Blog – Alabama Appleseed

The State of Justice Blog

Birmingham Re-entry Alliance is hiring a Case Manager

The Birmingham Re-entry Alliance is an innovative, collaborative reentry support and case management system for individuals returning to Birmingham following incarceration in state prison. Our network will combine the necessary services for…

Welcome to JD/MD Intern Alana C. Nichols

News

My name is Alana C. Nichols and it is with immense excitement and gratitude that I announce an internship with Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice. I am currently a third year Internal Medicine and Pediatrics resident at University…

For Jerry Boatwright, freedom is a hammer, a paintbrush, and a chance to take care of his family after 3 decades in prison

By Carla Crowder, Executive Director and Scott Fuqua, Staff Attorney Jerry Boatwright spent 34 years in an Alabama prison for a burglary conviction. He was supposed to die there. Instead, he’s home just in time to become the primary…

Forty years in prison for cannabis plants. Yes, we’re still doing that in Alabama.

Carla Crowder

This story is part of Appleseed’s “Cruel and Unusual” series, focusing on the people harmed by Alabama’s overreliance on excessive sentences, which trap people in deadly, dysfunctional prisons long after they have paid their debt. By…

Fighting for parole for a son who is fighting for his life

Eddie Burkhalter, News

As their son recovered from multiple stab wounds and fractures suffered at Bullock Correctional Facility, Brian Rigsby’s parents had their hopes up that he just might find safety through parole. Here’s what happened instead. By Eddie…

How an idea becomes a bill becomes a law: Looking back at the campaign to curb debt-based drivers license suspensions in Alabama

Leah Nelson

By Leah Nelson, Research Director When Teon Smith and I got to talking at a June 2018 event for people who needed legal assistance, I think it’s fair to say that neither of us expected we were making an acquaintance that would change…