Alaska corrections chief makes prison policy changes

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska’s corrections chief says she has ended several policies and practices that raised public safety issues, including one that allowed inmates to be checked out on so-called day passes.

Nancy Dahlstrom says she could not find logs or documentation showing how many inmates were checked out under the program. Dahlstrom also says she ended a program that allowed some volunteers “almost unrestricted” prison access.

Language for the old policies no longer appeared on the Department of Corrections website.

Dahlstrom says she also ended use of so-called amnesty boxes, into which she said inmates could deposit items without an officer looking or asking questions. She says there was no written policy on the boxes.