Donald McDonald v. State of Alaska, Department of Corrections, Alaska Parole Board, and Nancy Dahlstrom

Summary

The court affirmed dismissal of McDonald’s civil complaint challenging the denial of discretionary parole because the substance of his claims constituted a collateral attack that had to be brought through post-conviction relief. The court rejected his characterization of the claims as challenges to prison conditions or treatment. It noted that the superior court should have converted the complaint into a post-conviction relief application rather than dismissing it, but declined to address that issue because McDonald did not raise it and the filing appeared untimely.