:48:44 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI asked whether individuals would retain access to
the physical law library in addition to using tablets for
digital access.
3:49:07 PM
MS. WILKERSON answered that DOC is not replacing physical books
or library. She stated that DOC is adding technology as an
option to improve efficiency and ease the workload.
CHAIR KAWASAKI asked whether inmates using an iPad or similar
technology have the ability to save, store, or print documents.
MS. WILKERSON answered yes, they have individual accounts. While
some decline, most individuals participate. These accounts allow
the inmates to save and receive documents, like parole packets,
and the account follows them if they transfer facilities.
CHAIR KAWASAKI stated that according to slide 6 the DOC worked
with the Department of Family and Community Services (DFCS) and
Alaska Psychiatric Institute (API) on a jail-based restoration
program. He asked if these individuals are part of DOC or part
of API.
MS. WILKERSON answered that the individuals are part of API and
DOC. She said the director of Health and Rehabilitation Services
(HARS) can answer that question in more detail.
3:51:15 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI announced Senator Bjorkman joined the meeting
some time ago.
3:51:20 PM
MS. WILKERSON moved to slide 7, Key Challenges. She stated that
recruiting and keeping qualified staff remains a major
challenge, but DOC has made strong progress. Statewide
correctional officer vacancies dropped from over 17 percent to
under 5 percent, with some locations down from nearly 40 percent
to 22 percent, and others holding steady at zero percent
vacancy. She stated her belief that recruitment is improving,
allowing the department to now focus on retention. She said the
DOC is working to improve community placements, though ensuring
proper support remains difficult. Health care costs continue to
rise, as DOC is the state's largest mental health provider, and
the population is aging. A new chief medical officer is
exploring cost-saving changes. Finally, DOC facilities are
aging. The department is working to keep up with maintenance and
update technology systems to maintain safety.
3:54:33 PM
ZANE NIGHSWONGER, Director, Division of Institutions, Department
of Corrections, Anchorage, Alaska, and moved to slide 8,
Division of Institutions. He stated that the Division of
Institutions oversees secure confinement focused on public
safety and rehabilitation for community reintegration. The
division manages 13 facilities statewide, including those in
Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley, along with halfway houses,
chaplaincy, and electronic monitoring for sentenced individuals.
He said the division also handles inmate transportation,
including nearly 6,848 medical trips in FY24over 600 more than
last year. Currently, six individuals are housed out of state
due to safety concerns, not medical needs.
3:56:56 PM
MR. NIGHSWONGER moved to slide 9, Facility Capacity. He said the
chart visually displays the capacity of facilities at the start
of the 2025. He emphasized that institutional capacity is now
below maximum at all facilities, thanks to efforts like
transferring inmates between locations and increasing community
placements. This has eased overcrowding, improving both inmate
and staff wellbeing. In the past, overflow led to bunks in gyms
and hobby areas.
3:58:50 PM
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked about the trend in prison population
over the past 5 to 10 years.
3:59:06 PM
MR. NIGHSWONGER responded that after House Bill 49 passed in
2019, Alaska's prison population began to rise, and DOC expected
to exceed capacity by 2026. He stated that COVID slowed that
growth. He said some facilities like Lemon Creek showed reduced
capacity due to repairs, and a few units at Spring Creek are
offline because of staffing. The DOC is using the downtime for
maintenance. Overall, growth hasn't matched projections, and
future trends remain uncertain.
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked if Mr. Nighswonger knew the cause of
the decline in the trend.
4:01:03 PM
MR. WYCKOFF answered that it's a complex scenario but once DOC
reopened the Palmer correctional Center, that added 500 beds,
increased capacity, and thereby lowered population percentages.
4:02:36 PM
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI stated that its good news the state of
Alaska is no longer overpopulated. He asked that he receive a 10
year look back of the prison population analysis.
4:04:00 PM
SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON asked which of the facilities are maximum
security facilities.
4:04:08 PM
MR. NIGHSWONGER answered that the DOC has a couple maximum
security facilities. He said one is the Spring Creek
Correctional Center in Seward and the other is in Juneau.
4:04:31 PM
SENATOR BJORKMAN asked Mr. Nighswonger to explain how the
pretrial ankle monitoring program works and whether its
practices have changed in recent years.
4:05:02 PM
MR. NIGHSWONGER responded that he's not over pretrial, but staff
can answer the question later in the presentation.
4:05:30 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI asked why so many individuals are not sentenced
but still in the facility.
4:06:14 PM
MR. NIGHSWONGER continued with slide 9. He clarified that even
though the chart shows 84 percent of general capacity that
doesn't mean 16 percent of the beds are open. Factors like
mental health needs, custody levels, and gender-specific housing
reduce usable bed space.
