Alabama prisoners dying at a rate four times the national average
Fewer people died inside the prisons than in 2023, when prisoners were five times as likely to die as the national average.
overcrowded
APR’s 2021 coverage of Alabama’s deadly prison crisis
Alabama's years-long deadly prison crisis continued throughout 2021. APR looks back on the year's coverage.
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See recent postsPrisons, justice reform and the art of the possible
Politics is bound by the art of what's possible. It is also true that those who never dare the impossible rarely achieve even the possible.
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See recent postsIt’s time for prison mental health reform
Two of the major items on Governor Kay Ivey’s 2020 agenda are finding solutions to the problem of Alabama’s overcrowded and broken prison system, and bolstering our mental healthcare system. Both are badly needed, and in some ways intersect. I understand the political challenge of getting folks excited about funding a major overhaul of something … Continued
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See recent postsBuilding new prisons is not the answer
Alabama should be building better schools, not better prisons. It’s as simple as that. And the truth is if we had done that from the beginning we probably wouldn’t have the overcrowded prisons we have today. It’s a statistical fact that if a child can’t read at a third-grade level by the time they graduate … Continued
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See recent postsSaving taxpayer dollars and creating a path to redemption
As multiple recent state and national news stories have illustrated, overcrowded state prisons is one of the key challenges facing Alabama. While the State Legislature has made significant strides over the past few years in the area of criminal justice reform, Alabama’s prisons are still at about 166 percent of capacity. This creates a dangerous … Continued
State’s hired gun stuns study group claiming prisons not overcrowded
A surprise declaration during the inaugural meeting of Gov. Kay Ivey’s Study Group on Criminal Justice Policy caught many attendees off guard when the attorney representing the state denied that state prisons are overcrowded. Prison overcrowding is well-documented by the Alabama Department of Corrections as well as the USDOJ investigations that threaten a prison takeover … Continued
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See recent postsPrison issues — front and center
Folks, taking care of prisoners is not a popular political issue. However, every so often Alabama politicians pragmatically have to acquiesce to the mandates of federal judges and grant our transgressing citizens their rights as determined by the courts. Federal Courts have determined that our felons deserve the rights to adequate imprisonment. You just cannot … Continued
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See recent postsA prison solution that is both fiscally responsible and effective
Last week in Gov. Kay Ivey’s inaugural address, she said, “the status of our corrections system is an Alabama problem that must be solved by an Alabama solution.” It is high time we seriously take on the crisis within corrections in a way that makes sense for our citizens and state. Alabama needs to build … Continued
Department of Corrections taps former federal prison official as new deputy commissioner
The Alabama Department of Corrections has chosen a new deputy commissioner. The department on Monday announced the appointment of a longtime federal prisons official, Charles Daniels, as the new deputy commissioner of operations. Daniels arrives at the Alabama Department of Corrections at a time of difficulty, as the department has been struggling with aging and overcrowded prisons … Continued