Lawsuit alleges people imprisoned in Alaska receive inadequate health care
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A federal lawsuit filed on behalf of people imprisoned in Alaska alleges the state Department of Corrections provides inadequate medical, mental health and dental care, calling it a systemic issue that goes back years.
PHOTO COLLECTION: AP Top Photos of the Day, Thursday, December 5, 2024
Protesters march to the presidential office after a candlelight vigil against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
The body 18-month-old Sham Shurrab is carried by her uncle for burial in the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike at the Muwassi camp, outside the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. Israeli airstrikes struck the camp for displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza on Wednesday, killing at least 21 people, according to the head of a nearby hospital. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his ‘plan for change’ speech in Buckinghamshire, England, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Darren Staples, Pool)
The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is lit during the 92nd annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
People watch the 92nd annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
A South Korean marine veteran gets his head shaved during a rally against President Yoon Suk Yeol in front of the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Protesters march to the presidential office after a candlelight vigil against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Protesters march to the presidential office after a candlelight vigil against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
The body 18-month-old Sham Shurrab is carried by her uncle for burial in the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike at the Muwassi camp, outside the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. Israeli airstrikes struck the camp for displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza on Wednesday, killing at least 21 people, according to the head of a nearby hospital. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
The body 18-month-old Sham Shurrab is carried by her uncle for burial in the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike at the Muwassi camp, outside the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. Israeli airstrikes struck the camp for displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza on Wednesday, killing at least 21 people, according to the head of a nearby hospital. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his ‘plan for change’ speech in Buckinghamshire, England, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Darren Staples, Pool)
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his ‘plan for change’ speech in Buckinghamshire, England, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Darren Staples, Pool)
The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is lit during the 92nd annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is lit during the 92nd annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
People watch the 92nd annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
People watch the 92nd annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
A South Korean marine veteran gets his head shaved during a rally against President Yoon Suk Yeol in front of the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A South Korean marine veteran gets his head shaved during a rally against President Yoon Suk Yeol in front of the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
The class action lawsuit filed Thursday by the American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska and ACLU National Prison Project names as defendants Gov. Mike Dunleavy and corrections officials. Corrections spokesperson Betsy Holley declined comment Friday, saying the agency had not yet seen a copy of the lawsuit. The Alaska Department of Law also had not been served, spokesperson Sam Curtis said.
At any one time, about 4,400 people are in Department of Corrections custody, including people who are being detained before trials, according to the lawsuit. It says the state “routinely” denies medical services to incarcerated people based on their pre-trial status and says people often end up for years in corrections facilities while awaiting trial due to court system delays in handling criminal cases. The lawsuit cites as examples individuals who it says were denied needed eye surgery or dental treatment other than tooth extraction because of their pretrial status.
The lawsuit also claims the state fails to provide “timely or adequate” access to health care and specialty care, denies access to assistive devices and doesn’t have enough health care staff. It asks a judge to order the state to develop and implement a plan addressing the concerns.