Alaska Department of Corrections

How to Search for State Prison Inmates in Alaska

The Alaska Department of Corrections began on January 3, 1959 when it first became a state. While there were prisoners in custody at the time, it was run by the United States Bureau of Prisons.

Alaska’s correctional facilities have a general capacity of 4,815 with a maximum capacity of 4,989. Unsentenced individuals make up more than half of the total incarcerated population. 

The following will explain the tricks and hacks you can use to find any inmate in custody with the Alabama Department of Corrections.

Since Alaska does not have its own online inmate search, it contracts with Vinelink Inmate Search Notification System to keep track of inmates, both sentenced and unsentenced, that it has in custody. The Vinelink System is updated daily, and sometimes more often.

In order to search for an inmate, you have to know the exact spelling of their full name, first AND last. The only information you will get after looking up an inmate, is the facility in which they are being held, their age and their race.

You do not need to register an account with Vinelink, although if you are registered you will be able to get the inmate's date of birth and their full Inmate ID# in the listing, as well as get notified when the inmate is moved to another facility, or is released.

Step 1

• Go to the Alaska Vinelink page.
• Enter their First and last Name.

Step 2

• Review the listing.
• At this stage you can create an account in order to see their Date of Birth, ID #, and be notified if they are moved to another facility, or if they are released.

Local Jails in Alaska

There are some short term local jails in Alaska that are for short term or temporary incarcerations, and managed by local police or tribal associations, however almost all offenders, while awaiting court dates for serious crimes, are held in one of Alaska's State Prisons overseen by the Alaska Department of Corrections.

And as mentioned above, you can search for an Alaskan inmate online with Vinelink.

After an arrest, an offender In Alaska is sometimes held in the jail of the city or borough where they were apprehended until they either pay a bond or bail, which entitles them to be released upon a promise to return to court for their trial, or they are held until their trial. Others are held in the facilities run by the Alaska Department of Corrections.

If an offender is found guilty and is given a sentence of short sentence of a week or two, he or she will do their time in that local jail.

If they are found guilty and given a longer sentence, they will be remanded to the Alaska Department of Corrections to do their time. The only exception is if their crime is a federal offense. In that case they will be tried in a federal court and if found guilty, will be remanded to a federal prison.

Only approved visitors and immediate verifiable family members listed in ACOMS can mail money (money orders or cashiers checks only) to an inmate.  $500.00 Maximum per month.

The envelope MUST HAVE the sender's full name and return address on the envelope. 

The envelope MUST be addressed as follows:
Prisoner's Name
ACOMS #
Name of Institution
Address of Institution
City, State, Zip Code

In-person Offender Trust Account funds cash window is only open Tuesday-Thursday, by appointment only, 8:30 a.m. - Noon and 1:00 - 3:00 p.m., EXCLUDING holidays.

Monetary gifts will only be accepted if you are an immediate family member, if you have previously visited with the inmate, or if you have previously deposited to the inmate's account.

All money orders and acceptable checks will have a ten-day hold placed on them. Acceptable checks are State, Federal, and Native Corporation checks.

All money orders and acceptable checks will need to be mailed and will not be accepted by the Receptionists.

Alaska Department of Corrections Visitation Information and Schedule

Refer to the Visitation Schedule for Alaska Department of Corrections on this page.

Visitation Rules and Guidelines

All visitors must be 18 years of age or older to visit.

Minors under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian and the birth certificate/guardianship paperwork must be presented when signing up for visitation.

All visitors are required to register and record their name, address, and relationship to the inmate.

All visitors must have current identification each time you visit, regardless of age, (Driver's license, state ID, Passport, Military ID, Tribal ID are acceptable forms of Identification).

Inmates will be allowed no more than one (1) visiting session per day not to exceed one (1) hour, and are allowed up to but not exceeding three (3) visitors per visiting session. This includes children and clergy. This does not include Attorneys' or law enforcement

Visitors are limited to visiting one inmate in a 30 day period, unless approved through security. Exceptions to this would be if you have more than one immediate family member in custody at the same time. In that situation you would have to visit them on different days.

