SPLC Responds to DOJ Report Detailing Use of Excessive Force in Alabama Prisons

MONTGOMERY, Alabama - The U.S. Department of Justice today released a report detailing unconstitutional conditions regarding use of excessive force on men incarcerated in the Alabama Department of Corrections. The following statement is by Ebony Howard, senior supervising attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center:

“Alabama’s prisons are notoriously overcrowded and understaffed by correctional officers who undergo little training. It comes as no surprise to us that the Department of Justice has found frequent use of excessive force by correctional officers against incarcerated men in Alabama’s prison system. 

“The violent conditions and circumstances outlined in the DOJ’s latest report are at the hands of prison personnel and demonstrate failures of the Alabama Department of Corrections’ leadership to ensure people in their custody are safe. This unconstitutional behavior will not be solved by building newer, larger prisons.

“People in Alabama prisons are human beings with constitutional rights. They deserve to be treated humanely, with respect, and dignity.”