Two former correctional officers told me this is a regularly occurring phenomenon in the quagmire of Alabama prisons. Oftentimes sexual violence and other forms of physical violence go hand in hand leading to horrible acts meant to humiliate and disable someone. They held his arms and legs and tightened the grip around Russos neck, telling him, this was going to be the last time he could be the cause of Blood T being in lock up. Russo passed out. The Justice Department declined to comment on whether it would seek a consent decree. Many of those incarcerated in Alabama are serving time for drug charges. I cant help but wonder if the public knows just how bad these men are treated day after day and year after year. Camp 22, North Korea. He responded in an email to say the ADOC Investigations and Intelligence Division indicates charges are pending and the investigation is ongoing. "The movement of people at Holman to other facilities will only exacerbate the already deadly levels of overcrowding and the understaffing of correctional officers and mental health professionals at those facilities," said C.J. A sign placed in the window of an inmate's cell calls for "HELP" during a visit by state officials last year. Sometimes as few as nine guards would try to control the entire population, Stidham said. [5] The prison has a clothing factory. She still lives nearby, and stays in touch with staff. In the summer of 2018, Russo told me he was walking through a corridor at Donaldson when he was attacked from behind, stabbed in the back of the head. If caught in time, the inmate can be taken to medical care and then to solitary confinement until theyre deemed healthy enough to be reintroduced into the general population. These are not photos of soldiers, but men incarcerated in an Alabama prison. They took each others hands. 08.27.19. WebAlabama Has Most Overcrowded Prisons in the Nation. Prison in Wetumpka, Alabama, United States, The front entrance of Julia Tutwiler Prison is located along, Above facilities are male-only unless noted by (female only), "Letter from Julia S. Tutwiler in Dothan, Alabama, to Frank S. White in Birmingham, Alabama", Tutwiler Warden Copes with 'ticking Time Bomb', Tutwiler Warden Copes with 'Ticking Time Bomb', "Women Allege Widespread Sexual Abuse at Alabama Prison, Nonprofit Group Says", "America's 10 Worst Prisons: Julia Tutwiler", "Massive Human Rights Violations in U.S. The lieutenant said the problem goes far beyond cinematic notions of bullying guards or vicious prisoners. Russo, 57, called me from a prison phone, and said even though he was almost killed twice, he tries not to think about the constant danger posed by violent, out-of-control inmates. It is a high-security location that holds the lone For more than two years, the D.O.J. Retrieved on January 6th, 2019 from: Melissa Brown (2019) 'American Horror Story': The Prison voices You Don't Hear From Have the Most to Tell us. One mentally ill prisoner cut himself and wrote on the wall in his own blood. While the level of inmate on inmate violence is lower in Alabama womens prisons, they are still subject to horrifying conditions by the guards. The opioid epidemic has hit Alabama especially hard. In September he got word that one of his officers, 44-year-old Kenneth Bettis, had refused to give a prisoner an extra tray of food, and the prisoner had stabbed him in the temple with an icepick-like weapon. Three Saturdays ago they had seven officers for a thousand-man prison. Last month, Governor Ivey warned of horrendous conditions in the prisons and an impending federal intervention in her State of the State speech. Another was tied up and tortured for two days while no one noticed. It concluded that the conditions of the Alabama Prison System were so horrific that they were a violation of the inmates Constitutional right to avoid suffering cruel and unusual punishment. The gang members told Russo he needed to lie to prison staff, claiming he owed a debt he couldnt pay, and ask to be moved to segregation. About 150 "low-risk" prisoners and scores of death row inmates are expected to remain at the 51-year-old prison in Atmore, Ala., which houses the state's only execution chamber. While its true, 2 guards cannot adequately keep a hall of hundreds of men in order, it doesnt even seem like theyre trying. "There are many logistical questions that will need to be answered we're working through that right now," Reeves added. One of the greatest ironies of the Alabama prison system is the wide availability of drugs. Inmates at other prisons across the US enacted similar plans, involving as many as 24,000 prisoners who demanded safer living conditions. An infirmary nurse cleaned up his injuries and called an ambulance. This template pertains only to agencies that handle sentenced felons (with sentences over 1-2 years). to ensure that our mutual concerns are addressed and that we remain steadfast in our commitment to public safety, making certain that this Alabama problem has an Alabama solution.. [6], One dormitory has walls painted pink in order to soothe prisoners. The DOJ cites numerous examples of ADOC unnecessarily disciplining prisoners who are victims of assaults or have sought protection from threats of violence. Web1. But theres no one person or entity to point blame at, he said. The label of snitch often leads to drastically increased targeting from gangs. Russo spent three nights at UAB hospital, where he received 28 staples in his wounds and a tube placed in his chest to drain fluid around his organs, according to the class-action lawsuit filed by EJI. Holman Correctional Facility in Escambia County, Alabama; 2. Elderly inmates make easy targets for groups of people to jump and mug. Nine of the homicides occurred at St. Clair. On the surface, a tough guy convicted of a terrible crime, but Russo said once locked up, he wanted to do his time peacefully and avoid trouble. In 2017, the two sides reached a settlement, but are now back in mediation after ADOC did not follow