WBHM Politics: Working in Alabama’s Prisons

Andrew Yeager | February 1, 2018

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The list of problems facing Alabama’s prison system is long. Facilities are aging and overcrowded. There’s a federal lawsuit over inadequate mental healthcare for inmates. In the midst of all that are men and women who wake up each day and go to work in Alabama’s prisons. The experiences of employees can sometimes be missed as state leaders, policymakers and the public debate how to address the prison system’s issues.

We hear one view from Captain Joe Tew. He retired from the Department of Corrections and then returned last year to work part-time at the Donaldson Correctional Facility. Also on the podcast is journalist Tom Gordon. He wrote about corrections officers for a story published by Birmingham Watch and B-Metro.

Listen here or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play or NPR One.