Prisons

Alabama Department of Corrections investigating inmate death

A 38-year-old man serving at Donaldson Correctional Facility died last week, but the cause was unclear Monday. The Alabama Department of Corrections in a statement to APR on Monday said the department was investigating the events that led up to the death of Darnell McMillian of Mobile County, but the department declined to answer APR’s … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

June 30, 2020

Marsh’s budget hearing compared to revenge porn

Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, has scheduled a general fund budget hearing for early July — purportedly to prepare for the 2021 Legislative Session that begins in February. But that is not the real reason for the budget hearing, according to Senate insiders who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid provoking … Continued

Bill Britt

June 29, 2020

Court asked to intervene to address understaffing in Alabama prisons

Attorneys for the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the Alabama Department of Corrections in a Wednesday court filing argued that the state is woefully behind on court-ordered hiring of correctional officers for the state’s overcrowded, understaffed prisons, and they asked for more court intervention. It has been more than two years since U.S. District Judge … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

June 24, 2020

Alabama inmate’s likely suicide at least the fifth this year

A man serving at the Holman Correctional Facility died May 15 of an apparent suicide, the Alabama Department of Corrections confirmed on Wednesday. Jamal O’Neal Jackson, 29, was found unresponsive in his cell by prison officials on May 15, the department said in a message to APR. An investigation into his death is ongoing and … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

June 24, 2020

Private prison company vying to build Alabama’s new prisons mulling strategies amid falling stock prices

Shares for the private prison company bidding to build one or more of Alabama three new prisons are down more than 50 percent this year, and the company is reconsidering its business model. Tennessee-based CoreCivic’s shares are down by nearly 51 percent from a year ago, and down by 250 percent from 2017. The company … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

June 22, 2020

Alabama correctional officer, inmate sentenced on drug, gun charges

A former correctional officer and an inmate at Fountain Correctional Facility were sentenced to prison earlier this month after being convicted of charges related to a conspiracy to smuggle drugs into the Alabama prison. Wiggins Washington, 52, of Bay Minette, the correctional officer, was sentenced to seven years on charges of possessing a gun and … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

June 16, 2020

Inmate found unconscious at Donaldson prison in critical condition

A man serving at Donaldson Correctional facility was in critical condition Thursday after being found unconscious in a bathroom at the prison Sunday evening, according to the Alabama Department of Corrections. ADOC confirmed the man’s injuries in a message to APR on Tuesday, and said there was no foul play, but declined to say whether … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

June 11, 2020

County commissions association calls for plan on backlog of state inmates held in jails

The Association of County Commissions of Alabama on Wednesday released a statement applauding Gov. Kay Ivey’s emergency proclamation Tuesday, meant to address the transfer of inmates from county jails to state prison facilities amid the COVID-19 crisis. The association also calls on the Alabama Department of Corrections to draft a plan to address a backlog … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

June 10, 2020

Governor issues new order for 14-day quarantine for inmate transfers to prisons from county jails

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued another supplemental state of emergency proclamation Tuesday meant to address the issue of COVID-19 in Alabama’s prisons and curb its further spread by putting in place new restrictions on transfers of state inmates from county jails to state facilities. The supplemental proclamation requires “prevailing medical standards” during intake — or … Continued

Chip Brownlee

June 10, 2020

Three workers at ADOC headquarters among latest to test positive for COVID-19

Sixteen more Alabama Department of Corrections employees, including three at the department’s headquarters in Montgomery, have tested positive for COVID-19. The department’s latest update, released Monday evening, puts the total of confirmed cases among employees at 99, with 73 cases still active. Five more inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 as well, including inmates at … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

June 9, 2020