Alaska Members - Tell Us Your Story

[jacs kat]

I have dealt a bit with the Anchorage JAil and now the Palmer Pre Trial facility. Anchorage JAil sucked (or at least one of the guards did...can u say bee-ahch???) I went daily for 69 days to the Anchorage Jail and it wasn't all that bad, ya had to be there at least 45 mins ahead of visitation, you had to have a valid id, and yeah ya had to walk (not ride the elevators) up 3 flights of stairs to the vistaion areas (3 per mod)...You can only visit once a day but more than one person can visit with you...in the first 24 hours you get to visit anytime in that 24 hours....
Now I am dealing with Palmer Pre-trial which is about the same....(PALMER COPS SUCK!!!!!grrrrrrrrrrr as they always harrass perps they know and never find anyone new ....)

Anyway my b/f's arresst came in August 2007 we had just left a bar (yeah he knew he was revoked shhh) and were at a stop sign. A cop drove by headed left of us so we drove behind him. He drove through 2 parking lights to come around behind us. He simply pulled us for the fact that he knew my b/f was revoked (yeah by the way here in Alaska that's all they need they can use visual recognition to pull you over even if you did nothing wrong...how's that for a nasty surprise...grrrr) ...anyway he passed 3 sobriety tests in the field before they made him blow a .1 (legal is .08). He was released 3 days later to me and another 3rd party but he onlly stayed clean about a week (he is a alcoholic with split personalities by the way )...anyway Thursday night I had to revoke his bond and have him arressted and we are still awaiting trial for last year's incident....his PD is bright and has been fighting his case well the DA's office was late int he Rule 45 (time) and our attorney filed a motion to sanction the DA's office for failure to produce evidence timely and they in turn uped my b/f's charge from misdomenor to felony. So we lost the Rule 45 thing but are now filing a motion for MAlicious Prosecution and again the DA's office is past his allotted response time....so that should be heard here in the next 2 weeks. If we win that then he gets bumped back down to misdomenor or the case gets thrown out.....(yeah good luck on that one...) anyway he faces a possible 5 years for his driving that night (he was driving cause I couldn't for once and he's not drank anything near his norm and it was only the first time he'd driven DUI since 2003 and his revocation was within 24 hours of being done...nice huh?
So anyway that's the Alaska court system for ya...it plain out sucks... hoping if he stays lengthy time he will be in PAlmer Correctional but don't know yet....

JAC's Kat

[Pro Se Mike]

I would like to hear about the conditions in each correctional center.

My time in Lemon Creek CC, 2003, was not all that bad after I was moved to the 'mod' from the dorm room. I base this comparison on 5 months in the federal detention center (Seatac), the federal transfer center (OKC), and 8 days in Cook Inlet Pretrial Anchorage.

Conditions:Lemon Creek (Juneau) 2003: poor library with limited access, no copier, one portable typewriter, legal work impossible, food good, outside rec regular, TV in each 2 man cell if you had money to pay cable rate and electricity charges, city taxes were illegally added to comissary bill
CIPT (2003): milk twice in 8 days; sleep in a plastic tub ('boat') on the floor in the way of 2 cellies, use toilet in front of picture window, outside exercise in small area 45 minutes a day. Shabby library. Phone use a joke.
Seatac- cold food, no outside exposure, segregation of groups, law library 1 hour a week, extensive lock downs, mail tampering, phone very limited.
Federal transfer center OKC: Three Conair trips shackled 11 hours, plane gate is direct into prison, processed (intake) took hours waiting in unventillated concrete rooms, food plastic, no useable TV, no outside area, the ultimate definition of warehoused humans.
The 40 other months I served was at 3 prison camps around the country. But I think this question is addressed to Alaska CC's.
What about Arizona's prisoner warehouse?

[mechmom]

I am Mechele Linehan's mom. As most people are aware of my daughter was convicted of murder in a highly profiled trial held in Anchorage Oct. 2007. We are currently waiting for an appeal. I have felt very alone in this sad journey dispite a wonderful and loving support group of family and friends. I hope to find more people that are in this situation and help find solutions to problems our loved ones may be encountering as well as some solace and comfort for ourselves.

[Dale'sforever]

Welcome to PTO and the Alaska forum!

[907girl]

Hey everyone! I've been floating around the site for a couple of months now so I guess I should actually take a second to post here in the AK forum. My husband is currently at FCC and will be through at least late fall/early winter. After that we're at the mercy of DOC for the next 5-7 years. We're hoping for a transfer to either the Pt. Mac Farm or Wildwood at this point. He's currently classified as medium security so I know he's not eligible for Pt. Mac right now, but he'll likely be re-classified as minimum after the official sentencing. Any thoughts/stories/advice in regard to either of those places?

[Dale'sforever]

Welcome to PTO and the Alaska forum...glad to have you here!

[Lecon]

I spent 16 years in the Alaska prison system. The last eight were in Arizona. I just got out April 25, 2007. I am still clean and sober. Working at the FoodBank of Alaska. I do not know if my intro was lost so here I am again. I updated my profile. Added pictures.

[Dale'sforever]

Welcome to the Alaska forum, Lecon!

[MelanaB]

My son's dad was in Anchorage Correctional Complex West awaiting trial... never got to visit him... but he told me they only had non-contact visits...

