After the U.S. Department of Justice condemned Alabama prisons for excessive violence and inmate deaths, state officials say they are turning to the enormous task of addressing the problems. The Department of Justice reports the state must take immediate, long-term steps to address understaffing, violence and other problems – or face a federal lawsuit. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey responds that…
A body was found in the Coosa River after a high speed chase ended in the river late last night. The car crashed into the Coosa River at Gold Star Park. Police say that Alabama Department of Corrections officers were chasing a car that left Tutweiler Prison Thursday. They say the driver then took a turn into gold star park…
Alabama prisons are getting some extra money to spend on improving security. The department plans to use a more than $64,000 federal grant announced Wednesday by Gov. Kay Ivey’s office to buy new equipment and conduct additional training. Some of the money will go toward protective gear that correctional officers can use when handling dangerous narcotics. Grant funds also will…
Authorities say three Alabama correctional officers who worked at two different prisons have been arrested on corruption charges. The Department of Corrections says two officers from the Ventress Correctional Facility in Clayton are charged with using their jobs for personal gain. Both are accused of soliciting contraband items to inmates for money. The department says in a statement that another…
Attorneys for inmates are asking a federal judge to find the Alabama prison system in contempt of a court order to boost prison mental health staffing. Lawyers wrote in a Thursday motion that the Department of Corrections is “woefully short” of required staffing levels. Attorneys for inmates wrote that a court order requires 263 full time equivalent mental-health positions. The…
Alabama has executed a man who killed his employer at a traveling carnival decades ago and later dropped appeals and asked for the death sentence to be carried out. Authorities say 50-year-old Michael Wayne Eggers was pronounced dead at 7:29 p.m. CDT Thursday after an injection at the state prison in Atmore. Eggers was sentenced to death for his conviction…
Alabama lawmakers have approved an $85 million increase for the state’s prison system as they try to comply with a federal court order to improve mental health care for inmates. The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved $30 million for the Department of Corrections before September and a $55 million boost in next year’s general fund budget. U.S. District Judge…
The Bullock Correctional Facility in Union Springs was placed on lockdown after an inmate was stabbed and killed Monday afternoon. Corrections officials say 41-year-old James Edward Rogers was stabbed with makeshift knives in the facility’s dorm around 2 p.m. He was taken to the the facility’s hospital where he later died. Prison officials detained 19-year-old Paul Johnson and 35-year-old Christopher…
Governor Bentley’s Proposal to consolidate 14 of Alabama’s 16 prisons into four mega prisons has some County officials worried about how the proposed initiative could effect their economy. Elmore and Bullock County officials spoke out about what the initiative could mean for their towns. Bullock County Commissioner Johnny Adams says that if Governor Bentley’s proposed prison initiative is passed, and the Bullock…
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley used his State of the State address to push for his $800 million prison construction plan, saying overcrowding and understaffing had proven a “deadly combination” within prison walls. The governor is proposing an $800 million bond issue to build four new prisons and close most existing facilities. Speaking on the first day of the legislative session…
