Goose Creek Correctional Center

Goose Creek Correctional Center in Wasilla, Alaska has a capacity of 1536 inmates and is the largest correctional center in the state. It contains two separate living units, one for inmates with disciplinary issues and one for pre-trial detainees, and is capable of carrying out executions. In July 2022, the prison plans to have more than 1000 prisoners, including some 600 who have been housed out of state in Colorado, and by September 2023, the number will rise to about 1450. It is a medium security facility that houses both male and female inmates, and is the first prison to be built in the state in twenty years. Visitation days are Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 3:00pm and Saturday from 8:00am to 11:00am. The phone number is 907-864-8100, and the email address is [email protected]. Inmates can receive mail at PO Box 877790 Wasilla, AK 99687. Visitation for the general population of inmates is on Saturdays, Sundays, and state designated holidays with two sessions, a morning session from 8:30am-11:30am and an afternoon session from 1:00pm-4:00pm. Protective custody inmates have weekend visitation on Sundays from 9pm-10pm. Attorneys can arrange to have a video visitation with the inmate 12 hours in advance. Inmates are allowed one or two visits per week, ranging from 15 minutes to one hour in length each visit. Video visitation is available daily from 9:00 am - 9:00 pm. Visitors must be properly dressed before checking in to visit an inmate and any clothing or clothing articles that are considered inappropriate will not be permitted to be worn in the visitation area. Minors who are family members of a prisoner must be accompanied by an adult who is either an immediate family member or is approved by the superintendent. The prison was designed to bring Alaskan inmates closer to home, with five separate buildings and a focus on creating a sense of personal responsibility for inmates. It has an industrial feel, with gray concrete floors and unadorned white walls, as well as 800 cameras monitoring inmates. Additionally, it was built to keep construction costs low by using Thermomass products which provide a durable, low-maintenance surface ideal for correctional facilities. The Alaska Department of Corrections has constitutional and statutory obligations to provide health care to those in its custody and has taken steps to protect its employees from harm, such as making changes to safety protocols in the last few months. The ACLU of Alaska has urged the state to downsize the footprint of prisons immediately, especially for aging and vulnerable inmates. The facility has seen several issues with inmates, including deaths, underlying health conditions, bribery and conspiracy charges against a correctional officer, an alleged cover up of a planned assault on a correctional officer, and the recent case of an inmate testing positive for COVID-19.