Gov. Bentley Visits Holman Prison

Governor Robert Bentley on Tuesday met with prison officials and other state officials to get an update on two disturbances that have occurred in the last three days at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore.

Prison officials say inmates stabbed the warden and a corrections officer at a prison in Holman on Friday and inmates seized control of the dorm for several hours Monday after officers tried to apprehend a prisoner suspected of stabbing another inmate.

Holman is a maximum security prison designed to house 637 inmates.  The current population at Holman is 991, which is 156% of design capacity.  The facility is overcrowded, and there is a shortage of corrections officers.

Disturbances like what has occurred in the last three days are some examples of the issues that have plagued Alabama’s prison system for decades.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley says prison uprisings will occur in other facilities in the state if the problems of overcrowding and understaffing aren’t addressed.

Bentley says the problems in Alabama make it dangerous for the inmates, the guards and the wardens.

Before the recent uprisings, the governor already was asking state legislators to approve an $800 million bond issue to build four new, large prisons.

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