Prison News | Alabama

• Education & Rehabilitation
• Executions, Death Row, & the Death Penalty
• Gangs in Prison
• Health & Medical Treatment
• Prison Classification, Placement, and Release
• Prison Conditions & Corruption
• Prison Life & Prison Culture
• Riots, Lockdowns & Escapes
• Suicides in Prison
• Workplace & Industry News and Science & Tech

Education & Rehabilitation

Executions, Death Row & the Death Penalty

• Inmate stabbed to death at Alabama prison
  
  An Alabama inmate was stabbed death in prison over the weekend.... [ more ]
  AL.com, Monday, June 17, 2019
  
  
• Georgia Sets Execution Date for Marion Wilson Jr.
  
  An execution date for Marion Wilson, Jr. has been set for June 20, 2019. Attorney General Chris Carr offers the following information in the case against Wilson for the 1999 murder of Donovan Corey Parks.... [ more ]
  All On Georgia, Wednesday, June 5, 2019
  
  
• Alabama executes second man in two weeks
  
  Alabama on Thursday executed Christopher Lee Price, condemned for the 1991 murder of Fayette County preacher Bill Lynn.... [ more ]
  Montgomery Advertiser, Thursday, May 30, 2019
  
  
• Conditions worsen, staff dwindles as prison commissioner searches for solution
  
  Jefferson Dunn became Alabama’s prison commissioner four decades into a spiraling crisis – as overcrowding and violence drew harsh scrutiny from law enforcement and civil rights groups.... [ more ]
  AL News, Sunday, April 7, 2019
  
  
• Man gets life in prison for 2014 shooting that killed 7-year-old west Alabama boy
  
  Hale County Circuit Judge Don McMillan sentenced JaPaul Williams in the killing of young DeCorrin Johnson. He also was sentenced to 15 years for attempted murder for shooting at Lavares Jackson, now 39.... [ more ]
  AL News, Friday, April 5, 2019
  
  
• West Alabama man gets 9 life sentences for sex abuse of 2 teen family members
  
  A west Alabama man has been sentenced to nine life sentences for the years-long sexual abuse of two teen family members.... [ more ]
  Alabama News, Wednesday, April 3, 2019
  
  

Gangs in Prison

• Older prison population triples
  
  Health costs also surge on backs of aging population, strict sentencing. See Full Report... [ more ]
  The Birmingham News, Saturday, January 13, 2007
  
  
• Gwinnett County Detention Center Inmate Died from Meningitis Infection
  
  20 year-old Gwinnett County Detention Center inmate Zachary Harris, who had been admitted 3 days before, was stricken dead with a meningitis bacterium, forcing 175...... [ more ]
  Insideprison.com, Tuesday, May 2, 2006
  
  

Health & Medical Treatment

• Next focus for Alabama prison reform: Mental health
  
  The group, whose recommendations on parole and probation passed the Legislature last spring, has turned to mental health issues in prisons and jails, which contributes to overcrowding.... [ more ]
  Montgomery Advertiser, Friday, November 27, 2015
  
  
• Ala. prisons hit with worst TB outbreak in 5 years
  
  BIRMINGHAM, ALA. — Alabama's prison system, badly overcrowded and facing a lawsuit over medical treatment of inmates, is facing its worst outbreak of tuberculosis in five years, a health official said Thursday.

  Pam Barrett, director of tuberculosis control for the Alabama Department of Public Health, said medical officials have diagnosed nine active cases of the infectious respiratory disease in state prisons so far this year.... [ more ]

  Associated Press, Thursday, August 14, 2014
  
  
• Inmate testifies about Ala. prison's HIV policies
  
  WETUMPKA, Ala. (AP) — An HIV-infected female prisoner testified Tuesday at a closed hearing about the Alabama prison system's policy of segregating HIV-positive inmates, and a judge is considering a proposed settlement of a lawsuit challenging the policy.... [ more ]
  Associated Press, Tuesday, September 24, 2013
  
  
• Ala. to stop segregating HIV-positive inmates
  
  MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — State officials say they’ll no longer segregate HIV-positive prison inmates from the general population.... [ more ]
  Associated Press, Thursday, September 5, 2013
  
  
• Alabama last state still segregating HIV-positive prison inmates from general population
  
  MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - South Carolina's recent decision to end the segregation of HIV-positive prison inmates leaves Alabama as the last state to continue the practice.... [ more ]
  Associated Press, Sunday, July 14, 2013
  
  
• Gwinnett County Detention Center Inmate Died from Meningitis Infection
  
  20 year-old Gwinnett County Detention Center inmate Zachary Harris, who had been admitted 3 days before, was stricken dead with a meningitis bacterium, forcing 175...... [ more ]
  Insideprison.com, Tuesday, May 2, 2006
  
  

Prison Classification, Placement, & Release

• 'They're human beings': Prison reform examined at Auburn panel discussion
  
  AUBURN — Speakers at a prison reform panel in Auburn Saturday emphasized that inmates are human beings and said they deserve respect and dignity.... [ more ]
  auburnpub.com, Saturday, November 2, 2019
  
  
• Alabama Gov. Ivey unveils proposal to build new prisons
  
  MONTGOMERY, ALA.

