A 69-year-old inmate at Goose Creek Correctional Center near Wasilla died on Sunday, in what state officials say was an expected death.
The Alaska Department of Corrections said Artemy Arthur Hapoff, Jr. died just before 7:30 a.m. Sunday. He had been in state custody since March 2010, serving time on a conviction for second-degree sexual abuse of a minor.
Corrections officials said medical personnel had anticipated Hapoff’s death but declined to discuss his health status citing patient privacy laws. Department spokeswoman Betsy Holley said Tuesday that no foul play was involved in his death.
Hapoff is the ninth Alaska inmate to die this year, according to DOC. The department has been in the spotlight since last year’s 18 inmate deaths, the highest toll recorded in two decades.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska has questioned the state’s accounting of some inmate deaths, suing DOC over its alleged failure to provide mental-health care to inmates who later died by suicide.
Chris Klint is a web producer and breaking news reporter at Alaska Public Media. Reach him at cklint@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Chris here.
