Joint Oversight Committee Hears From Inmate Families
"Out of Sight, Out of Mind": that is generally the way the general public and many lawmakers view Alabama's prison population. The prison system is operated by the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC). Many who have advocated for more humane treatment of prisoners say it should be called the Alabama Department of Revenge due to its history.
Alabama leads the nation in prison deaths, faces an active federal lawsuit over unconstitutional conditions, and has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world, 898 people per 100,000 residents, ranking sixth globally, worse than many third-world countries.
Last year, Alabama’s mortality rate reached 957 deaths per 100,000, compared to a national average of 330 per 100,000.
The U.S. Justice Department has repeatedly warned Alabama that its prisons for men are unconstitutional, citing rampant violence, sexual abuse, corruption, inability to keep people safe, and excessive use of force and other criminal activity by guards.
The DOJ filed a formal lawsuit in December 2020 over these conditions.
Alabama's solution to the problem has been to build a bigger mega-prison. The project is officially called the Governor Kay Ivey Correctional Complex, and it is the centerpiece of the state’s prison‑construction and “modernization” plan. It is a 4,000‑bed, 54‑building prison complex in Elmore County with more than 1.4 million square feet and spread across 335 acres. It will be one of the largest prisons in the nation.
This week, the Legislature’s Joint Prison Oversight Committee held its fourth annual public hearing at Alabama's Statehouse. Speakers detailed the ongoing mistreatment, drug problems and unexplained deaths within the system.
A recurring theme in the comments centered around mistreatment by guards. Family members and former inmates detailed how reporting problems is discouraged. Colleen Howell's son experienced it personally: “When an inmate reports wrongdoing, the officers will announce it publicly in all the dorms, the yard, everywhere,” Howell said. “That gives retaliation to the inmates. It weaponizes the staff for anyone to speak up about anything.”
Family members told the committee about unexplained deaths, mistreatment of bodies, mislabeling the cause of death, and medical staff shortages.
Prison advocates like The Marshall Project have detailed how the demeaning and violent atmosphere in Alabama's prisons often does not fit the crime. They claim time in Alabama prisons is more about house than corrections. They acknowledge there has been some improvement, but not near enough to prepare former inmates to life back outside prison walls.
Tuscaloosa Democrat Rep. Chris England is a longtime advocate for prison reform. He is a member of the Joint Oversight Committee. “Years ago, when everybody had issues with the Department of Corrections, they were basically reaching out into a void in hopes of getting an answer,” England said. “So, as a result of these meetings and all this advocacy, we created a Constituent Services Office that now has to do something. You have a contact person who has to respond. Now has that response been adequate? Hell no, because there’s a lot of work that needs to be done. But in order to take steps, you got to take one, and that’s a big step in the right direction.”
England believes an audit of ADOC will significantly help.
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