Alabama Conducts First Nitrogen Hypoxia Execution by Alabama killed condemned prisoner Kenneth Eugene Smith, 58, on January 25, 2024, the first execution conducted using nitrogen hypoxia, a controversial method that suffocates victims with nitrogen gas and robs them of oxygen. The risks of the procedure are so unknown that the …
Eleventh Circuit Refuses to Reimpose Death Sentence for Intellectually Disabled Alabama Prisoner by Over two decades ago, in Atkins v. Virginia, 536 U.S. 304 (2002), the Supreme Court of the U.S. (SCOTUS) barred capital punishment for intellectually disabled prisoners—typically those with an IQ of 70 or below. Courts still wrestle …
Alabama DOC Proves Truly “Heartless” by In a weird-but-true story that’s oddly fitting for Alabama’s wretched prison system, the body of a state prisoner murdered on November 16, 2023, was returned to his survivors five days later without a heart. That is the claim of a lawsuit filed in federal …
News in Brief by Alabama: Within 48-hours of booking into the Morgan County Jail on August 29, 2023, Miles Rea Batson, 39, had two second-degree assault charges added to his public intoxication charge as well as another for disarming a law enforcement agent. WHNT in Huntsville reported that during booking …
News in Brief by Alabama: Three jail guards in the Yellowhammer State were hit with drug smuggling charges in August 2023 and another the month after. WAFF in Huntsville reported that Morgan County Jail guard Bobby Simmons, 19, was arrested on August 3, 2023, when he was charged with promoting …
Alabama Prison Conditions Continue to Worsen as DOJ Trial Looms by U.S. District Judge David Proctor has told lawyers to be ready for trial in November 2024 in a suit filed by the federal Department of Justice (DOJ) in federal court for the Northern District of Alabama against the state’s …
Alabama Sheriff Loses Appeal to Theft and Ethics Conviction by On May 22, 2023, the Circuit Court in Alabama’s Limestone County rejected an appeal by former Sheriff Mike Blakely to his conviction on charges of first-degree theft and using his public office for personal gain. After 38 years in office, …
News in Brief by Alabama: On August 12, 2023, an Alabama jail guard was caught – in uniform – stealing Pokemon cards from a Walmart. WBMA in Birmingham reported that Josh Hardy then fled store security on foot before cops caught him in a nearby restaurant. Calhoun County Sheriff Matthew …
Caswell v. Etowah County, AL, Complaint, Inadequate Medical Care, 2023 Case 4:23-cv-01380-ACA-NAD Document 1 Filed 10/13/23 Page 1 of 62 FILED 2023 Oct-13 AM 11:25 U.S. DISTRICT COURT N.D. OF ALABAMA UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ALABAMA MIDDLE DIVISION ASHLEY CASWELL, Plaintiff, v. ETOWAH COUNTY, ALABAMA; ETOWAH COUNTY …
Alabama Denies Parole to 90% of Eligible Prisoners by According to an AP News report on January 18, 2023, the Alabama Board of Pardons and Parole (BOPP) denied parole in fiscal year 2022 to 90% of eligible prisoners — the highest rate of denial in state history. Leola Harris, 71, …
News in Brief by Alabama: According to WSFA in Montgomery, a guard at the Montgomery County Detention Center was charged on July 18, 2023, with conspiracy to provide contraband to a prisoner as well as bribing a public official. Timothy Bernard Summerlin, 33, had worked at the lockup for roughly …
Life Sentence for Alabama Jail Escapee After Suicide of Guard Lover Who Helped Him by Chuck Sharman On June 8, 2023, a judge in Alabama’s Lauderdale County handed a life sentence without parole to a state prisoner for escaping the county lockup with his jail-guard lover, who then committed suicide …
Alabama Guards Still Harming Prisoners, Overcrowding Set to Increase as Governor Slashes “Good Time” by Jo Ellen Nott, Chuck Sharman by Jo Ellen Nott and Chuck Sharman Long notorious for harsh prison conditions, Alabama’s Department of Corrections (DOC) shows no signs of remediating them despite not one but two suits …
News in Brief by Alabama: A state Department of Corrections (DOC) guard was arrested on June 10, 2023, for allegedly smuggling drugs, including meth, to a prisoner at Kilby Correctional Facility, 1819 News reported. Charlie Townsend, 28, resigned from his position upon his arrest by the Law Enforcement Services Division. …
Alabama Prisoner’s Family Sues Over Allegedly Botched Execution by Chuck Sharman by Chuck Sharman On May 3, 2023, the family of Joe Nathan James Jr., an Alabama prisoner executed in July 2022, sued Gov. Kay Ivey (R) and other state officials, claiming he suffered excessive pain and was unconscious too …
Life Sentence for Alabama Jail Escapee After Suicide of Guard Lover Who Helped Him by Chuck Sharman by Chuck Sharman On June 8, 2023, a judge in Alabama’s Lauderdale County handed a life sentence without parole to a state prisoner for escaping the county lockup with his jail-guard lover, who …
News in Brief by Alabama: A guard with the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) was indicted on April 27, 2023, on charges he sexually abused two prisoners at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Aliceville, according to a report by the Birmingham News. Robert D. Smith allegedly had sexual intercourse …
Eleventh Circuit Won’t Force Condemned Alabama Prisoner to Die by Method He Didn’t Choose by David Reutter by David M. Reutter Once it begins a lethal injection, the Alabama Department of Corrections (DOC) “will attempt to carry out the execution and not stop until it becomes clear that they are …
Alabama No-Bid Prison Contract Costs More Per Bed Than State’s Average Home by Jordan Arizmendi by Jordan Arizmendi The Alabama Corrections Institution Finance Authority recently approved a $975 million no-bid contract for a single new prison – roughly equal to the budget of Alabama’s entire Department of Mental Health. Dividing …
