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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
June 24, 2020

Resuming parole hearings is not enough

On December 18, 2019, I watched Alabama’s parole board deny relief to every case it considered that day. It was the last day of parole hearings for the year, and I decided to observe the process in action after monitoring the data for months as paroles plummeted like an elevator with snapped cables. Under new … Continued
April 24, 2020

State’s order closing businesses wrongfully blocks abortions, ACLU and clinics say

UPDATE at 8:15 p.m.: Federal Judge Myron Thompson issued a temporary restraining order Monday night, barring the state of Alabama from prohibiting abortions during the novel coronavirus outbreak. The temporary restraining order comes after abortion clinics and the ACLU sued the state, alleging that the statewide business closures ordered last week wrongfully and illegally prohibited … Continued
March 30, 2020

Alabamians for Fair Justice calls for major criminal justice reforms

Alabama Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon and Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh have said that lawmakers will address state prisons in the coming Legislative Session. It is not certain whether the Legislature will consider criminal justice reforms as a part of an overall solution to prison overcrowding, but Alabamians for Fair Justice (AFJ) … Continued
January 15, 2020

Parole hearings in Alabama will resume today after a two month suspension of hearings

Monday, State Pardons and Paroles director Judge Charlie Graddick said at a news conference that he speaks for the public by encouraging that actions taken regarding violent offenders be reviewed very carefully. “Foremost, inmates do not have an innate right to be paroled, they must earn such a privilege,” Graddick told reporters. “Parole consideration dates … Continued
November 5, 2019

Court blocks the Alabama abortion ban

U.S. District Court Judge Myron Thompson , age 72, granted a preliminary injunction Tuesday blocking H.B. 314, the Human Life Protection Act. The state law would have banned abortion in nearly all instances in Alabama. The one exception is to protect the health of the mother. The move was expected by both the opponents of … Continued
October 30, 2019

AG Marshall is disappointed Supreme Court won’t hear Alabama ban on abortion procedure

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Alabama’s appeal of a lower court decision overturning Alabama’s outlawing of abortions on Friday. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall released a statement to social media expressing his disappointment with the decision but said he’s optimistic that a “day of reckoning” is coming for the 1973 Roe v. Wade … Continued
July 1, 2019