through on promised reforms, according to the DOJ. The mortality rate within Alabama prisons is at a record level. Theres not enough money or staff to support a rehabilitation program for inmates, so substance dependence only becomes more desperate after incarceration. Drugs are a common theme throughout the story of Alabama prisons. He was eventually transferred to Donaldson Prison. This clerical issue seems to run from top levels down to guards, who have repeatedly been found reporting inmate murders as dying of natural causes. Homicide numbers, suicide numbers, reports of attacks and rapes all seem unreliable as the DOJ dug deeper. Warden. We have to turn the page. Alabama leaders are on the clock to answer that question. United States Penitentiary, Administrative There have been 15 suicides in the past 15 months, and the homicide rate vastly exceeds the national average for prisons. They have failed to take reasonable steps to protect people in their custody from the known and readily apparent threat of sexual abuse and sexual harassment. Over the coming months, my Administration will be working closely with D.O.J. Retrieved on January 6th, 2019 from: Polson & Polson (2019) Alabama Drug Penalties | Minimum Mandatory SentencingRetrieved on January 6th, 2019 from: National Institute on Drug Abuse (2019) Alabama Opioid Summary. "We will continue to forge ahead in our good faith negotiations.". But Mac McArthur, the executive director of the Alabama State Employees Association, which includes state corrections workers, said attrition was still outpacing recruitment, in part because starting salaries were still below $30,000 a year for some officers, and in part because the job was so dangerous. They can then use this debt as a means of manipulating people into working for them, giving up their possessions, or providing sexual favors. From 2015 to 2017, Alabama reported 25 prison homicides. Theyre giving a lot of lip service to the need to fix them, but the lip service always comes back to we just need a billion dollars to build new prisons and, as the Department of Justice found, thats not going to solve the problem.. This prison is currently under a settlement agreement from a federal lawsuit brought by the Equal Justice Initiate and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Staff engage in voyeurism, forcing women to disrobe and watching them while they use the shower and use the toilet "Prison officials have failed to curb the sexual abuse and sexual harassment despite possessing actual knowledge of the harm, including a federal statistical analysis identifying sexual misconduct at Tutwiler as occurring at one of the highest rates in the country." It was like I was being punished for being stabbed, Russo said. Russo said that didnt happen. But today its a shell game typically only two of the towers are manned at any time. The prison is run by a staff as thin as the razor wire that surrounds the prison. Hayley Hudson ❘ October 30, 2020. Russo was given a disciplinary infraction and sent back to segregation until February, 2016, when Blood T was involved in a robbery with another gang member known as Black Jesus. According to the lawsuit, the pair tried to rob two prisoners and Black Jesus was stabbed. This violence reflects new findings which show that Alabamas prisons are the most lethal in the nation. hide caption. The warden walked up and joined right in the prayer, and had no idea we were plotting against the prison., On the following Saturday just two officers showed up for work, crippling a shift that would normally require about 16 guards. This photo taken on February 13, 2019 shows a view of the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility, also known as the ADX or Supermax, in Florence, Colorado. Youll find all the officers are like this.. But Lt Curt Stidham agreed to meet and describe life at the prison for the Guardian. The first warden at Holman, Novy Lee Hale, toured the prison with his granddaughter, Teresa. There are killings every day at Holman, he said Thursday. One of the few stimuli guards seem to acknowledge is an inmate trying to end their own life. Prisoners who file civil suits against their attackers often have their case dismissed with little consideration. African Americans and Afro-Caribbean Americans, https://abcnews.go.com/US/inside-nightmarish-world-alabama-prisons-dojs-attempt-fix/story?id=62146416, https://longreads.com/2019/11/15/the-alabama-corrections-system-an-american-horror-story/, https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/in-depth/news/2019/11/13/alabama-department-corrections-prison-inmates-describe-horrid-conditions/2234480001/, https://abc3340.com/news/local/families-of-alabama-inmates-describe-violent-conditions-to-panel, https://www.cnn.com/2012/05/22/justice/alabama-prison-complaint/index.html, https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/2019/11/13/alabama-prison-conditions-after-doj-report-of-department-of-justice/2234450001/, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/03/us/alabama-prisons-doj-investigation.html, https://www.prisonpolicy.org/profiles/AL.html, https://polsonlawfirm.com/alabama-drug-lawyer/penalties/, https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-summaries-by-state/alabama-opioid-summary. Males had a higher recidivism rate of 57.65%, and females had a rate of 48.21%. ADOC and Tutwiler have demonstrated a clear deliberate indifference to the harm and substantial risk of harm to women prisoners. Bleeding and disoriented, he told me he hobbled out of the dorm and asked an officer for help. In November, 2015, Russo was back in population and Blood T was in segregation, charged with another alleged robbery and stabbing. Retrieved on January 6th, 2019 from: Kim Chandler (2019) Families of Alabama Inmates Describe violent Conditions to Panel. All female inmates entering ADOC are sent to the receiving unit in Tutwiler. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Ala., long criticized for its conditions, will be largely decommissioned. He stared at his hands. