Alaska DOC Adult Pay to Stay Policy
| Submitted | Dec. 15, 2022 |
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Communications
From: Mercy Loyo
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Alaska Public Records Act, I hereby request the following records:
The following materials regarding the imposition, assessment, collection and balances of inmate fees and debt:
a) All current policies and procedures regarding medical and room & board costs or fees for which inmates are or may become liable. Please include all policies and procedures related to how fees are set, accrued, imposed, collected, and enforced (such as those related to per diem fees, ability to pay determinations, penalties for late or non-payment, authorization for civil or criminal action for payment enforcement, etc).
b) All reports, databases, spreadsheets, or equivalent materials regarding debts/restitution paid to or owed to this department or any facility/agency under its jurisdiction in FY2021. Please include all relevant data regarding medical and room & board costs, including the number of individuals charged for medical and room & board costs or fees and the total amount of medical and room & board fees imposed in FY2021.
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Mercy Loyo
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Alaska Public Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Dec. 15, 2022. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Department of Corrections
Good morning,
On December 29, 2022, the Alaska Department of Corrections (DOC) received your public records request (PRR).
You requested the following:
a) All current policies and procedures regarding medical and room & board costs or fees for which inmates are or may become liable. Please include all policies and procedures related to how fees are set, accrued, imposed, collected, and enforced (such as those related to per diem fees, ability to pay determinations, penalties for late or non-payment, authorization for civil or criminal action for payment enforcement, etc).
b) All reports, databases, spreadsheets, or equivalent materials regarding debts/restitution paid to or owed to this department or any facility/agency under its jurisdiction in FY2021. Please include all relevant data regarding medical and room & board costs, including the number of individuals charged for medical and room & board costs or fees and the total amount of medical and room & board fees imposed in FY2021.
As allowed by 2AAC 96.325, I anticipate being able to provide the information you request in ten working days of receipt of your request, on January 13, 2023.
It is important to note there may be a cost associated with public records searches, an estimate of which is based on the parameters of your search. Once you acknowledge you would like to proceed with this request, I can provide you with an estimated cost of the search. Please note that the estimate is for costs associated with searching DOC records and is no guarantee that any responsive records exist. We may not locate any records responsive to your request, and you will still be charged the search fee. If responsive records are located, then those documents allowable for release will be made available to you.
Respectfully,
Betsy
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From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Alaska Public Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Dec. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on Jan. 13, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Department of Corrections
This is to advise you that I am extending the basic 10-working-day period for the remainder of your request. I expect to be able to respond to your request on or before January 27, 2023. This extension is not invoked for purposes of delay. The cause for extension is in accordance with 2 AAC 96.325(d)(1) which states the need to search for and collect the requested records from a field office separate from the office responsible for maintaining the records.
I am working diligently to process your request and anticipate that I will be able to provide a response on or before the extended deadline.
Betsy
Betsy Holley
Public Information Officer
Alaska Department of Corrections
From: Department of Corrections
January 27, 2023
Mercy Loyo
Via MuckRock News
Via email: requests@muckrock.com<mailto:requests@muckrock.com>
Mercy,
I am responding to your December 29, 2022 public records request for the following:
a) "All current policies and procedures regarding medical and room & board costs or fees for which inmates are or may become liable. Please include all policies and procedures related to how fees are set, accrued, imposed, collected, and enforced (such as those related to per diem fees, ability to pay determinations, penalties for late or non-payment, authorization for civil or criminal action for payment enforcement, etc).
b) All reports, databases, spreadsheets, or equivalent materials regarding debts/restitution paid to or owed to this department or any facility/agency under its jurisdiction in FY2021. Please include all relevant data regarding medical and room & board costs, including the number of individuals charged for medical and room & board costs or fees and the total amount of medical and room & board fees imposed in FY2021."
Records responsive to your request are provided, as follows:
a) Our complete Policies and Procedures are available in the public domain and as such, we are not required to provide them (2 AAC 96.100 (b))
b) a responsive spreadsheet it attached.
Respectfully,
Betsy
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From: Mercy Loyo
Hi,
Thanks so much for your help with this request! I really appreciate it.
I noticed that the records you sent over only have medical fees, but not room and board costs charged to those incarcerated in your facilities. I have found statutory evidence that suggests the department is authorized to collect room and board fees. Below for your reference is the statute:
Sec. 33.30.201. Compensation of prison inmates; deductions; disbursement; liens.
(a) Each prisoner who is productively employed, as defined in AS 33.30.191(g)(1) or (3) — (5), may receive for that work compensation at a rate determined by the commissioner under this section if the money is available from legislative appropriations. Compensation established by the commissioner under this section may not exceed 50 percent of the minimum wage established in AS 23.10.065; however, if required to comply with a federal statute or regulation, a higher compensation may be established by the commissioner.
(b) If compensation established under (a) of this section is 50 percent or more of the minimum wage established in AS 23.10.065, the commissioner may deduct the cost of confinement of the prisoner up to the statewide average cost of confinement before disbursements are made under (c) of this section.
(c) The commissioner shall disburse compensation received under (a) of this section, after any deduction required by (b) of this section, in the following order of priority:
(1) for support of the prisoner's dependents, if any;
(5) for the payment of fees for the prisoner's utilities services under AS 33.30.017;
I would like to request all reports, databases, spreadsheets, or equivalent materials regarding the room and board fees assessed to those incarcerated in Alaska DOC facilities or any facility/agency under its jurisdiction in FY2021. Please include all relevant data regarding room and board costs, including the number of individuals charged and the total amount of room and board fees imposed in FY2021.
Sincerely,
Mercy Loyo
From: Department of Corrections
Did you see the second page to the spreadsheet? With the CRC payments?
If that doesn’t sufficiently answer your questions, let me know and I’ll look into it.
Thanks.
Betsy
Betsy Holley
Public Information Officer
Alaska Department of Corrections
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