Hundreds gather at State Capitol to demand prison reform

Hundreds of people gathered on the steps of the Alabama State Capitol on Wednesday morning to honor more than 1,500 people who have died in Alabama prisons since 2019 and to “demand transparency, accountability, and immediate action from state leaders,” according to a news release from the NO MORE campaign.

The NO MORE campaign coordinated the event, which drew families, faith leaders, formerly incarcerated people and community members from across the state. Participants read aloud the names of those who died in state custody, prayed and urged lawmakers and the governor to address what they described as an ongoing crisis in the prison system.

Speakers included parents of people who are currently incarcerated and relatives of those who died in Alabama prisons. Among them was Sandy Ray, whose son, Steven Davis, was featured in the HBO documentary “The Alabama Solution,” which received a nomination for the Academy Award for best documentary feature.

Organizers said the continued deaths in custody reflect systemic failures that require independent oversight, full public transparency and concrete policy changes. The vigil brought the human toll of Alabama’s prison system before state policymakers at what the campaign described as a critical moment for reform.