Alaska DOC to be reviewed by newly appointed Commissioner

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All prison programs in Alaska’s correctional institutions will be reviewed, according to newly appointed Corrections Commissioner Dean Williams. Williams is also the co-author of an administrative report released last year that detailed deficiencies in the current system.

“Safety is one of my biggest concerns to be quite frank inside the prison system right now. It is my top priority,” says Williams. “And one of the ways in addition to a whole myriad of other things is providing productive activities for people inside.”

One of the challenges is adequate prison staffing. The Alaska Correctional Officers Association is the union that represents correctional officers. ACOA president Randy McLellen says corrections officers work twelve hour shifts, and there are not enough of them within the state’s institutions:

“We are stressed with understaffing,” McLellen said. “If you are going to rehabilitate somebody, you have to provide a safe environment.”

A report issued in July of last year, under a previous commissioner, indicates the need for more corrections officers with the state’s prison system, McLellen said. Dean Williams’ 2015 report to the state indicates that staff reductions within the prisons significantly impact safety and staff morale.

“I agree with Randy on some of the things in terms of staffing issues,” Williams said. “The facilities I visited, I’m really concerned about. You have to have adequate staffing. I’ve run facilities too. You have to have adequate staffing. So, I am going to take a look at all of that. I want safe facilities. I am probably going to be a broken record on that, but you can’t do re-entry, you can’t do these other things unless you have security inside the facility.”

The two men spoke on Alaska Public Media’s Alaska Edition Friday.