4:07:29 PM
MR. NIGHSWONGER moved to slide 10, Prison Population by Gender.
He said these charts show sentenced vs. unsentenced populations
by gender. He stated that unsentenced males are starting to
decline, possibly due to reduced backlogs and overall population
drop. He stated the unsentenced population is about 45 percent
and the sentenced is 55 percent. Just last year the numbers were
reversed. He pointed out a situation in Goose Creek Correctional
Center, that's mainly a sentenced facility, but the DOC had to
use it for overflow. At one point the center was half sentenced
and half unsentenced. The DOC was fortunate that Goose Creek had
all the resources at the center for the inmates. He stated that
the number of unsentenced population at Goose Creek is dropping
but when there is an overpopulation of unsentenced population it
causes challenges.
4:09:28 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI referred to slide 10 and if the numbers represent
institutions only, not halfway houses or community residential
centers (CRC), how many eligible unsentenced individuals choose
not to be released to a lower level of confinement.
4:09:57 PM
MR. NIGHSWONGER answered that the unsentenced population usually
remains in the facility unless released on pretrial. DOC has a
confined felon program through some CRCs, but only a small
number are housed at that level.
4:10:26 PM
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked if there is data to show the average
amount of time an unsentenced person spends in custody and how
many of the unsentenced people are found not guilty and never
receive prison sentence.
4:10:55 PM
MR. NIGHSWONGER directed the questions to MR. Wood.
4:11:21 PM
SIDNEY WOOD, Deputy Director, Division of Institutions,
Department of Corrections, Wasilla, Alaska, answered questions
regarding department processes. He said he doesn't have an exact
number for the first question but its less than two weeks and
the second question is more complex. He stated that if a person
is later found not guilty or never sentenced, the final outcomes
are not tracked.
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked how many in the unsentenced
population are eligible for bail but remain in jail due to
inability to pay.
MR. WOOD responded that the DOC looked at the data to find a
bail amount that might be a tipping point but couldn't identify
one. He said even people with low bail often stayed in jail
usually due to lack of funds or other complicating charges.
There wasn't a clear link between bail amount and jail time,
aside from felony bail being generally higher.
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked what the top few reasons are why
people are unsentenced but remain in jail.
MR. WOOD answered that often people have bail conditions or
additional chargeslike a parole violationwhich aren't
bailable. He said there are many reasons for not posting bail.
He does not have a top five list.
4:15:23 PM
MR. NIGHSWONGER moved to slide 11, Sentenced and Unsentenced
Population by Offense Class. He stated that the chart is broken
down from the previous slide's custody population by crime type
split between sentenced (convicted) and unsentenced (charged).
Many have multiple charges, but these charts show only the most
serious charge. He stated that most are in for crimes against a
person or sex offenses, which together make up nearly 75 percent
of the sentenced population.
4:16:21 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI stated that over 1012 percent of the sentenced
population is in for probation or parole violations. He asked if
Mr. Nighswonger could explain and are these in addition to their
original sentence.
4:16:39 PM
MR. NIGHSWONGER answered yes, in addition to the original
sentence.
4:17:05 PM
TRAVIS WELCH, Director, Division of Health and Rehabilitation
Services, Department of Corrections, Anchorage, Alaska, and
introduced himself to the committee.
4:17:44 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI restated his question from slide 6. He asked how
the jail-based restoration program works with the Anchorage
Correctional Complex (ACC).
4:18:03 PM
MR. WELCH responded that HARS currently partners with the Alaska
Psychiatric Institute (API) on a 10-bed restoration outpatient
program operating under AS 12. The restoration program is based
at ACC in the sub-acute psych unit. He stated that API
professionals come in twice a week to provide services to
participants in state custody and care. A similar program exists
at Hiland Mountain for female inmates under Title 12.
4:19:11 PM
MR. WELCH moved to slide 12, Division of Health and
Rehabilitation Services. He stated that the Division of Health
and Rehabilitation Services must provide essential care to
prevent health decline while in custody. Inmates get a health
screening on arrival, checking for physical issues, mental
illness, withdrawal risk, and suicidality. He stated that HARS
runs Alaska's largest mental health system, with 313 inpatient
psychiatric beds across seven facilitiesfar more than API's 80
beds. HARS also offers substance use treatment for about 1,200
inmates, with 280 program slots, and partners with outside
providers for additional care. He said that infirmaries at three
prisons offer hospital-level care, and all facilities have
clinics for outpatient needs. Goose Creek also serves Point
Macenzie.
4:23:49 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI asked what is the follow up process for prisoners
receiving medical care at the time of release.
4:24:15 PM
MR. WELCH responded that for the population releasing,
especially those with serious health needs, HARS has a medical
social worker unit that coordinates with outside providers to
plan care and secure placements, like inpatient beds if needed.
