US EditionFamilies describe deaths, violence in Alabama prisons as they push for change
Advocates highlight violence, drug abuse, and sexual assault inside Alabama prisons while officials report resolving over 2,300 family inquiries in three months.
- On Wednesday, dozens of family members of people incarcerated in Alabama prisons packed a Legislative Prison Committee meeting and marched to the Alabama State Capitol, then joined death penalty opponents protesting the Oct. 23 execution of Anthony Boyd.
- Longstanding reports show relatives and advocates described assaults, rapes, extortions and overdoses in Alabama prisons, while researcher Eddie Burkhalter noted 277 deaths last year, including at least 12 homicides and a DOJ lawsuit alleging constitutional violations.
- Relatives described specific incidents such as Chase Mathis reporting threats before dying June 4, 2024, and Colleen Howell of Oxford detailing $200 and $300 extortion calls.
- Corrections Commissioner John Hamm said the new 4,000‑bed men's prison in Elmore County is 75% complete and will include more than 700 medical and mental‑health beds, while ADOC reported constituent services responded to 2,336 inquiries from July through September.
- An HBO documentary, The Alabama Solution, uses inmates' cellphone footage to highlight prison issues, while pastors and family members seek accountability and propose ministry and training programs.
24 Articles
24 Articles
Leaders talk 'The Alabama Solution' and next steps
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WHNT) — At a meeting today of the Joint Prison Committee, leaders discussed the drug problems, abuse, and need for accountability inside Alabama’s prison system. These are well documented in “The Alabama Solution,” an HBO film that leaders say is proof of the need for reform in prisons. West Decatur Elementary School closed due to heavy smoke Earnestine Council is the mother of Robert Earl Council, an inmate in The Alabam…
Associated Press News
Families describe deaths, violence in Alabama prisons as they push for change
Family members of people incarcerated in Alabama prison held a rally at the Alabama Capitol. They described assaults, rapes, extortions, deaths and overdoses behind bars.
Families describe deaths, violence in Alabama prisons as they push for change – UK Times
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Chase Mathis told prison guards he was being threatened by other inmates and feared for his life. But within hours of being moved to an adjacent prison, he was dead. Mathis died June 4, 2024, after being placed in general population instead of a cell for his own …
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