Judiciary committee report finds Alaska Native share of prison population rose to 42% in 2023

Senator Klayman told the Senate that the judiciary committee has received the report ordered by House Bill 66 (passed in 2024) examining the overrepresentation of Alaska Native and American Indian people in Department of Corrections facilities.

"One of the big pieces of news from the report that we've now received is this actually getting worse," Klayman said, reporting that the share of Alaska Native and American Indian people in DOC facilities rose from about 35% in 2016 to 42% in 2023.

Klayman said the report highlights the need to expand restorative‑justice programs and reduce barriers to reentry so people leaving incarceration can more readily return to work and housing. He said the judiciary committee expects to hear the report on Friday.

What happens next: the committee will take formal testimony on the HB66 report at a scheduled hearing; any remedy proposals would require further committee work and possible statutory or budgetary changes.