How the state uses prison labor in Juneau to subsidize its ferry system

Incarcerated workers at Lemon Creek Correctional Center move clean sheets at the prison’s laundry warehouse on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (Photo by Clarise Larson/KTOO)
The State of Alaska is constantly looking for budget savings. One of its lesser-known ways? Relying on the prison population to do state work on the cheap. Some advocates argue the pay is too low. 
In Juneau, a hidden workforce inside Juneau’s Lemon Creek Correctional Center helps to keep the state’s ferry sy