How did a sword get inside an alabama prison?

Published Monday April 8, 2019

By Beth Shelburne

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC) - David Ellis always kept his head on a swivel. He’d worked almost every post inside St. Clair Correctional Facility during his 25 years as a correctional officer. He’d been posted inside the infirmary, segregation, but he’d never felt more outnumbered than when he worked the G yard gate, sometimes the only officer watching up to 400 prisoners for hours at a time. Knives were everywhere, the potential for violence was constant.

“I’ve actually watched an inmate get stabbed to death,” Ellis said. “I got on the radio and called for backup, but by the time I could get there, the damage was done.”