Suzette Welton, Appellant v. State of Alaska, Department of Corrections, Appellee

Summary

The Alaska Supreme Court affirmed three superior court dismissals of administrative appeals from Department of Corrections grievance proceedings. It held that the grievance process was not adjudicative and produced only an inadequate paper record, so the constitutional-rights exception allowing judicial review of certain DOC decisions did not confer appellate jurisdiction. The court stated that the ruling did not prevent Welton from pursuing the claims through an independent civil action.