[ours107]

Well, In 2002 my twins father was in cook Inlet pre-trial waiting for trial for a little over a year. He got visits everyday and contact visits with the babies every week. I was also abble to have contact visits with other people the same week. The whole system was so laid back.All of them got free phone calls everyday- all day, so my phone never stopped ringing. Cook inlet pretrial was like summer camp for them boys. I don't think they ever understood what serious trouble they were in. I was even able to take him some Nike's and sweats( street clothes) to wear.
Now he's at the Supermax prison in colorado... big boys prison. I don't think they had a clue.

[bespeck]

My daughter is in jail at Wildwood in Kenai. This is so hard on me, I live in Rhode, can not talk to you (even with a prepaid account) because my landline and cell phone are with T-Mobile. They hold cashier checks for 10 days and by then I will be up there. Can't trust any of her friend to put money on her account. Tried that, they kept the money and spent it on drugs.

She's my only child and up until now she's never been in trouble and she 35. Has lost everything. The drinking/drugging started with the divorce a year ago after 14 years and two wonderful children. She's guilty, she's at fault for making unwise choices. But she is also my daughter and I love her. Pray for her.

[aspiecelia]

I just went to a lot of effort to gather web page links about my stay in the prison system and then you won't let me post them. Very frustrating site. I am looking for anyone working on prison reform in Alaska. The ACLU is writing a report about the prison system, but I think they will wimp out. It is clear they are not going to file the lawsuit that was hoped for.

[melissa323]

Originally Posted by protecttheyoung

I visit at Spring Creek in Seward Alaska every week and I used to visit at Anchorage Jail every day.
Anchorage jail West side sucks. You get locked in a room just like you are a prisoner. You have to call and stay on hold for at least an hour in hopes that you will be one of the people that get one of the 4 or 5 visiting rooms in your zone. You have to call to get a visit you cannot just show up. Even if there is open slots you cannot go in. They are super rude on that side. If you have to go to the bathroom, your visit is ended. You have to talk through a phone that usually doesn't work so you get to yell through the glass (very thick).
They automatically assume if you are there visiting you are a criminal.
Anchorage jail East is first come first serve. It is better than West but still bad.
Spring Creek in Seward has much better visits. No bathroom but they will take you up to go to the bathroom and not end your visit. They listen to every phone call that goes into that jail and read a lot into them. They make a lot of assumptions and you know what that does. Most of the CO's there are great.
The superintendent there is very helpful.
All of the prisons in Alaska treat the visitor like they are a criminal just because you are visiting someone that is. It is most degrading when you have never committed a crime in your life, never been to jail and would not consider ever doing anything to put yourself there. You just happen to be visiting someone that made a bad choice.

Hey, sorry I know I am INCREDIBLY late to this thread but just wondering if you could elaborate more on the Spring Creek visits. I am hoping to visit my PP there next year for the first time and we talk on the phone a lot. What did you mean when you said they read a lot into the phone calls? That has worried me slightly - not that we ever talk about anything we shouldn't

[chosenmemories]

Hi Melissa. The post you are referring to was made in 2006. Quite a bit has changed at Spring Creek Correctional since then. I have a good friend that visits out there quite often and she shares details of visitation all the time.

As far as contact visitation in Alaska, you should be aware that you are allowed a brief hug at the beginning of visitation and at the end. That is standard throughout the State and they are quite serious about it so I would not linger too long. There is on other physical contact allowed during visitation, for example you cannot hold hands, kiss, or touch in any way other than the brief hug I previously mentioned. If you violate those rules it is possible they will terminate the visit.

As far as the telephone conversation, you should keep in mind that SCCC is the only Maximum custody facility in the State of Alaska. All phone calls to the facilities in Alaska are monitored. Because it is a maximum facility their calls are monitored more closely. So it goes without saying that even if you are joking about a particular matter over the phone, those monitoring calls are going to take it seriously, and depending on the subject matter they will respond accordingly. So I would say just be mindful of that during your conversations.

Visiting any facility for the first time can be intimidating. You will have to go through the check-in process, pass through the metal detector and of course you will be watched during visit, but this is the case in any of the facilities. It is their job to ensure you and your PP are adhering to the rules. Be mindful of your surroundings, act accordingly and you will have a lovely time.

I can tell you this much, do not linger outside by the gates before or after the visit. Do not stand outside waving or calling to your PP if you happen to see him entering or leaving. Dress appropriately. Get yourself inside and follow the CO instructions and you will be fine.

I hope you have a wonderful visit. If you have any other questions, please feel free to PM me any time. =)

[Sajia]

I visit there often and the most important thing is that you follow the rules and protocols of the visitation handbook. Once you enter the facility you will be checked in and then given a locker to place your belongings in. You will do all the things that chosen memories has posted . Be mindful a hug is a brief hug . You can not hold hands ,touch each other as you are strictly monitored by the Co's in the visiting room. You need to dress appropriately no revealing attire . Or you may not even get in you might be asked to leave and come back in more appropriate attire. Be very mindful and respectful. I have been visiting there for years now and I make sure to follow all the rules and guidelines. Just make sure you find out all the rules before visiting.
I hope this helps