State to seek bids for sending inmates out of state

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Department of Corrections plans to seek bids for housing inmates out of state, saying its institutions are near capacity and opening a moth-balled facility will take too long.

Corrections Commissioner Nancy Dahlstrom says the proposal to send inmates outside Alaska is the best way to address immediate growth in the prison population.

The department projected an increase in inmates with the passage of legislation rolling back provisions of a criminal justice overhaul.

The department Tuesday said reopening the Palmer Correctional Center would have taken at least...