Institutional probation officers and the HARS reentry unit also
work with partners, including reentry coalitions, to connect
individuals with services before they leave custody.
4:25:19 PM
MR. WELCH continued with slide 12. He stated that the DOC offers
Assess, Plan, Identify, Coordinate (APIC) and Institutional
Discharge Planning (IDP) plus for individuals with severe mental
illness. APIC supports those not on probation, helping connect
them to housing, Medicaid, food, and services upon release. IDP
Plus is similar but for those on probation, adding support
through probation officers. He said the HARS Reentry, Education,
and Vocational Services (REVS) program coordinates with
facilities and partners to connect people to services before
release. The program offers basic education, ESL, and GED
prep/testing. He said on the vocational side, HARS has launched
a pilot pre-apprenticeship with the Carpenters Union at Wildwood
and Hiland Mountain, preparing individuals for skilled jobs
after release. The goal is to support successful reentry and
economic participation.
4:28:33 PM
MS. WILKERSON stated that the Division of Pretrial, Probation,
and Parole was formed in 2019 by merging pretrial services with
the former standalone probation and parole division, reducing
costs by consolidating administration. She said pretrial
services was stood up under Senate Bill 91 and maintained under
House Bill 49. These units supervise individuals released under
court conditions and provide assessments and electronic
monitoring. She stated that often confusion arises because
"pretrial" is used both in institutions and in community
supervision, though they are separate functions. She stated that
probation and parole operate in 13 regions, providing
presentence reports and managing the interstate compact, which
supervises offenders moving between states. They also include a
victim's unit, which runs the VINE system. She said the division
oversees contracts and standards for 14 community jails. After
Seward's jail closure, Spring Creek took over male bookings,
with females and youth transferred to Wildwood. She said
community jail standards were updated in January and take effect
July 1. She stated that the pretrial electronic monitoring
program hasn't changed since its been stood up. She said
individuals can choose between a private vendor or DOC for
monitoring.
4:33:17 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI asked why an offender would choose DOC over a
private contractor for electronic monitoring.
4:33:28 PM
MS. WILKERSON answered that the DOC is no cost to the offender
while a private vendor will charge to be on their program. She
said there are offenders that will flip flop and choose a
private vendor, violate, go to court then go to DOC, violate and
go back to court. Either way, its up to the offender which
program they want to be a part of.
4:34:11 PM
SENATOR BJORKMAN commented on the concern he has about people
being released then violating their parole. He asked to what
extent can DOC work with law enforcement to reduce how often
this is happening.
4:35:17 PM
MS. WILKERSON answered that the DOC believes better
communication and continued training with the courts is key
especially to ensure DOC pretrial officers' assessments and
release recommendations are appropriate for individuals being
released back into the community.
4:36:08 PM
SENATOR BJORKMAN commented that it's important to consider the
need to protect the community from individuals in active
addiction who are highly likely to reoffend and continue being
released. He stated that this concern is also coming from
troopers, prosecutors, and public defenders. He suggested DOC
and law enforcement should collaborate more to identify these
individuals and ensure they aren't placed on monitoring when
they pose a public risk.
4:37:06 PM
MS. WILKERSON stated her belief that the DOC agrees. The DOC is
currently reevaluating the risk assessment tool, hoping to be
completed by July 1st. She said the DOC is also working with an
external partner to review the entire pretrial programlooking
at whether it's functioning as intended and if DOC is
effectively collaborating with other law enforcement agencies,
the courts, and the public defender's office as originally
envisioned.
4:37:45 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI commented that the sentenced population in parole
is now down to about 12 percent, which is lower than in past
years when its been higher in violating conditions of release.
He stated his belief that there is a difference between
technical violations and more serious violations. He stated that
he understands Senator Bjorkman's concern to ensure public
safety, especially when some individuals reoffend even before
their cases are fully resolved.
4:39:01 PM
KELCEY WALLENDER, Parole Administrator, Parole Board, Department
of Corrections, Anchorage, Alaska, and moved to slide 14, Board
of Parole. She stated that the Board of Parole is part of the
Department of Corrections. Board of Parole's main roles are
reviewing early release applications and handling parole
violations, like how courts handle probation violations. Parole
types include discretionary, special medical, geriatric (early
release), and mandatory (required by law). She said the Board
works statewide with DOC staff. It has five members, appointed
by the governor and confirmed by the legislature, with staggered
five-year termsthree represent judicial districts and two serve
at-large.
4:41:16 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI asked whether she could share how many people
were released on discretionary parole and how many applications
were submitted last year.
4:41:41 PM
MS. WALLENDER answered that in the 2024 calendar year the board
received 181 discretionary parole applications and the grant
rate was 34 percent, 7 percent were continued and 59 percent
were denied.
