Blog – Alabama Appleseed

The State of Justice Blog

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

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…

Welcome Extern Erin Nicole Smith!

Intern, News

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…

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

News

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…

Leaving prison on a walker, in time for his 80th birthday celebration

Alabama prisons, Carla Crowder, News

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…