Alaska2026Passed Legislature
HB172
Alaska HB172: Prison Placement and Cost Savings
Last scannedSep 10, 2026, 12:32 AM
In one sentence
This bill allows the Commissioner of Corrections to lower housing costs by combining facilities or placing prisoners in out-of-state prisons, while requiring reports on estimated savings.
What it does
- Allows the commissioner to investigate ways to reduce prison housing costs.
- Permits consolidating existing correctional facilities into fewer locations.
- Authorizes placing Alaska prisoners in prisons located outside of Alaska.
- Requires that prisoners with more than seven years left on their sentence be housed separately from non-Alaska residents if placed out-of-state.
- Mandates the Department of Corrections to estimate annual cost savings and report them as part of required information submissions.
Who it affects
- The Commissioner of Corrections
- Prisoners in Alaska with remaining sentences longer than seven years who are placed out-of-state
- Alaska correctional facilities
Limits and unknowns
- The bill does not specify which out-of-state facilities can be used.
- It is unclear how much money will actually be saved until the department makes its estimates.
- The legislature has the option, but no requirement, to use estimated savings for education purposes.
Plain language
Terms to know
- Commissioner of Corrections
- The state official authorized to designate prisoner placement and take action to reduce housing costs.
- Out-of-state facility
- A prison located in a different state than Alaska where prisoners may be placed.
Official record
Sources
Official summary
CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES; PLACEMENT An Act relating to correctional facilities; relating to the authority of the commissioner of corrections to designate the placement of prisoners; and requiring the Department of Corrections to estimate and report certain cost savings.
Official activity
Bill history
- (H) REFERRED TO STATE AFFAIRS604
- (H) STA, FIN604
- (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS604