Torture, Murder And Other Violence In Alabama Prison System Is ‘Severe And Systemic,’ Justice Department Finds
The Justice Department issues a gruesome 56-page report the detailed the cruel and excessive violence within the Alabama prison system in one of the first major civil rights investigations by the department to be released under President Donald Trump. The DOJ notified the prison system that it could sue in 49 days “if State officials have not satisfactorily addressed our concerns.”
The New York Times:
Alabama’s Gruesome Prisons: Report Finds Rape And Murder At All Hours
One prisoner had been dead for so long that when he was discovered lying face down, his face was flattened. Another was tied up and tortured for two days while no one noticed. Bloody inmates screamed for help from cells whose doors did not lock. Those were some of the gruesome details in a 56-page report on the Alabama prison system that was issued by the Justice Department on Wednesday. The report, one of the first major civil rights investigations by the department to be released under President Trump, uncovered shocking conditions in the state’s massively overcrowded and understaffed facilities. (Benner and Dewan, 4/3)
WBUR:
Justice Dept. Finds Violence In Alabama Prisons 'Common, Cruel, Pervasive'
"Our investigation revealed that an excessive amount of violence, sexual abuse, and prisoner deaths occur within Alabama's prisons on a regular basis," wrote Assistant Attorney General Eric S. Dreiband, and the three U.S. Attorneys in Alabama in a letter accompanying the report sent to Republican Governor Kay Ivey. (Elliott, 4/3)
The Associated Press:
A Look At Fixes Justice Department Wants In Alabama Prisons
The U.S. Justice Department says that in addition to long-term measures, the Alabama Department of Corrections should make immediate changes in response to constitutional violations in its prisons.
Here is a brief summary. (4/3)
