Alabama Prisons

Report Shows Lower Recidivism Rates in Community Corrections Programs; Legislation Pending

Criminal offenders who served their sentences in programs in which they stayed in their own communities under supervision were on average significantly less likely to commit new felonies than other offenders under the Alabama Department of Corrections oversight, a recent study found. But some community correction programs had recidivism rates much higher than others and varied in the fees offenders had to pay. Meanwhile, the programs for non-violent felony offenders aren’t available in some areas of the state. “The better the program and the better managed it is at the local level, the lower the recidivism rate,” said Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur and chairman of the Alabama Commission on Evaluation of Services. Read more. Citing Census Data Delay, Lawmakers Seek to Move 2022 Elections Police Jurisdiction Bill Gets Public Hearing Ivey Declares Monday Supermarket Employee Day Read complete legislative coverage.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

Report: Changes to Habitual Offender Law Needed

A new report urges Alabama leaders to change state laws that mean “death in prison sentences” for inmates convicted of crimes in which victims were not injured. “Condemned,” from the Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, details how Alabama’s Habitual Felony Offender Act is more punitive than most other Southern states’ laws and how keeping these men — many of them now senior citizens — in prisons is costing the state millions of dollars in medical care. “We hope (lawmakers and other officials) realize that hundreds of people are still trapped in life without parole sentences for crimes where there was no physical injury and who if sentenced today would do a fraction of their current sentences,” Appleseed Executive Director Carla Crowder told Alabama Daily News. Read more. More from the Legislature: Legislative Session Starts With Caution, Big Bills Marsh Steps Down, Reed Steps Into Pro Tem Role in the Senate Bill Would Filter Emergency Health Orders Through Layman Board in Jefferson County Read more on the legislative session, which began Tuesday.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

Ivey Signs Leases for Two Prisons, Part of $3 Billion Plan

Gov. Kay Ivey signed lease agreements for two men's prisons on Monday, part of her plan for three new facilities the state will lease for 30 years at an estimated total cost of about $3 billion. Construction for the two facilities is expected to begin later this year or the beginning of 2022. The two lease agreements are with entities of prison builder CoreCivic. They will construct, own and maintain the facilities. It will be the Alabama Department of Corrections that staffs and administers the prisons. Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Ivey to Sign Prison Lease Deal, Lawmakers Bristle at Higher Cost Revelation

Gov. Kay Ivey is set to sign lease agreements for two new men’s prisons as part of a long-negotiated plan to overhaul Alabama’s dilapidated corrections infrastructure. However, some state lawmakers are unhappy with the project after being told it will cost more each year than originally estimated. On a call with state lawmakers Friday, Department of Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn said Ivey would soon sign contracts with CoreCivic, one of the developers bidding for the massive prison project. Asked to confirm the news, Ivey Press Secretary Gina Maiola said the contracts were scheduled to be signed on Monday. Read more.

by Todd Stacy and Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

State Officials Cryptic About Plans for New Prison in Rural Bibb County, Including How Water and Sewer Would be Provided

Alabama plans a 3,100-inmate prison in the Brierfield community of Bibb County, but officialdom holds all the cards and the governor isn't showing her hand. Even Bibb County administrator Derek Reeves responds to questions about the proposed prison by saying: "I don't know anything about that. We are not involved with the prison.” Gov. Kay Ivy has disclosed three general locations for prisons that the state will lease from their private developers. Brierfield, the last general area revealed, has received the coolest reception from the residents of Brierfield Estates, who are leading the opposition. Big questions loom involving how infrastructure would be provided in the rural area, such as treated water, sewage disposal and access roads. The precise site of the new prison has not been officially announced. But signs point to it being built at the intersection of A. Arker Road and Brickyard Pass about a mile west of Alabama 139, in the Ashby area. Such a large prison calls for about 500 acres, and the parcel at that location, which has been cleared to bare earth, fits the description released by the governor’s office. A road potentially suitable for heavy construction vehicles also has been cut into the site. Equipment and activity now at the site are of the type suitable for well drilling or environmental testing. A source with knowledge of the prison development confirmed that the site is, indeed, the intended location for the prison and that contractors are drilling a well there. Read more.

by Nancy Wilstach

DOJ Lawsuit Could Lead to Federal Oversight of Alabama Prisons

A lawsuit filed last week by the U.S. Department of Justice could lead to federal supervision of Alabama’s prison system. It’s the culmination of an investigation that began in 2016 and resulted in two scathing reports, published April 2019 and July 2020, that detailed rampant abuse of inmates. Before filing the lawsuit, the DOJ spent more than a year negotiating with state officials and trying to get Alabama to improve its prison system. University of Alabama law professor Jenny Carroll said the federal government got tired of waiting. “I think the fact they did go ahead and file suggests that the solutions the state came up with and were bringing to the table and were offering just weren’t enough,” said Carroll. “They weren’t enough in light of what DOJ was finding.” Read more.

by Mary Scott Hodgin, WBHM

Slated For A Mega Prison, Brierfield Residents Demand Answers

Down a two-lane road in Bibb County, about 10 miles from Montevallo, the unincorporated community of Brierfield has one restaurant, a post office, and a small convenience store that takes cash only. About 1500 people live in the area. The state wants to build a 3,000-person prison here, one that will be larger than any existing facility. Brierfield is one of three locations slated for new mega prisons as part of a plan to address chronic crowding and violence in the state prison system. Brierfield residents are pushing back. Read more.

by Mary Scott Hodgin, WBHM

DOJ Sues Alabama Over Violence in Prisons

The U.S. Department of Justice sued Alabama and the state Department of Corrections Wednesday over excessive violence in state prisons. The lawsuit, which is the culmination of a years-long investigation into constitutional violations in Alabama’s prison system, also alleges inmates are routinely subject to sexual abuse and excessive force at the hands of prison staff. Read more.

by Gigi Douban, WBHM

Cam Ward Plans New Direction For Pardons And Paroles

WBHM State Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, takes over Monday as head of Alabama’s Bureau of Pardons and Paroles and plans to make changes to the system. Read more.

by Mary Scott Hodgin, WBHM

Alabama’s New Prisons Planned For Bibb, Elmore and Escambia Counties

Alabama officials announced Thursday the location of three new regional prisons planned for Bibb, Elmore and Escambia counties. In a statement, Governor Kay Ivey’s office said the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) will now enter into negotiations with two private developer teams who will build the facilities and lease them to the state. ADOC will still operate and staff the prisons, but the private developers will be responsible for long-term maintenance. Officials said they will announce financial details of the project in late 2020, after final negotiations. The new prisons will replace several existing male facilities, which are chronically overcrowded, understaffed and violent. ADOC is currently under a court order to improve conditions and hire roughly 2000 correctional officers. It is also in negotiations with the US Department of Justice to address violence among both inmates and staff. Read more.

by Mary Scott Hodgin, WBHM