Alabama prison chief responds to families’ criticism
Tim Mathis, wearing a T-shirt in memory of his son Chase Mathis, appears at a legislative hearing, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Montgomery, Ala., where he spoke about his son's death in an Alabama prison.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Department of Corrections, which faced pointed criticism this week from families of inmates during an emotional public hearing, issued a statement Thursday saying the department is working to address ongoing challenges in the state prison system.
The department said that a number of changes have been made since Corrections Commissioner John Q. Hamm was appointed in 2022. The department said hiring has increased, and there are ongoing efforts to curb the flow of contraband and improve communications with families.
“Two years is not a long time in state government, but it can seem like an eternity when your loved ones are incarcerated. These public hearings are critical to rebuilding the public’s trust in its state agencies through better transparency and accountability,” Hamm said in a statement.
Family members of people incarcerated in Alabama prisons packed the Wednesday public hearing held by the Joint Legislative Prison Committee, a panel of lawmakers focused on prison oversight. Several speakers described how their loved ones had died in state custody. Others described beatings, rapes, extortion attempts and rampant drug availability and overdoses behind bars. They also expressed frustration over the state’s lack of progress in improving conditions.
The sister of a man stabbed to death last month was among the speakers. Deandre Roney, 39, died June 8. Before he was killed, his sister said he told prison staff that he was being threatened by another inmate. “We just want justice and answers,” Chante Roney, his sister, said at the hearing.
The Department of Corrections said Thursday that officials have identified a suspect in Roney’s death, but the investigation is ongoing.
The Alabama prison system has long come under criticism for high rates of violence, crowding and chronic understaffing. The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit in 2020 against Alabama arguing that conditions in the prison system — which the Justice Department called one of the most understaffed and violent in the country — are so poor that they violate the ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
Federal judge blocks Trump effort to ban transgender troops from military service
The decision by U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes blocks the Department of Defense from carrying through with a policy directive designed to remove transgender service members from the military.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty sues Trump administration over canceled contract
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, a government-backed overseas broadcaster, sued the Trump administration in an attempt to get it to release funds appropriated by Congress.
Alabama’s celebrity weatherman pleads for the National Weather Service
With the life-saving Weather Service in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump and chainsaw-wielding billionaire Elon Musk, weather forecasters like James Spann are speaking out to defend the agency that provides the backbone for their work.
Aurelio Martínez, ambassador of Garifuna music, has died
The Honduran musician, one of the most recognized proponents of a Caribbean culture dating to the 17th century, died Monday in an airplane crash.
Lady Gaga’s ‘Mayhem’ shakes up the charts at No. 1
As expected, Lady Gaga's Mayhem storms to a No. 1 debut, becoming her seventh album to top the chart.
Vice President Vance has a new gig: fundraising for the Republican National Committee
Vance will be the first sitting vice president to serve as party finance chairman, according to the RNC. The move places a top Trump ally within the party's campaign wing ahead of the 2026 midterms.
