In the wake of scathing U.S. Department of Justice reports detailing聽systemic failures聽throughout Alabama鈥檚 prisons 鈥撀爄ncluding shocking violence by correctional officers, sexual abuse and grossly inadequate medical and mental healthcare 鈥撀爐he solution offered by Gov. Kay Ivey and the Alabama Department of Corrections to end these unconstitutional conditions is to simply build more prisons. In September 2020,聽聽were officially announced for massive new prisons that could聽cost up to聽.
This comes as officials continue to disregard a clear and humane solution to alleviate the plight of those incarcerated in the state鈥檚 dangerous and overcrowded prisons 鈥� parole. There are thousands of people sitting in Alabama prisons who have, or have had, the opportunity for parole. In 2020, Alabama鈥檚 Bureau of Pardons and Paroles had a聽聽of roughly 4,000 people, according to a report by the ACLU of Alabama. Clearing the backlog of cases with a fair and equitable process would make a critical difference in the lives of the incarcerated and serve as a meaningful step toward desperately needed reforms.
At present, parole is unattainable for many in Alabama.
In theory, the Parole Board should take into account聽several factors聽in its determinations, but any one of those factors could sink a person鈥檚 chances of being granted parole. Before a hearing, people must have a detailed home plan. What鈥檚 more, the board often takes into account the severity of a person鈥檚 offense 鈥� even when it occurred decades in the past. Good conduct may help, but incarcerated people in Alabama too often find that despite completing prison classes and demonstrating decades of abiding by prison rules their parole can聽still be denied.
This can leave many wondering what more can be done 鈥� a question incarcerated people can鈥檛 ask the Parole Board since they cannot speak at their own hearings.
Aside from a low parole grant rate, the 人兽性交鈥檚 own reporting found blatant聽racial inequities聽among grantees when the Parole Board resumed hearings after a brief hiatus at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Now, to reveal the human cost of repeated parole denial, the 人兽性交 is giving those denied parole an opportunity to share their story in their own voice.
Read聽more on prison conditions, including the 人兽性交鈥檚 lawsuit against the Alabama Department of Corrections,聽here.
Lead illustration by Eleanor Shakespeare
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Freedom Denied: A father faces a parole denial, COVID-19 and remorse for a crime
Freedom Denied: Mother whose childhood was stolen by abuse raises her children from prison after 20 years without parole
Freedom Denied: Couple remains close despite husband鈥檚 four parole denials
Freedom Denied: She didn鈥檛 kill the DA鈥檚 brother, but the victim鈥檚 family still opposed her parole
Freedom Denied: 21-year marijuana sentence leaves man stuck in prison, denied parole
Freedom Denied: Parole denial for Alabama woman with terminal illness highlights injustice
