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 …
News in Brief by Alabama: On March 26, 2023, a former state prison guard at Easterling Correctional Facility was arrested for taking bribes to smuggle contraband into the lockup. The Montgomery Advertiser reported that Quindarius Thagard, 27, was fired and charged with use of office for personal gain and promotion …
Warden Ousted from Troubled Alabama Prison After DUI Arrest by Edward Lyon by Ed Lyon A state prison warden was arrested on August 30, 2022, on suspicion of driving under the influence in Cullman, Alabama. Jeffrey Baldwin was then placed on mandatory leave from his post at Elmore Correctional Facility …
Estate of Travis Banks v. Compton, AL, Complaint, Excessive Force-Wrongful Death, 2023 FILED Case 4:22-cv-00002-ACA Document 63 Filed 04/19/23 Page 1 of 22 2023 Apr-19 PM 11:26 U.S. DISTRICT COURT N.D. OF ALABAMA IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ALABAMA MIDDLE DIVISION ANISSA BANKS, as Administrator of …
News in Brief by Alabama: WBAM in Birmingham reported that a guard at the Blount County Jail was taken into custody and fired on January 31, 2023. Joseph Snow, 43, was charged with second-degree assault for injuring a detainee during an incident captured on surveillance video. Sheriff Mike Moon called …
Voters in Four States Change Constitution to Ban Prison Slavery by Keith Sanders by Keith Sanders The November 2022 elections did more than send new faces to Congress and statehouses around the country. They also saw historic ballot measures passed to change the constitutions in four states. Voters in Alabama, …
Mitchell v. Smith, AL, Amended Complaint, Wrongful Death-Medical Neglect, 2023 Case 2:23-cv-00182-ACA Document 29 Filed 03/20/23 Page 1 of 53 FILED 2023 Mar-20 AM 09:52 U.S. DISTRICT COURT N.D. OF ALABAMA IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ALABAMA SOUTHERN DIVISION MARGARET MITCHELL, AS ADMINISTRATRIX OF …
Alabama Prisoner’s Deliberate Indifference Claim Dies for Lack of Proper Affidavits by David Reutter by David M. Reutter On November 11, 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed dismissal of an Alabama prisoner’s civil rights action that alleged overlong delays in treatment for hernias and post-surgery …
Over $298,000 Awarded to Alabama Jail Detainee with Heart Disease After Guards, Nurses Ignored Firing Defibrillator by David Reutter by David M. Reutter After a federal jury awarded $135,000 to an Alabama man deprived of medical care for a heart condition while detained at the Autauga County Jail (ACJ), the …
News in Brief by News in Brief Alabama: On January 9, 2023, the Montgomery Police Department (MPD) arrested a guard at the city jail for an alleged off-duty assault, the Birmingham News reported. It’s unclear who filed the misdemeanor complaint against Reba Foulks, 36; MPD didn’t begin its investigation until …
Alabama County Ends Controversial Policy Using Women’s Pregnancies to Jail Them by Ashleigh Dye by Ashleigh N. Dye In the state of Alabama, it is a felony to expose a child to an environment in which controlled substances are manufactured, ingested, or distributed. Called Chemical Endangerment, the crime can land …
After Botched Lethal Injection, Alabama Will Execute Prisoner by Nitrogen Hypoxia by David Reutter by David M. Reutter On November 28, 2022, the State of Alabama entered a settlement with condemned prisoner Alan Eugene Miller, agreeing to refrain from further attempts to execute him by means of lethal injection. It …
Alabama Supreme Court Says Prisoner Who Didn’t Return From Work Release Punishable Under Felony Escape Statute by David Reutter by David M. Reutter On September 16, 2022, in an important decision for Alabama prisoners on work-release programs, the state Supreme Court held that “willful escape” from such a program “is …
Alabama Prisoner’s Deliberate Indifference Claim Dies for Lack of Proper Affidavits by David Reutter by David M. Reutter On November 11, 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed dismissal of an Alabama prisoner’s civil rights action that alleged overlong delays in treatment for hernias and post-surgery …
Moye v. Butler, AL, Complaint, Inadequate Medical Care, 2023 Case 1:22-cv-00026-JB-B Document 24 Filed 02/03/23 Page 1 of 11 PageID #: 107 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF ALABAMA SOUTHERN DIVISION CANYON DUFF MOYE, AIS #319956; Plaintiff, v. REOSHA BUTLER; MARY COOKS; WEXFORD HEALTH SOURCE, …