Attorney visits may occur by appointment only any time between 8:00 am - 10:00 pm Please schedule 24-hours in advance: 907-334-2381

The Alaska Department of Corrections Inmate Phone System is Securus. 

Sign up with Securus by clicking the banner below.

1.  AdvanceConnect – Good Option - You control all phone numbers your inmate can call.

This type of account offers you the following benefits:
•    You are able to receive inmate calls as long as funds are available in your account.
•    You can add multiple phone numbers to your account so your inmate can reach your home phone, work phone, cell phone, other relatives, neighbors, friends, etc.
•    Calls WILL connect to cell phones.

2.  Inmate Debit – Inmate can call anyone they choose (subject to jail's approval)

This type of account offers you the following benefits:
•    You can fund an Inmate Debit account without having your own calling account.
•    Inmates can call anyone on their approved calling list without requiring friends and family to create separate prepaid accounts.
•    Calls WILL connect to cell phones.
•    Funds placed in the Inmate Debit account will become the property of the inmate and friends & family members will not be able to receive refunds on this account. 

3. Direct Bill - You receive calls from your inmate, and the charges are billed to you monthly.

• Requires a credit check. 
• Costs more.
• Good for lawyers, bail bonds, long-term inmates, etc.

Resources
Contact Securus by Phone:  972-734-1111 or 800-844-6591
Contact Securus Online
Frequently Asked Questions
Submit a Question for Securus Online
Online Rate Quote

Alaska Department of Corrections Inmate & Family Voicemail

Securus Outbound Voicemail provides your inmate an opportunity to leave a message for their family and friends when a call to their mobile goes unanswered. Once the inmate leaves a voicemail, a text message containing a link will be sent to the dialed number. The recipient of the inmate's voicemail is then sent to a web form to pay and listen to the message. The voicemail will be available for up to 30 days after it is sent, and then another 30 days after it is paid for.

Securus Phone System Cost & Fees - *Subject to Change

ADVANCE CONNECT Phone Calls 
$0.21 per minute

INMATE DEBIT Phone Calls
$0.21 per minute

DIRECT BILL Phone Calls
$0.25 per minute

TRADITIONAL COLLECT Phone Calls
$0.25 per minute

VOICEMAIL Message
One minute - $0.75 per minute

For current online rate quote, go here.

Alaska Department of Corrections Inmate Mail Guidelines

Postcards
The Alaska Department of Corrections allows inmates to receive pre-metered postcards like the type purchased from the post office. They may also allow certain photo postcards as long as they have not been tampered with or contain images that may be considered to be obscene or violent in nature. It is best to only use blue or black ink. Always include your name and return address.

Envelopes
The Alaska Department of Corrections also allows envelopes to be mailed to inmates. It is best to only use blue or black ink.

Envelopes must be white, be less than 9" x 12", commercially produced, made of tearable paper only, must not have stickers or labels or drawings on them. No glitter, paper clips or staples.

The paper must be white copy paper or white lined paper only.

Photos must not exceed ten per day and be no larger than 4" x 6".

Photos may only be accepted directly from the following vendors:  Walmart photo, Shutterfly, Pelipost, and Free Prints Now.

Only approved visitors and immediate verifiable family members listed in ACOMS can mail money (money orders or cashiers checks only) to an inmate.  $500.00 Maximum per month.

Postcards and envelopes MUST HAVE the sender's full name and return address on the envelope. 

Postcards and envelopes MUST be addressed as follows:
Prisoner's Name
ACOMS #
Name of Institution
Address of Institution
City, State, Zip Code

Legal Mail

All Legal Mail must be addressed as follows:
Prisoner's Name
ACOMS #
Name of Institution
Address of Institution
City, State, Zip Code

Newspapers
Newspapers may also be mailed to an inmate as long as they are shipped directly from the publisher.

