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 to his death sentence in the Alabama Department of Corrections. He was not sentenced to die; the United States […]
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 was originally sentenced to life imprisonment without parole under Alabama’s Habitual Felony Offender Act; his priors […]
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 Menefield’s arrest three days after Thanksgiving, made international headlines. The charge against her was dropped […]
Centuria Olds (left) and Deaundra Leshawn Johnson, Jefferson County jail booking An Alabama Department of Corrections captain and former ADOC lieutenant each face multiple criminal charges related to smuggling contraband into Alabama prisons, but the small number of prison staff arrests is vastly outpaced by the deaths and violence caused by contraband pouring into […]
By Kathleen Henderson My name is Kathleen J. Henderson, and I am so honored to be able to join Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice as the new Re-entry Case Manager. I began my journey at Bevill State Community College. There, I gained the understanding that education is a way out of poverty and/or […]
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 believe crime is on the rise and long prison sentences are the only answer. Because Appleseed believes that policy decisions must be […]
My name is Erin Nicole Smith and I am humbled to work at Alabama Appleseed as a Policy Extern. I am currently a 2L at The University of Alabama School of Law and am seeking opportunities to embrace social justice activism. I have a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and minored in Political Science from Oakwood […]
By Eddie Burkhalter An Alabama correctional officer, caught on video beating an incarcerated man on a prison rooftop last week, has been placed on mandatory leave. The violence caught on camera and shared widely on social media is a visible example of the often unseen violence that regularly takes place in Alabama prisons. Jimmy Norman, […]
By Carla Crowder, Executive Director Leaning on his walker, Robert Cheeks shuffled out of Donaldson Correctional Facility and took his first breaths as a free man in 37 years. He was 79 years old. The state of Alabama meant for him to die in prison. In 1985, Mr. Cheeks received a mandatory sentence of life […]
Family members of incarcerated people struggle for answers as violence and death escalate in ADOC prisons By Eddie Burkhalter, Appleseed Researcher It was five days after Jason Freeman was found lying in the yard at Ventress Correctional Facility in August – two stab wounds piercing his heart – before his mother received a call from […]
Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice
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