  Saying Alabama needs a solution to its ongoing prison crisis,... [ more ]

  The Telegraph, Tuesday, February 12, 2019
  
  

Prison Conditions & Corruption

• Commissioner says Alabama prison system culture must change
  
  Much has been reported about the scarcity of staff, overcrowding, and crumbling physical conditions in Alabama’s prisons.... [ more ]
  AL.com, Monday, May 27, 2019
  
  
• Federal lawsuit alleges Alabama prison is dangerous and out of control
  
  The Equal Justice Initiative, known for advocating for the civil and constitutional rights of prisoners, filed a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday that makes claims of violence and lack of institutional control inside St. Clair Correctional Facility.... [ more ]
  WSFA 12, Tuesday, October 14, 2014
  
  
• 6 arrested in Alabama, including 2 inmates and prison guard, in methamphetamine investigation
  
  MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Six people, including an Alabama state prison guard and two inmates, were charged Thursday in a federal investigation of a drug trafficking operation that stretched from California to Alabama.... [ more ]
  Associated Press, Thursday, April 10, 2014
  
  
• Ala. governor hiring national firm to help prison
  
  MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Gov. Robert Bentley said the state is bringing in a nationally recognized consulting group to implement reforms at a state prison thrust into the national spotlight over accusations of widespread sexual harassment and abuse.... [ more ]
  Associated Press, Friday, March 7, 2014
  
  
• Troubles at Women�s Prison Test Alabama
  
  WETUMPKA, Ala. — For a female inmate, there are few places worse than the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women.

  Corrections officers have raped, beaten and harassed women inside the aging prison here for at least 18 years, according to an unfolding Justice Department investigation. More than a third of the employees have had sex with prisoners...... [ more ]

  New York Times, Sunday, March 2, 2014
  
  
• Former Alabama Prison Inmates Describe Abuse
  
  Like most preschoolers, the 3-year-old girl who lives in Montgomery is a whirl of energy. She sings and dances through the house and loves the cartoons "Sofia the First" and "Doc McStuffins." She parrots back letters as her caretaker spells her name.... [ more ]
  Associated Press, Sunday, March 2, 2014
  
  
• Abuse in Ala. prisons could impact federal funding
  
  MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Alabama may be at risk of losing some of its federal prison funding if it doesn’t respond to questions from the U.S. Department of Justice about sexual abuse.... [ more ]
  Associated Press, Sunday, February 23, 2014
  
  
• Alabama Department of Corrections probing abuse allegations
  
  MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Alabama Department of Corrections officials say they're investigating about 10 cases of alleged abuse against prison inmates.... [ more ]
  Associated Press, Sunday, July 14, 2013
  
  
• Ala Prison Commissioner: DAs considering 2 cases of sex abuse by officers
  
  MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Alabama's prison commissioner said prosecutors are considering two cases of alleged sexual assaults on state inmates by corrections officers.... [ more ]
  Associated Press, Saturday, July 13, 2013
  
  
• Former Alabama Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty in Relation to Inmate Beating Death
  
  The Justice Department announced today that Joseph Sanders, 32, a former corrections officer of the Alabama Department of Corrections, pleaded guilty to obstructing justice in an investigation into the beating death of former inmate Rocrast Mack.... [ more ]
  US Department of Justice, Monday, July 8, 2013
  
  
• Alabama jury to begin deliberations Tuesday in trial of prison supervisor in inmate's death
  
  MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - A federal court jury will begin deliberations Tuesday in the trial of a former prison supervisor charged with fatally beating an inmate and trying to cover up what happened.... [ more ]
  Associated Press, Monday, June 24, 2013
  
  

Prison Life & Culture

• 2,000 Leaked Photos Show the Cruelty of an Alabama Prison. Should They Be Publishe
  
  A shirtless man is laying on a hospital cot as two gloved nurses tend to him. He’s covered in blood from multiple stab wounds to his chest, and it coats his clothes, the cot’s sheet, and the floor. This is just one of more than 2,000 photos, many of them similarly gruesome, leaked earlier this year from inside the St. Clair Correctional Facility, a notorious prison in Alabama. ... [ more ]
  Mother Jones, Friday, April 19, 2019
  
  
• Parenting from prison: The collateral damage of harsh mandatory sentences
  
  Stephanie Nodd always wanted to be a mother.

  Growing up around Mobile, Ala., she had a lot of nieces around her mom’s house.

