Alaska has an incarceration rate of 744 per 100,000 people (including prisons, jails, immigration detention, and juvenile justice facilities), meaning that it locks up a higher percentage of its people than any independent democratic country on earth. Read on to learn more about who is incarcerated in Alaska and why.
5,400 people from Alaska are behind bars
Rates of imprisonment have grown dramatically in the last 40 years
Today, Alaska’s incarceration rates stand out internationally
In the U.S., incarceration extends beyond prisons and local jails to include other systems of confinement. The U.S. and state incarceration rates in this graph include people held by these other parts of the justice system, so they may be slightly higher than the commonly reported incarceration rates that only include prisons and jails. Details on the data are available in States of Incarceration: The Global Context. We also have a version of this graph focusing on the incarceration of women.
People of color are overrepresented in prisons and jails
Alaska's criminal justice system is more than just its prisons
Reports and briefings about Alaska's criminal legal system:
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Prisons in Alaska have tablets, but they may be being used to restrict incarcerated people’s access to books and sap them of the little money they have.
People on parole in Alaska can be sent back to prison for "associating" with anyone who has a felony conviction — even loved ones who are trying to support them
The cost of incarcerating older people is incredibly high, and their risk of reincarceration is incredibly low, yet 17% of people in Alaska prisons are over the age of 55. Why is the state keeping so many older people locked up?
If a person in Alaska prisons has more than $15 in their commissary account they may not qualify for assistance to purchase essentials like hygiene items and postage. And they may have to pay the state back for any assistance they receive.
Alaska is one of the few states that does not charge incarcerated people and their loved ones to transfer money.
October 11-13, 2024: Prison Policy Initiative’s Advocacy Department (Sarah Staudt and Emmett Sanders) will be at the Formerly Incarcerated, Convicted People, and Families Movement (FICPFM) conference in Detroit, Michigan from Friday, October 11th to Sunday, October 13. If you’re going to be there, contact us if you’d like to meet up and talk about how Prison Policy Initiative might be able to support your state and local activism to change the criminal legal system!
Not near you? Invite us to your city, college or organization.