Entries by Carla Crowder

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

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 […]

Mass deaths across Alabama prisons over the Thanksgiving holidays, along with new evidence that prison supervisors are the problem

  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 […]

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

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 […]

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Welcome Extern Erin Nicole Smith!

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 […]

Alabama man incarcerated for minor offenses is beaten by an ADOC officer; the assault is captured on video

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, […]

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Violence, then silence

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 […]

Appleseed is Hiring a Social Worker

About Alabama Appleseed: Alabama Appleseed is a non-profit, non-partisan 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1999 whose mission is to achieve justice and equity for all Alabamians. Alabama Appleseed conducts integrated culture and policy change campaigns to confront laws and policies that harm the poor and to remedy the root causes of poverty and injustice. Its campaigns […]