  “They were always messing with their hair,” she said. “I told myself, 'when I have kids, I want a boy.' No hair to mess with.”... [ more ]

  Deseret News, Sunday, March 30, 2014
  
  
• Feds seek early release of bombing victim's dad
  
  BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A former Alabama politician whose daughter died in a racist church bombing in 1963 should be released early from his federal prison sentence for bribery because of his failing health and age, the Justice Department told a judge Thursday.... [ more ]
  Associated Press, Thursday, August 29, 2013
  
  

Riots, Lockdowns & Escapes

• Tennessee Inmate Who Escaped Work Site Is Found in Alabama
  
  MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee jail inmate who escaped a work site in a truck has been found in north Alabama, authorities said.... [ more ]
  US News, Tuesday, January 7, 2020
  
  
• Authorities searching for escaped south Alabama inmate
  
  Officials are searching for a south Alabama inmate who escaped from a work release center late Wednesday.... [ more ]
  www.al.com, Thursday, July 11, 2019
  
  
• Etowah County inmate recaptured after using trash can to climb over fence in escape
  
  Jimmy Ray Green was recaptured late Sunday afternoon. He was taken into custody after residents saw him walking in and out of the woods line on Riverside Drive in Gadsden. Gadsden police and Etowah County deputies arrested him without incident.... [ more ]
  www.al.com, Sunday, June 30, 2019
  
  
• Cell block in state prison locked down after stabbings
  
  Multiple inmate stabbings this weekend at Alabama's St. Clair Correctional Facility in Springville are under investigation.... [ more ]
  AL.com, Sunday, May 26, 2019
  
  
• Alabama Inmate in Prison for Burglary Escapes Facility
  
  DECATUR, ALA. (AP) — Authorities say an inmate has escaped from prison facility in Alabama.... [ more ]
  US News, Monday, April 15, 2019
  
  
• Dogs help authorities capture escaped inmate in south Alabama
  
  LOXLEY, Ala. (AP) - Tracking dogs helped officers locate and capture an inmate who was reported missing from a prison work-release center in Baldwin County.... [ more ]
  Associated Press, Tuesday, September 3, 2013
  
  
• Inmate stabbed to death Sunday at St. Clair prison
  
  MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Department of Corrections officials are investigating the stabbing death of 43-year-old inmate Jammy Bell at St. Clair Correctional Facility in St. Clair County.... [ more ]
  Associated Press, Monday, August 12, 2013
  
  
• Alabama Department of Corrections searching for inmate after escape from work release program
  
  HAMILTON, Ala. (AP) - Alabama Department of Corrections officials say they're searching for an inmate who escaped from a work release center.... [ more ]
  Associated Press, Sunday, August 4, 2013
  
  
• Alabama Department of Corrections issues alert for escaped inmate
  
  MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Alabama Department of Corrections officials say they're searching for an inmate who disappeared from a work release center.... [ more ]
  Associated Press, Sunday, July 21, 2013
  
  
• Inmate escapes from job site in Montgomery
  
  MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Authorities are searching for an inmate who escaped from a work site in Montgomery. Prison officials said Thursday that Tracy Woods was believed to have escaped from the Frank Lee Work Release Center.... [ more ]
  Associated Press, Thursday, June 27, 2013
  
  
• Authorities searching for escaped Lauderdale County Detention Center inmate
  
  FLORENCE, Ala. (WHNT) – For the second time in less than eight months, authorities are searching for an escaped inmate who climbed his way to freedom through an air conditioning duct.

  The latest break from the Lauderdale County Detention Center happened early Monday morning.... [ more ]

  Associated Press, Monday, April 22, 2013
  
  

Suicides in Prison

• 13 Alabama prison inmates have died from suicide in past 14 months
  
  MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — UPDATE 5:24 p.m.: The Alabama Department of Corrections spokesman Bob Horton issued... [ more ]
  My NBC 15, Saturday, February 9, 2019
  
  
• Coroner: Montgomery man convicted in parents' murders killed self in prison
  
  MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Authorities say a man convicted of murdering his parents in Montgomery almost nine years ago committed suicide in prison.... [ more ]
  Associated Press, Monday, November 4, 2013
  
  

Workplace & Industry News, and Science & Tech News

• Alabama Department Of Corrections Partners With First Lady Dianne Bentley To Reduce Domestic Violence In Alabama
  
  2013 JUL 31 (VerticalNews) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Education Letter -- Through an initiative spearheaded by First Lady Dianne Bentley, the Alabama Department of Corrections has donated more than 4,000 phones confiscated ...... [ more ]
  Education Letter, Friday, July 26, 2013
  
  
• Alabama Department Of Corrections Partners With First Lady Dianne Bentley To Reduce Domestic Violence In Alabama
  
  Department Donates Confiscated Phones to HopeLine(R) from Verizon MONTGOMERY, Ala., July 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Through an initiative spearheaded by First Lady Dianne Bentley, the Alabama Department of Corrections has donated more than ...... [ more ]
  PR Newswire, Wednesday, July 17, 2013
  
  
• Alabama K-9 units track escaped inmates, search for missing persons
  
  MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - The four-legged man-trackers of the state prison system stand ready to answer the call, anytime, anywhere. The Department of Corrections maintains eight teams of dogs for tracking purposes across the state and one K-9 ...... [ more ]
  Associated Press, Wednesday, June 12, 2013