ADOC

Ivey says plan for reopening the economy “will be data driven not date driven”

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey held her weekly briefing Monday with state legislators to update them on the state’s COVID-19 response and plans for reopening the economy. Ivey told state legislators that reopening the economy will be data-driven rather than date-driven. Reopening the economy will be a balance of health and economics, she said. Thirty to … Continued

April 21, 2020

Alabama inmate died after testing positive for COVID-19. Two others test positive

An inmate in an Alabama prison who tested positive for COVID-19 has died, the Alabama Department Corrections announced Friday. Two others have tested positive for the virus. Dave Thomas, 66, a terminally ill man serving a life-sentence at St. Clair Correctional Facility died Thursday after having been taken to a local hospital on April 4. … Continued

April 17, 2020

ADOC investigating possible suicide at Easterling Correctional Facility

The death of a man serving in the Easterling Correctional Facility in Barbour County on Sunday is being investigated as a possible suicide. Marquell Underwood, 22, was found in his cell unresponsive at approximately 4 p.m. on Sunday, according to a statement by the Alabama Department of Corrections. Underwood was being held in solitary confinement, … Continued

February 26, 2020

The Alabama 2020 Legislative Session begins today

The Alabama Legislature returns to Montgomery today for the 2020 legislative session. Both Houses of the Legislature will meet this afternoon for organizational sessions at the Statehouse. Tonight, Governor Kay Ivey (R) will deliver the annual State of the State Address to a Joint Session of the Alabama Legislature at 6:30 p.m. in the Old … Continued

February 4, 2020

Ivey tells PARCA to vote yes on Amendment One

Friday, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (R) addressed the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama (PARCA) at the annual Albert Brewer Legacy lunch at the Harbert Center in Birmingham. Albert Brewer (D) (1928-1917) was elevated to Governor in 1968 when Lurleen Wallace (D) died in office from cancer. Later in life, while on the faculty at … Continued

February 3, 2020

Governor’s Study Group on Criminal Justice Policy yields positive recommendations

It should come as no surprise, that our state is in need of serious criminal justice reform. In July, Governor Kay Ivey established a Study Group on Criminal Justice Policy, and it has been an honor to serve as chair and her representative on her behalf as we seek solutions for the complex issues facing … Continued

January 31, 2020

Open letter Governor Ivey, Commissioner Dunn and the Alabama Legislature

The State of Alabama continues to pursue shortsighted, counterproductive solutions to the unprecedented crisis in Alabama prisons. Today the Alabama Department of Corrections announced the partial closure of Holman Correctional Facility and the abrupt transfer of over 600 people who had been housed there. Neither their families nor their lawyers were notified ahead of ADOC’s … Continued

January 30, 2020

Prisons ask for $42 million budget increase in 2021

Thursday the House and Senate General Fund budget committees were in Montgomery for a rare joint session as all of the State General Fund (SGF) department heads made their 2021 budget requests. Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Jeffrey S. Dunn requested $563 million in FY2021 – a $42 million increase from the 2020 budget. Dunn … Continued

January 24, 2020

Prisons are one of the top issues to watch in 2020

A new decade has begun and the Legislature returns to Montgomery in just 29 days. As the Alabama Legislature begins a new session there are many issues that will confront the state politically in the upcoming year. Nothing is more serious than the issues facing the state and its much maligned prison system. Governor Kay … Continued

January 6, 2020

Alabama Department of Corrections needs to start handing out pink slips this week

Contrary to popular belief, most of the time, prisoners do follow prison rules. As a former correctional officer with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, if prisoners cease to view the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) as legitimate or fair, dire consequences ensue. Prison officials will see more inmates than usual assaulting other inmates and … Continued

December 30, 2019