Alabama Department of Corrections

Correctional officer stabbed, hit in head at Donaldson prison Thursday

A correctional officer on Friday was being treated for non-life threatening injuries after being stabbed and hit in the head on Friday at Donaldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer, according to the Alabama Department of Corrections. APR confirmed that the officer was injured while trying to break up a fight between men incarcerated at Donaldson prison. … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

January 24, 2020

Man dies at Holman prison

A Capshaw man serving at the Holman Correctional Facility near Atmore died Tuesday, according to the Alabama Department of Corrections. APR confirmed that James McClain, 54, died at the prison and that the cause of death is under investigation pending an autopsy, ADOC said in a statement, adding that foul play isn’t suspected. McClain’s death … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

January 24, 2020

Lawsuits over 2016 raid at Holman prison allege guards beat handcuffed prisoners

At 6:35 A.M. on the morning of Nov. 9, 2016, approximately 39 correctional officers wearing riot gear, some carrying firearms, entered the Bravo dormitory at the Holman Correctional facility near Atmore. What happened in the moments that followed resulted in 16 civil lawsuits filed by incarcerated men who say officers used batons and fists on … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

January 23, 2020

Alabama Department of Corrections investigating death at Holman prison

A man serving at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility died nine days into the new year, according to a statement from the Alabama Department of Corrections. Antonio Bell, 29, was pronounced dead at the Escambia County prison on Jan 9, according to the statement. “Bell’s cause of death is pending a full autopsy. ADOC’s … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

January 13, 2020

Holman prison inmate killed in December, at least 14th prison homicide in 2019.

A Montgomery man serving in Holman prison in December became the last person to be killed inside Alabama prisons after being assaulted by another inmate the day before, the Alabama Department of Corrections said in a statement Tuesday. APR confirmed that Moses Robinson, 38, died on Dec. 31 from injuries he received at the prison … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

January 8, 2020

State not hiring nearly enough prison correctional officers to meet court order, according to court filing

In a court filing Friday an attorneys for plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the Alabama Department of Corrections highlighted how few correctional officers the state has hired since a federal judge ordered at least 2,000 more be sent to work inside the state’s deadly, overcrowded prisons. The Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC), in a statement … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

January 7, 2020

ACLU of Alabama report: Parole reductions to worsen prison overcrowded in 2020

A report released Monday predicts that in 2020 Alabama’s deadly, overcrowded prisons, already under threat of a federal takeover, will become even more crowded, largely due to a dramatic reduction in the number of paroles being granted. The report, published by the Campaign for Smart Justice with the ACLU of Alabama, predicts that the state … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

January 7, 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

Brandon Moseley

January 6, 2020

Continued calls for external observers on “internal task force” on prison violence

External observers should be included on an “internal task force” formed in December to address deadly violence inside Alabama prisons, according to a criminal justice professor, who reinforced an earlier request from a group of prison reform advocates. David Rembert is a research fellow at the Center for Justice Research at Texas Southern University, an … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

January 3, 2020

Opinion

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

David Rembert

December 30, 2019