Opinion: Fighting for justice for woman who died in Alaska prison

Nearly two years ago, a longtime reentry and homelessness advocate called to relay the story of Kitty Douglas’ life and death: The 20-year-old woman from the traditionally Inupiaq village of White Mountain, photographed with a sweet, girlish smile, died in June 2022 at Highland Mountain Correctional Center, days after being charged with a crime she never appeared to be charged with.

I was overwhelmed when I read the complaint filed in court in late May by attorneys seeking justice for Kitty’s family. The Department of Corrections (DOC) will finally be held accountable for failing to protect a woman who was forcibly detained. Justice will finally be achieved for a life lost so young. But in my heart, I know that the ultimate justice for Kitty would have been for her to have access to the resources she needed to live a healthy and thriving life.

Kitty moved to Anchorage at a young age in search of new opportunities. Here, she fell victim to Alaska’s broken social welfare system, struggling with mental health and housing. In early summer 2022, she was using the services of the city’s only large-scale, low-barrier shelter. But the city decided to close the shelter, leaving people to fend for themselves in the woods of Centennial Park. During the eviction, Kitty was arrested for property damage. Caseworkers tried to intervene (Kitty was young enough to find another shelter at Covenant House), but the police officers ignored their pleas.

Instead, Kitty was housed at the Anchorage Correctional Institution and then transferred to a women’s prison in Eagle River, Alaska. According to caseworkers, advocates, and Kitty’s own family, her struggles with mental illness were well documented, including her most recent mental health evaluation days before her death.

However, DOC ignored her symptoms and did not follow their own procedures.

Kitty Douglas was found dead in her cell at 7:18pm on June 11, 2022, less than a week after she was incarcerated. She was discovered by corrections officers an hour after she committed suicide.

We have many questions about what happened in the final weeks and hours of her life.

But we know full well that her death could have been prevented… if only.

I wish Anchorage had a stable system of support for people experiencing homelessness, instead of using the poor as political pawns.

I wish the police officers involved with her had used their discretion and allowed the caseworker who could have helped her to actually help her.

I wish Alaska had adequate mental health resources.

I wish DOC hadn’t ignored the signs and given Kitty the support she needed.

I have learned so much about Kitty since she passed away. She was a daughter and a friend. She was loved by many.

She was also a tragic inspiration for the Alaska Prison Project.

Her case was the first death we investigated. We now investigate all deaths that occur in DOC custody. As tragic as what we learned was, Kitty’s case is not unique.

Since the start of 2022, 39 people have died in DOC custody. Most were under the age of 40, had only been in DOC custody for a short time, and more than half had never been convicted of a crime. Many of the deaths were Alaska Native.

Last year, 52 homeless people died in Anchorage.

It’s easy to see people like Kitty, and all those dying in prisons, homeless camps, or strapped to a hospital bed, as people living out their fates by choice. But human beings are complex, and the labels society assigns to our most vulnerable — “homeless,” “prisoner,” “addict,” “mentally ill” — are not identities, but conditions that can be overcome.

Kitty was punished for being human, not for causing harm.

You can’t escape a problem by putting people in prison. You need to meet people’s needs, not punish them for having needs. Kitty Douglas might still be alive.

Megan Edge He is the director of the ACLU of Alaska’s Prison Project, a former journalist, DOC employee, and lifelong Alaskan.

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