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Ala., long criticized for its conditions, will be largely decommissioned. The department notified the prison system that it could sue in 49 days if State officials have not satisfactorily addressed our concerns., [The New York Times received more than 2,000 photos taken inside an Alabama prison. A few days later Bettis, the guard, died in the hospital. "[3], Construction on the current Tutwiler Prison was completed in December 1942. Guards routinely attack and rape inmates, which has led to the firing of over 20 staff for illegal sexual contact with prisoners. Women here have alleged that some of them will be raped, become pregnant, and deliver the baby all within the walls of the prison while serving their sentences. Grissom was killed by his ex-wife, Tracy, who later alleged that shed suffered from physical and emotional abuse at Hunters hand. Russo was also a plaintiff in a 2014 class-action lawsuit filed by Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) over conditions inside St. Clair Correctional. The report, one of the first major civil rights investigations by the department to be released under President Trump, uncovered shocking conditions in the states massively overcrowded and understaffed facilities. Back then, the prisons were less crowded and well-staffed. This agreement stands little to no chance of making this a safer place to work. Prisons: Alabama's Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women - Institutionalized Rape of Prisoners by Guards", "TRANSCRIPT: Gov. Officials have been on notice for over eighteen years of the risks to women prisoners and, for over eighteen years, have chosen to ignore them. He said the assailant was trying to catch out, when a prisoner intentionally commits a conduct violation in order to get sent to segregation for his own protection. Among the guards who skipped work in protest, three never returned. Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. These photos are never before seen by anyone outside of the prison staff. No one is winning at Holman, he said. The number of deaths in Alabama prison, many of which are from non-natural causes including homicide, suicide, and drug overdoses greatly exceed what other states are seeing. Three photos show Russos face and upper body with multiple injuries; a swollen cut below his eye, an open gash on his shoulder, streaks of red across his chest. BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC) - I thought they were photos from a battlefield of war. ", "We are now projecting upwards of $800 million in deferred maintenance costs alone," Dunn said Wednesday. Sandy Ray held photos of her son, Steven Davis, during a press conference at the Alabama State House in Montgomery on Dec. 4, 2019. Inmates are raped to pay off debts, and one mother told the Justice Department that a prisoner had texted her to say he would chop her son into pieces and rape him if she did not send him $800, the report said. Did you ever do anything with your blood? Treatment providers are waiting for your call: The Alabama Prison System: Has Anything Changed? Alabamas voracious incarceration rate renders their corrections facilities under-sized and under-staffed. Someone suggested officers call in sick during an extended blue flu. Committing violence while high is a relatively common occurrence in the dorms. Documented instances of abuse by correctional staff have aggravated the culture of violence within state prisons. When an inmate has been raped, it can flag them as weak and that sexual abuse may continue from other inmates and gangs. The five most brutal prisons in the U.S. Feb 25, 2023. Indifference to human suffering justified by contempt for criminals, how does it persist in a place full of people who claim to be Christian? The honor dorms are considered the safest places to live within ADOCs maximum and medium-security facilities. Multiple inmates report only having 1 or 2 guards per 400prisoners. This epidemic of violence has once again created a crisis that requires a more committed and effective response from state leaders.. Data drawn from Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) statistical reports and the US Bureau of Justice Statistics. Alabama ranks 5th out of the 50 states in terms of its incarceration rate: 946 out of every 100,000 Alabamans are incarcerated, almost 1% of the total population. Inmates dangerously high on meth, heroin, or flakka. He said that a top political appointee must sign off on any deal. Over-population and understaffing, yes, said Bob Horton, spokesman for Alabamas prisons. WebIn Alabama, at least 73 inmates qualified for resentencing, according to a list compiled from prosecutors at district attorneys and the Alabama Attorney Generals Office. Maximum security Tutwiler holds 400 inmates and includes death row and formerly housed a segregated [citation needed], Tutwiler has room for about 700 prisoners. Considered the most dangerous prisoner in America, Silverstein was put into solitary confinement after brutally murdering prison guard Merle Clutts. WebThe Alabama Department of Corrections said in a news release that all Elmore Correctional Facility inmates not currently exhibiting symptoms were tested last week. Order by phone toll free: (877) 765-7013 3. Many of these inmates find themselves incarcerated precisely because of their past interactions with illicit substances. And the deals must have a sunset date, meaning they can expire before violations have been remedied. Ms. Ivey said the department had increased the prison budget in recent years, given raises to corrections officers and requested $31 million to hire 500 more correctional officers and increase pay in the coming fiscal year. 30, 2020 manned at any time and gangs theres no one winning. Treatment providers are waiting for your call: the Alabama prison are pending and deals... 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