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Appleseed’s reporting on Alabama’s prison crisis and our efforts to confront it

New Data Tool from Council of State Governments Should Help Guide Criminal Justice Decisions

By Eddie Burkhalter, Appleseed Researcher A recent report by the nonpartisan, nonprofit Council of State Governments (CSG) found that overall crime, including violent crime, across the U.S. and in Alabama, has been on the decline. The…

Another free man, safe from the chaos of Alabama’s violent prisons.

Alabama prisons, Carla Crowder, News

A bungled robbery in 1983 sent Lee Davis to prison on a life without parole sentence. Appleseed’s legal work brought him home. By Carla Crowder, Executive Director Lee Davis spent 39 years incarcerated for a robbery conviction…

266 lives lost in state government custody

Alabama prisons, Eddie Burkhalter, News

Alabama prison deaths reach record levels in 2022. The Department of Corrections’ response? Less reporting on deaths. By Eddie Burkhalter, Appleseed Researcher Eddie Richmond was 17 years old at the time of the robbery that led…

At age 70, Willie Ingram is free after spending four decades in prison for a $20 robbery

Alabama prisons, Carla Crowder, Habitual Felony Offender Act

by Carla Crowder, Executive Director Willie Ingram, who served 39 years in prison after being convicted of a $20 robbery while armed with a pocketknife, celebrated his first Christmas and New Year’s Day as a free man. Mr. Ingram…

Talking Trash: Why is the tiny Alabama city of Valley arresting people for unpaid trash bills?

Eddie Burkhalter, Fines and Fees, Leah Nelson, News

By Eddie Burkhalter and Leah Nelson Public outcry over the arrest of an 82-year-old Valley woman for $77 in unpaid garbage bills was swift, but records show the city has for decades arrested people over unpaid trash bills. Martha…

Looking past the political ads and sensational headlines, the surprising truth about crime rates

Eddie Burkhalter, News

By Eddie Burkhalter, Appleseed Researcher Alabamians are faced with competing narratives regarding crime and punishment. On one hand, Alabama’s prison system is brutal, broken, and fails to rehabilitate. On the other hand, some…