MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama’s prisons chief on Tuesday said the state prison system remains ‘under stress’ because of aging facilities, low staffing and overcrowding.
Source: State’s prison system ‘under stress,’ commissioner says
U.S.A mass incarceration
How to fix the Alabama Department Of Corrections
I have read with great eagerness the coverage given to exposing the conditions within Alabama Department Of Corrections and by exploring ways of improving conditions within Alabama’s prisons and reducing the prison population overall. But then I would, I have a biased view, my wife is currently incarcerated in ADOC and has been for 11 years. We know how the ADOC works, I can only speak of that which I know and have experienced first hand, so my focus lies with the female population incarcerated within Alabama Department Of Corrections.
Ironically it seems to matter not, how serious a crime you are charged with committing, if you find yourself on the wrong side of the law, unless you or your family are financially secure, or are well connected with the old boy network, you have little to no chance of a fair trial, and if you happen to be female, the problem is even more acute. The issues are very complex and multi faceted and a lot of people have a vested interest financially and politically to keep things ticking over just as they are. I will raise the negative aspects first and then follow on with our suggestions on how to fix ADOC, ADOJ and the prison over population problem.
Firstly, as in my wife’s case the District Attorney and prosecutors will seek the most severe charges, and therefor the maximum penalties. They will withhold evidence, prevent witnesses at trial in order to weaken your case and strengthen theirs against you. Instead of a manslaughter charge, they will push for a murder charge. Instead of 10-15 years, you’ll be looking at life, possibly without the possibility of parole.
District Attorney’s, prosecutors and even judges should not be above the law. They should not be allowed to blatantly manipulate the law. They should not present unreliable evidence nor should they be allowed to get away with professional misconduct. They should present all evidence; they should uphold the constitutional rights of the accused and treat them as innocent until proven guilty. They should lay charges as per the crime, not try to convict for murder for example in a blatant manslaughter case in an effort to get another “Murder Conviction” notch on a belt, or another political gong to show just how “tough on crime” they are.
Only 4 microwave ovens for nearly 300 female inmates
Did you know?
Inmates have to stand in-line and wait for hours as there are only 4 microwave ovens in a dormitory that houses almost 300 women.
In addition the only access to hot water that they have for drinks etc. is from the hot faucet in the shower block.
Surely Alabama’s Department of Corrections could afford to install at least a couple more microwaves, given the millions of dollars that Alabama Department Of Corrections, makes off of each inmate via their families, over charging for canteen, phone calls, kick backs etc. etc. etc.?
What Is Going On With Visitation?
For several months now, the process of being booked in for visitation has gone from bad to worse. We are hearing complaints from friends and family of the women who arrive 10-15 minutes early and are ready at the booking in shack, yet the correctional officers do not even bother coming over to process people in until the official start time of visitation.
As of the weekend December 5th-6th, it was observed that most families and friends were inline by 10-20am on Sunday December 6th, but the officers did not appear with Lt. Mason until at least 10:30am it then took the officers almost 45 minutes to process the people in, that is totally unacceptable given that visitation is only 3 hours long.
One family member told us, “they get us in late and kick us out early”. Some people arrive with very young children and adversely some families arrive with older relatives, the correctional officers should start processing people in earlier so that people get as much time with their loved ones as possible. Visitation is vitally important for maintaining the family bond.
We suggest that people start contacting Warden Ellington with their concerns on (334) 215-0756 or the Commissioners Office, Please add your comments below, and if all else fails then contact us and we will pass on your complaint or concern.
Clarification Finally Given On PREA Laws
The women were recently issued with ADOC’s new PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) informational flyer. It seems they have finally started to acknowledge and clarify the law and how it legally affects the women, what protection it affords them, and what they can expect to happen should they ever feel threatened or are attacked in anyway by another inmate or a correctional officer. PREA is not a new law, but its good to see it getting formal exposure throughout the facility, inline with federal standards, although perhaps given the seriousness of the subject matter, perhaps a spelling and grammar checker should have employed before being sent to print. In any event, please note that retaliation is not permitted in any form, and there are many valid forms of reporting any and all incidents.
