Alaska

On October 25, 2023 the Alaska Department of Corrections Public Information Officer provided us with the following information concerning housing transgender individuals:

“We currently house prisoners according to their biological sex. Each new remand and transfer is screened and housed according to a scored potential for being victimized or for preying on others. Medical staff and Institution Probation Officers use the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Assessment Form which is reviewed after 30-days. If a transgender individual requests alternative housing, the facility reviews the request and makes a recommendation to a committee comprised of staff from the Divisions of Institutions, Health and Rehabilitation Services and PREA to make a determination.  Our current policy 808.09, Prisoner Housing, is still in effect.” 

State Policy: State of Alaska Department of Corrections Policies & Procedures Ch. 808, No. 808.19, Sexual Abuse / Sexual Assault and Reporting, dated Oct. 17, 2019.

IV. Screening:

A. The Department shall, within 72 hours of intake or prior to placement in general population, screen a prisoner for their risk for sexual victimization or abusiveness utilizing the PREA Risk Assessment module in the DOC offender management system or DOC Form 808.19A (PREA Risk Assessment).

. . .

1. A prisoner scoring as a potential aggressor or potential victim shall be entered in the Caution and Alerts indicating their risk.

2. Prisoners who indicate being transgender or intersex shall have an entry made in the Basic Information section under sex, to indicate the prisoner’s preference.

3. Prisoners who indicate that they are transgender, or intersex shall also have an entry made in the Cautions and Alert tab to indicate the prisoner’s preference.

. . .

C. Institutional staff shall consider the PREA Risk Assessment results when making placement assignments regarding work, housing and program assignments.

. . .

F. The PREA Risk Assessment shall be re-completed within 30 days of a prisoner’s arrival at the institution. The institution will reassess the prisoner’s risk of victimization or abusiveness based upon any additional, relevant information received by the institution since the intake screening. This shall be done via an interview of the prisoner utilizing the PREA Risk Assessment module in the DOC offender management system or the DOC form 808.19A (PREA Risk Assessment).

. . .

G. Within 72 hours of a prisoner’s transfer to another institution, the PREA Risk Assessment shall be re-completed via an interview of the prisoner utilizing the PREA Risk Assessment module in the DOC offender management system or the DOC form 808.19A (PREA Risk Assessment).

Additional State Policies: 

State of Alaska Department of Corrections Policies & Procedures Ch. 808, No. 09, Prisoner Housing, effective Mar. 2010.

State of Alaska Department of Corrections Policies and Procedures Ch. 808, No. 808.20, Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Investigations, dated Oct. 17, 2019.