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…
Alabama prisons have agreed to put new suicide prevention measures in place after an inmate killed himself days after testifying that there’s inadequate psychiatric care in state prisons. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson on Thursday approved the temporary agreement between the Alabama Department of Corrections and attorneys for inmates. The prison system agreed to keep a licensed mental health professional…
Inmates in an Alabama prison are taking part in the “mannequin challenge” sweeping the country, using an illegal cellphone. Al.com reports that the men wearing prisoner clothing labeled Alabama Department of Corrections shot a nearly minute-long video of themselves freezing in various positions. They can be seen staging a fight, doing push-ups, reading on their cots and praying, both Christians…
An appellate court has refused to stop the execution of Alabama inmate Tommy Arthur. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday denied Arthur’s request for a stay of execution. The court, in a split decision, upheld a federal judge’s decision that dismissed Arthur’s lawsuit challenging Alabama’s death penalty procedure as unconstitutional. Arthur is scheduled to be executed by…
Alabama Department of Corrections officials report a stabbing of a corrections officer today at the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer. The stabbing happened at approximately 12:00 a.m. Wednesday while the officer was conducting a search of the inmate’s cell. Prison officials report the officer found contraband inside the cell and when questioned, the inmate assaulted the officer with…
Alabama Department of Corrections officials are responding to unofficial and erroneous reports of corrections officers participating in a strike at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore. Prison officials are acknowledging that nine officers did not report for the facility’s third shift on Saturday. In response, and as standing operating procedure, officers from other ADOC facilities were assigned to…
Inmate Edward Paul Powell, escaped from Red Eagle Work Center at approximately 2:45 a.m.. Red Eagle Work Center is located in Montgomery, Alabama in Montgomery County. Powell was recaptured late this afternoon in Dothan. Powell was serving a 20-year sentence for second degree property theft in 2011 in Houston County. Powell will also face charges for the escape. Categories: Crime,…
The Alabama Department of Corrections is studying the state’s aging prisons, some of which could one day be replaced with a few “mega-prisons” housing up to 4,000 inmates each. The agency has a nearly $500,000 contract with an engineering and architecture firm to study Alabama’s aging prisons. Results could be used to make the case for new, larger facilities, a…
A lawsuit was filed today in Montgomery County Circuit Court arising from a severe beating of an inmate by DOC employees at the St. Clair Correctional Facility, a prison well known for abuse, neglect, murders and beatings from the hands of prison guards and top officials at the prison. Birmingham attorney Tommy James represents the victim in this case. In July, 2014, Venture…