Words From Prison…Did You Know???
Women In Prison An Overview
Women are the fastest growing segment of the incarcerated population. Nationally, there are now more than eight times as many women incarcerated in state and federal prisons and local jails as there were in 1980.[i]
The number of women serving sentences of more than a year grew by 757% between 1977 and 2004—nearly twice the 388% increase in the male prison population.[ii]
There are more than one million women behind bars or under the control of the criminal justice system when all forms of correctional supervision–probation, parole, jail, and state and federal prisons–are considered.[iii]
New York State has the fourth largest female prison population in the nation, exceeded only by Texas, California and Florida.[iv]
Women of color are significantly overrepresented in the criminal justice system. Two-thirds of women in prison in the United States are women of color.[v]
In 2004, black women were 4.5 times more likely than white women to be incarcerated.[vi]
African American women’s incarceration rates for all crimes increased by 800% since 1986, compared to an increase of 400% for women of all races.[vii]
The Cost Of Mass Incarceration
Prison system costs now account for 1 out of every 15 state general fund discretionary dollars. Criminal justice is the second-fastest-growing category of state budgets, behind only Medicaid, and 90 percent of that spending goes to prisons. We are wasting trillions of dollars on an ineffective and unjust criminal justice system. We have more effective tools for preventing and responding to crime than prisons.
Alternatives To Incarceration
Problems like mental illness, substance use disorders, and homelessness are more appropriately addressed outside of the criminal justice system altogether. Services like drug treatment and affordable housing cost less and can have a better record of success. It’s time we got serious about pulling our money out of incarceration and putting it into systems that foster healthy communities.
With almost 50% of prisoners in federal prison for a drug offense and multitudes of severely mentally ill people imprisoned, it is time for the criminal justice system to begin exploring alternatives to incarceration.
Women and the Criminal Justice System
Over the past 30 years, the number of women and girls caught in the criminal justice system has skyrocketed. Many have been swept up in the War on Drugs and subject to increasingly punitive sentencing policies for nonviolent offenders. There are now more than 200,000 women behind bars and more than one million on probation and parole.
Many of these women struggle with substance abuse, mental illness, and histories of physical and sexual abuse. Few get the services they need. The toll on women, girls, and their families is devastating.
Furthermore, the overincarceration and overconviction of women has devastating effects on them and their families because of the barriers women face as a result of their criminal records. These barriers include employment discrimination (compounded by the trend among employers of conducting background checks), exclusions from certain occupations (including some traditionally dominated by low-income women, such as home health care and childcare), exclusions from housing, and bans on receiving public assistance.
The ACLU is working to reduce the overincarceration of women and girls, ensure equal rights and dignity while in confinement, and eliminate barriers imposed as a result of having a criminal record.
CRUEL CONFINEMENT: ABUSE, DISCRIMINATION AND DEATH WITHIN ALABAMA’S PRISONS | SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER
Publication June 04, 2014
An investigation by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program (ADAP) has found that for many people incarcerated in Alabama’s state prisons, a sentence is more than a loss of freedom. Prisoners, including those with disabilities and serious physical and mental illnesses, are condemned to penitentiaries where systemic indifference, discrimination and dangerous – even life-threatening – conditions are the norm.
Executive Summary
An investigation by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program (ADAP) has found that for many people incarcerated in Alabama’s state prisons, a sentence is more than a loss of freedom. Prisoners, including those with disabilities and serious physical and mental illnesses, are condemned to penitentiaries where systemic indifference, discrimination and dangerous – even life-threatening – conditions are the norm.
The Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) is deliberately indifferent to the serious medical needs of the prisoners in its custody. Inspections of 15 Alabama prisons, interviews with well over 100 prisoners and a review of thousands of pages of medical records, depositions and media accounts – as well as the policies, contracts and reports of the department and two major contractors – lead to one inescapable conclusion: Alabama’s prisons violate federal law protecting people with disabilities and the U.S. Constitution’s ban on “cruel and unusual punishments.”
Montgomery Women's Facility 
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