STAGGERING VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ASSAULTS AND DEATH IN ALABAMA PRISONS

DEPT. OF JUSTICE INVESTIGATION CONCLUDES WITH HORRIFYING FINDINGS

Published Wednesday April 3, 2019

By Beth Shelburne and Jennifer Horton

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC) - An examination of violence inside Alabama prisons paints a gruesome picture that shouldn’t come as a surprise, but now a federal document detailing the nightmare puts state leaders on notice. Fix the conditions, or face a lawsuit and possible federal takeover.

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into Alabama prisons paints a disturbingly grim picture of life inside facilities that are so violent and overrun by overcrowding that Alabama’s Department of Corrections (ADOC) stands in violation of the Eighth Amendment, subjecting prisoners to cruel and unusual punishment.

The 56-page findings letter concludes a sweeping, 30-month investigation into Alabama’s 13 maximum security prisons for men. The DOJ announced the investigation of “unparalled scope” in October 2016 with the hope of working cooperatively with the ADOC, but as we reported in January 2019, court records reflected a contentious battle between the two sides.