Blog – Alabama Appleseed

The State of Justice Blog

Incarcerated people learn from their mistakes. The government that locks them up has not.

Alabama prisons, Carla Crowder, Fair Schools, Safe Communities, News

By Carla Crowder, Alabama Appleseed Executive Director Antonio was incarcerated at St. Clair prison a few years ago when another prisoner bit off part of his ear. They were housed in a dorm that supposedly offered rehabilitative services.…

How a couple lost everything because of $50 worth of marijuana, a Lunesta pill, and an overzealous drug task force armed with the power to seize their assets

Civil Asset Forfeiture, Fair Schools, Safe Communities, Leah Nelson

By Leah Nelson, Appleseed Researcher WOODLAND, Ala. (March 30, 2019) Teresa Almond is terrified. Though more than 13 months have passed since the day the Randolph County Drug Task Force upended her life with a flashbang grenade and a raid…

What last week’s SCOTUS ruling on excessive fines and fees could mean for Alabama

Advocacy News, Carla Crowder, Fines and Fees, Leah Nelson

Across Alabama, residents lose their jobs, housing, drivers’ licenses, and spend long stretches in jail because they cannot afford to pay court fines and fees. This week, a unanimous United States Supreme Court reminded states that this is…

Introducing Carla Crowder, New Executive Director

Alabama Appleseed News, Carla Crowder, News

Public Support for Payday Reform Increases in Alabama

Dana Sweeney, Other Issues

by Dana Sweeney, Organizer If you start asking around for people’s opinions of payday lending in Alabama, the responses will almost all follow along the same lines: that payday lenders are legalized loan sharks, that 456% APR interest rates…

Alabama’s Marijuana Laws are Costly to Enforce, Undermine Public Safety and Disproportionately Harm African Americans

Fair Schools, Safe Communities, Frank Knaack

Marijuana prohibition costs the state and its municipalities an estimated $22 million a year, creates a dangerous backlog at the agency that tests forensic evidence in violent crimes, and needlessly ensnares thousands of people – disproportionately…