Blog – Alabama Appleseed

The State of Justice Blog

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…

Groups Call for Investigation Into Potential Violations of Federal Law by Alabama Sheriffs with Federal Detention Contracts who Convert Jail Food Funds to Personal Use

News

In a letter sent yesterday to the United States Attorneys for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Alabama, the Southern Center for Human Rights, Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, Adelante Alabama Worker Center, the American…

Pro Bono Month: Standing Up for Greater Access to Justice

Access to Justice, Phillip Ensler

October marks Pro Bono Month, in which Alabama celebrates the difference made by pro bono lawyers throughout the state who serve our communities by providing free civil legal aid to those in need. These volunteer lawyers--along with lawyers…