Families describe deaths, violence in Alabama prisons as they push for change
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Chase Mathis told guards he was threatened by other inmates and feared for his life. But he died a few hours after being transferred to an adjacent prison.
Mathis died on June 4, 2024, after being placed in general population instead of solitary confinement for his own protection, his father said. Tim Mathis said he wanted answers. She is concerned that her 31-year-old son died not from an accidental overdose but from a “shotgun”, a lethal dose of medication administered against his will.
“Behind these walls, people die every day not just from violence and neglect, but from the willful indifference of a system that treats them like trash,” Mathis said during a rally at the Alabama Capitol on Wednesday. His son, Chase Mathis, was serving a 15-year prison sentence for manslaughter after his friend died in a car crash while driving drunk.
Family members of people incarcerated in Alabama prisons packed a meeting of the Legislative Prison Committee on Wednesday and then held a rally on the steps of the Capitol. They said they were hoping for a new hope prison system documentaryThe series, now airing on HBO, will bring new attention to the long-standing problems with the state’s lockdowns. The documentary relied heavily on footage taken by prisoners on their mobile phones.
Family members carried photos of their loved ones who died in prison and photos of government officials with the caption “Blood on Your Hands.” They described attacks, rapes, muggings, deaths and overdoses behind bars. They also expressed frustration with the province’s lack of progress in improving conditions.
Rodreshia Russaw, executive director of The Ordinary People Society, a nonprofit focused on helping formerly incarcerated people, said the stories are “just the surface” of the problem.
“We lost a lot of lives. A lot of blood was shed,” Russaw said.
The state prison system has faced criticism for years for high rates of violence, low staffA. low parole rate and use of pandemic funds new big prison.
There were 277 deaths in the prison system last year, including at least 12 homicides, said Eddie Burkhalter, a researcher at the nonprofit Alabama Appleseed law and justice center. Alabama’s overall prison death rate in 2023 is five times the national rate in state prisons, Burkhalter said.
During the legislative session, the state prisons chief described the department’s efforts to improve conditions.
Corrections Commissioner John Hamm told lawmakers during the committee meeting that construction of the state’s new 4,000-bed mega-prison is 75% complete. He said the state was also making progress on staffing, which he described as key to providing better conditions.
“It all depends on the employment of the correctional officer,” Hamm said.
But Hamm told lawmakers they should be aware that the number of inmates in state prisons is “growing significantly and we’re on an upward trajectory.”
The number of state prisoners increased from 20,904 in 2023 to 21,803 this summer.
US Department of Justice A lawsuit was filed in 2020 The lawsuit against Alabama argues that conditions in the prison system, which the Justice Department calls one of the most understaffed and violent systems in the country, are so bad that they violate the state’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
“The system is broken from beginning to end,” Representative Chris England said after the meeting.
“You could argue that we haven’t made any progress,” England said. “Abuse is up. Drug overdoses are up. Corruption is up.”
Sandy Ray’s son, Steven Davis, died in 2019 After being shot by officers during an altercation at the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility. His son’s death and Ray’s search for answers were covered extensively in the documentary “Alabama Solution.”
The state cleared officials of wrongdoing but agreed to pay $250,000 to settle the wrongful death lawsuit. Ray said Wednesday he remains hopeful for greater accountability, including for the state to reopen the investigation.
“Why do they continue to allow this person to harm our loved ones,” Ray said Wednesday.
