House passes bill to give some prisoners an opportunity for resentencing
The cases would go back to the trial judge, not the Pardons and Paroles Board.
prison overcrowding
Criminal justice reform bills pass out of House Judiciary Committee
The bills would continue a trend of more progressive reforms that are slowly rolling back mandatory minimum sentencing laws.
Habitual offender law repeal parked in a subcommittee
The Habitual Felony Offender Act was aimed at stopping crime by giving a life sentence to anyone with three serious felonies.
Pardons and Paroles swears in 31 new probation and parole officers
This is the largest group of probation and parole officers sworn in by the bureau in years.
Protestors will caravan to the Governor’s Mansion to protest $2 billion prison proposal
Alabamians Who Care will be leading a protest caravan to the Governor’s Mansion to protest Gov. Kay Ivey’s controversial plan for the Alabama Department of Corrections to sign a lease agreement to build four massive new prisons, the group said Thursday. The groups said in a statement that Alabamians who care about people incarcerated in … Continued
State senators briefed on prison construction plans
Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn told members of the Senate budget committees Thursday that the department is moving forward with the process of seeking bids on three new state prisons. Among other topics addressed was the status of the Alabama Prison Program. Dunn said that because of the long neglected maintenance of the … Continued
Commissioner praises prison employees for putting lives on the line during pandemic
Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn on Thursday praised the department’s employees for “literally putting their lives on the line” coming into work during the COVID-19 crisis. Dunn was speaking to the Alabama State Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee, which is holding budget hearings in Montgomery. “I cannot praise them enough,” Dunn … Continued
Alabama Parole and Probation Officers supervising nearly 9,000 violent criminals
The Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles released a report Thursday that was shared with state legislators and the media this week that shows Alabama’s 300 parole and probation officers are tasked with supervising 8,993 people convicted of violent crimes. The officers are tasked with supervising more than 27,000 Alabama offenders as well as more … Continued
Ivey announces support for criminal justice legislation
Gov. Kay Ivey on Thursday announced her support for six bills that address the state’s criminal justice system, legislation that’s a product of Ivey’s study group on criminal justice policy. “I tasked the Criminal Justice Study Group with the mission of finding data-driven solutions to our longstanding challenges in our prison system,” Ivey said in … Continued
Private prison company eyes Elmore County land for one of state’s new prisons
Editor’s note: The story was updated Feb. 12, 2020, to reflect that the private company Corvias has also pulled out of the procurement process. The private prison company CoreCivic for more than two years has been eying land just outside the city of Tallassee in Elmore county to build one of Alabama’s planned three new … Continued