Magazines
News, special interest or sports magazines may also be mailed to an inmate as long as they are shipped directly from the publisher. Any magazines that contain profanity, weapons, pornography or other content that is adult in nature will be confiscated by the jail staff and will NOT be delivered to the inmate.

Books
The Alaska Department of Corrections allows books to be mailed directly to the jail from a reputable source such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Books-A-Million. You can order them directly from your computer and have them shipped to the inmate at the address noted.
Books must NOT contain images or content that are considered excessively violent, pornographic or obscene. Any book that does not meet the Alaska Department of Corrections standards will be disposed of. 
Hard cover books will not be accepted by the jail due to their potential to be used as a weapon.

All newspapers, magazines and books must be addressed as follows:
Prisoner's Name
ACOMS #
Name of Institution
Address of Institution
City, State, Zip Code

Once an inmate is convicted and sentenced for a violation of that state’s felony laws (and their sentence is more than one year in length), they are moved from the City or County Jail and sent to a State Prison in Alaska. If the violation they are convicted of is a federal crime, they will be sent to a Federal Prison, but will not necessarily be doing their time in Alaska.

Alaska State Prisons are operated and maintained by the state government and are used to confine and rehabilitate criminals. State prisons are funded by state tax money. The fund is used to provide food and clothes to inmates and to hire employees to keep the prison running. Inmates in state prison enjoy certain privileges such as TV use and recreation, both indoor and outdoor. The number of privileges allowed depends on the security level of the prison, the inmate and the overall needs of the prison on a specific day.

Alaska has minimum, medium and maximum security prisons. The Corrections Department in Alaska also maintains low (or no) security residential settings and camps where inmates assist in state property maintenance and duties such as fighting fires. Almost all prisons provide ‘jobs’ where an inmate can earn a small hourly wage and even learn a trade. Some prisons even contract with call centers and handle phone calls on issues related to their state government. Criminals who have committed a violent crime or killed someone are likely housed in a maximum security prison. If the inmate in these prisons behave, they are also eligible to recreate and/or work as well.

In Alaska Prisons rehabilitation is the stated goal but the reality is that they exist to punish inmates for their crimes and keep them from hurting or harming innocent people on the outside who follow the laws and live and act responsibly. The fact is that most prison systems are underfunded, overcrowded and are not able to spend time and money rehabilitating offenders. This is not the fault of the people hired to work in prisons, they are just victims of the lack of resources due to budgeting constraints.

State Inmate

Most states have Department of Corrections websites that allow you to type in a felon's first and last name and pull up inmates in that state.

If you need to find a sentenced inmate serving time in a state other than Alaska, go here. To find an inmate in Alaska, just scroll to the top of the page and click on the Inmate Search button.

Once you locate them click next to the inmate's name or on the link provided and it will show you which prison the inmate is housed in. If the inmate is no longer incarcerated, but is on parole/probation or discharged, it will tell you that as well. In addition, many state prison inmate pages show recent mug shots.

Federal Inmate

The federal prison system has its own inmate locator called the Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator.

Type in the inmate's name and it will tell you where he or she is incarcerated and their projected release date. It also lists released federal prison inmates and the date they were released.

Federal inmates who are moved from one prison to another will show as "No longer in federal custody" on the system until they reach their next federal prison destination. This movement can take a few days to several months to complete, so keep checking back to find out where the inmate was taken.

ICE Inmates

The ICE Detainee Lookup allows friends, family members and interested parties to locate illegal and/or undocumented immigrants that are in the United States without permission.

Has the Inmate been recently arrested?... Try a County Jail

In many cases, the person you are looking for has either not been convicted or sentenced or has been sentenced and is awaiting transport to a State or Federal Prison and is still incarcerated in a City or County Jail.

To locate that person, go here to first find the State, and then the County where they were originally arrested or have been transported to. From there you can begin your search in our databases that contain the names and information of millions of inmates.

Jailexchange.com has all information on every jail and prison in the United States.