Alaska jails want more flexibility to grant inmate furloughs

The Alaska Department of Corrections wants more flexibility in deciding whether a prisoner can be released on furlough.

A furlough is a release of an inmate into a halfway house to help the inmate reintegrate into society. Furloughs are only available to inmates who are within three years of their release date and are granted at the discretion of a Department of Corrections regional director.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that a regulation change is up for public comment through Friday.

The current law forbids jails from furloughing inmates who are being investigated for disciplinary action or who have been found guilty of "major" or "high-moderate" jail infractions in the previous four months.