Alabama prison system

Federal judge concerned over prison staffing, undertrained fill-ins

A federal judge last week pressed attorneys representing the Alabama Department of Corrections about staffing problems that the plaintiff’s attorneys argued may run afoul of a court order to increase correctional officers in the state’s overcrowded, understaffed prisons. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson in the Dec. 6 hearing, first reported by Alabama Daily News, asked … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

December 12, 2019

Opinion

Alabama must build more prisons but taxpayers don’t have to foot the bill

Vicious assault. Brutal rape. Cold-blooded murder. These are some of the crimes that will get you thrown into prison, but what if they’re also what could happen to you once you get there? Sadly, a federal investigation found this is happening in Alabama’s prison system, and part of the problem is we’ve simply run out … Continued

J. Pepper Bryars

July 30, 2019

Governor forms group to study criminal justice reform

Gov. Kay Ivey signed an executive order on Thursday to establish the Governor’s Study Group on Criminal Justice Policy, which will receive and analyze accurate data, as well as evidence of best practices, to help to address the challenges facing Alabama’s prison system. This announcement comes after the Justice Department reported in April that there … Continued

Jessa Reid Bolling

July 19, 2019