Alaska paid $500,000 after a jail left a suicidal man alone, with no changes required
James Rider, 31, of Wasilla died by suicide in September 2022 at the Mat-Su Pretrial facility in Palmer about 11 days after booking. A 2023 ACLU of Alaska lawsuit said staff knew he was a suicide risk and he told them he had suicidal thoughts, yet he was moved to a cell alone. On March 31, 2026 an Anchorage Superior Court judge entered a $500,000 judgment against the state, including attorney fees; the state's offer said it was not an admission of fault, and the ACLU said the judgment does not require the Department of Corrections to change any operations. DOC did not respond to questions. DOC reported 18 in-custody deaths in 2025, tying the 2022 record, with at least four ruled suicides; it told the Alaska Beacon it has no plans to revive the internal death-investigation unit cut in 2018.
Rider's family said he told staff he was having thoughts of suicide but was moved to a cell alone.
Betsy Holley, a spokesperson for DOC, declined an interview but said by email Wednesday that the agency has no plans to resurrect that unit.
ten days later, Rider was found dead in a Palmer jail.
Contacted — no response by publication. This space stays open; any statement is added here in full.
No outcome recorded yet.