News & Commentary

TW: sexual assault, sexual violence. Regardless of race or criminal status, sexual violence inside the walls of prisons and jails is prevalent and frequently reported to the ACLU of Alaska.

He said he lived in upwards of 11 foster homes. Only “six or seven” stood out because he can only remember the “really bad ones.”

Alaska’s Constitution calls for incarceration to be punitive and rehabilitative for Alaskans who commit crimes, no matter their age. Life without parole, or functional life sentences, does not allow the juvenile to seek rehabilitation in a meaningful way.

Alaskans who are pre-trial, completing their sentence for non-felonies, or are formerly incarcerated have the right to vote.

The following was published as an opinion editorial by Megan Edge, Prison Project Director, in the Anchorage Daily News on June 17, 2024. The original piece can be found here. 

We've been tracking issues related to access to justice - including legal counsel - at Department of Corrections facilities in Alaska for over a year.

Nearly 700 bills were introduced during the two-year legislative cycle, and many of them intersected with Alaska’s constitution. Here's how things turned out as the legislature came to a close two weeks ago.

The Senate Judiciary Committee recently unveiled a version of House Bill 66 that combines multiple bills that the legislature has debated over the last two years.

On Tuesday, the House Community and Regional Affairs committee in the Alaska Legislature canceled a scheduled hearing on deaths of Alaskans in Department of Corrections (DOC) custody, which have occurred at record rates since 2022. Here's what we were going to say in testimony.