Alabama's prison system let officers routinely use excessive force across its men's prisons, DOJ found, and is still fighting the case in court
Subject of this story
Also named
What happened
In a July 23, 2020 notice to Gov. Kay Ivey, the U.S. Justice Department found reasonable cause to believe Alabama Department of Corrections officers frequently use excessive force on prisoners, identified such force at 12 of the 13 men's prisons it reviewed, and found a lack of accountability in reviewing and tracking it; an April 2019 letter had already found the state fails to protect prisoners from violence. DOJ later sued the state, and in early September 2026 it asked the court for summary judgment ahead of a November 2026 trial, citing 78 prisoner-on-prisoner homicides from 2019 to 2024 and actual staffing of 17.4 prisoners per officer against an authorized 5.2. ADOC had not responded to requests for comment.
Sources (3)
Response
Not yet contacted for this story.
Contacted — no response by publication.
What happened next (0)
No outcome recorded yet.