The Alaska Department of Corrections Commissioner told lawmakers Wednesday that 18 deaths in custody in 2022, seven of them suicides, were high.
“That’s too many. Jen Winkelman stated that she was certain of this while giving an overview to the House Judiciary Committee. They are someone’s brother, somebody’s sister and somebody’s family member.
The 2022 corrections year ended with a high number of deaths. Winkelman was the department’s leader. She stated that the deaths were not uncommon during a news conference in October. At that time, 15 people were in Corrections custody.
She had stated that while it was sad to see any deaths, it isn’t unusual and it wasn’t a reflection of our staff’s ability care for them. She called Corrections prisoners “a very sick population”.
Winkelman, despite acknowledging that 18 deaths were “too many”, reiterated Wednesday that the population was “unhealthy.”
She stated that statistics have shown that more than 50% of people have a chronic condition other than a common cold, COVID or some similar. “So they come to us past the point of prevention.”
According to the Corrections website, which Winkelman said was updated last week, of the 18 in-custody deaths in 2022, seven were a result of suicide and 11 were “natural.” Causes for natural death “include cancer, coronary, gastro-intestinal, chronic ethanol abuse, end-stage liver and renal disease, cardiovascular/pulmonary disease, hemorrhage, respiratory issues, infectious diseases, etc.” The category also includes deaths listed as “undetermined” by the State Medical Examiner’s Office, the website says. Others include accident and homicide. No deaths have occurred since 2022.
The website is the first to display the cause of deaths in-custody. Winkelman explained that it is part of department’s efforts to “get information out there to the general public”.
The department had not previously responded to the Beacon’s request to determine the cause of in custody deaths. This was especially true if the death was caused by apparent suicide. Instead, it deferred to Department of Health’s State Medical Examiner’s Office which determines the cause of deaths in custody. The Department of Health did not release this information due to privacy laws.
Winkelman explained to the committee that eight of the 18 deaths in 2022 were sentenced while 10 were left unsentenced. Winkelman also stated that 50% of the natural deaths received end-of-life treatment.
Website data on deaths in custody goes back to 2015 when 15 people were killed in Corrections custody. This was the highest number of in-custody deaths in a decade before 2022. According to Corrections, three of the deaths occurred due to suicide, one was homicide-related and eleven were natural.
Five suicides in 2020 were the next highest after 2022. Natural causes accounted for the remaining 14 deaths in that year.
Winkelman stated that Corrections has been working with Project 2025 to decrease suicides in custody. This nationwide initiative of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention aims to lower the suicide rate in America by 20% by 2025.
Corrections has a division that “works to develop and work alongside them and their resources.” Winkelman asked the committee: “Are we accurately and correctly assessing people when they arrive?” “Are there any audits that are done after the fact to ensure that we did what we needed to do, so that it doesn’t happen again?”
Winkelman stated that the commissioner’s office recently hired a new position for the coordination of the investigations that occur when someone dies while in Corrections custody. The department is also reviewing its death-of-prisoner policies and procedures.
“We have a group working on it, making sure that there were any updates, and that it was up for review. Winkelman stated that Law is currently reviewing the document.
To speak with a trained counselor if you or someone you care about is experiencing emotional distress, self-harm, or suicide thoughts, call or text 988.
The Alaska Beacon originally published this story. It is republished with permission.