4:42:25 PM
KEVIN WORLEY, Director, Division of Administrative Services,
Department of Corrections, Juneau, Alaska, and moved to slide
15, Division of Administrative Services. He stated that the
Division of Administrative Services handles more than finance
and budgeting. They manage the Alaska Corrections Offender
Management (ACOM) system, conduct audits and internal controls,
oversee inmate banking, and manage facility capital projects. He
said they also house the research and records section, which
produces reports like the annual offender profile.
4:45:02 PM
MS. WILKERSON moved to slide 16, Office of the Commissioner. She
stated that a missing item from the slide is the separation of
the employee wellness program. The commissioner's office is
asking for the wellness program to become its own allocation
within the budget. The Commissioner wants to prioritize employee
wellness, training academy, recruitment, and retention. She
stated that the budget oversight was moved from Administrative
Services to the Commissioner's office for better focus on the
$480 million budget.
4:46:31 PM
SENATOR BJORKMAN if raising the hourly wage inmates earn for
prison work holds value in increasing their motivation and
engagement.
4:47:03 PM
MS. WILKERSON answered that about a year and a half ago, the
commissioner's office wanted to update inmate stipends by July
1st last year. The office conducted extensive research but
paused it midway through fiscal FY2024 due to other priorities.
The DOC is reevaluating and hope to finalize an update by July
1st.
SENATOR BJORKMAN asked what the hourly rate is for inmate
stipends.
MS. WILKERSON answered that the hourly wage is anywhere from 20
cents to a dollar. The inmates working on the maintenance crew
could receive $1.50 to $2.
4:48:04 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI stated his belief that some people might balk at
releasing an inmate wage study from the DOC before the state
publicly publishes its employee wage study.
4:48:22 PM
MS. WILKERSON moved to slide 17, Positions by Category. She
explained the graph and the gap between budgeted and filled
positions. She stated that the medical and mental health numbers
look overfilled because they include on-call staff. She said DOC
is moving in the right direction but need to keep prioritizing
retention. A recent change separated pretrial officers from
adult probation officers, which the DOC hopes it helps address
staffing gaps.
4:49:41 PM
MS. WILKERSON moved to slide 18, Goals and Objectives. She
stated that the goals and objectives listed are required. The
Commissioner asks all leadership what they are doing to support
her top priority of staff health and well-being. She said the
belief of the commissioner is simple: if the leadership takes
care of their staff, they'll better care for individuals in
custody. She said this mind set improves supervision, helps the
DOC better allocate resources, and ultimately reduces
recidivism. It's a cycle where well-being leads to better
outcomes across the system.
4:50:56 PM
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked for the recidivism rate.
4:51:00 PM
MS. WILKERSON answered that the recidivism rate is around 54.56
percent.
4:51:17 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI asked if the 54.56 percent is tied to a specific
time sequence after one year or 3 years.
4:51:26 PM
MS. WILKERSON responded that the 54.56 percent recidivism rate
is measured over a three-year period and is currently on a
downward trend. The DOC is monitoring the recidivism rate
closely because during the COVID pandemic, many rehabilitation
and reentry programs were temporally suspended. Over the next
year or two, DOC will be able to better assess whether that
disruption had a lasting impact on outcomes.
4:51:53 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI said his office and other members offices have
gotten calls from inmates currently in the system through
Securus and have heard inmates get to make 4 calls a week. He
asked how the call system works, how are phone numbers obtained,
and are inmates allowed to make calls to legislative offices or
legal counsel.
4:52:43 PM
MS. WILKERSON answered that the DOC is in contract with Securus
for inmate phone services and ensure certain calls remain free
such as to legislators, the ombudsman, public defenders, and
private attorneys. Legislators can choose to block or allow
these calls and if you're ever prompted to pay, let the DOC know
so the department can add your number to the free-call list. She
stated that during COVID, the DOC provided four free calls per
week due to suspended visitation. She said a 2024 Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) order changed communication
rules, eliminating commissions, the department used to fund
those four calls. As of January 1, each inmate now receives two
free (agency-paid) calls per month. She said the DOC also had to
split out security-related serviceslike recording and
biometricsinto a separate contract.
4:55:24 PM
SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON stated that her office receives quite a few
letters from inmates. She said she would write back but
eventually her office started coordinating with the Ombudsman's
Office to manage the letters. She asked if there are other
recommended ways to handle inmate correspondence beyond
referring them to the Ombudsman.
4:55:58 PM
MS. WILKERSON answered that the DOC is happy to coordinate and
respond to the letters. She said all legislators need to do is
forward letters to DOC, then the DOC will reply and send the
response back to the legislators office.
4:57:34 PM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
CHAIR KAWASAKI adjourned the Senate State Affairs Standing
Committee meeting at 4:57 p.m.
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