Research & Data
What the state's own numbers say
Built on ADOC's June 2026 Monthly Report, FY2025 Annual Report, and Second Quarterly Report of FY2026, with parole data updated through ABPP’s July 2026 report.
Policy versus practice
Resident Experience & Implementation Gap
Official statistics show system scale. Resident and family reports help identify where written policy may not be reaching people in practice. ALPRP evaluates both using separate evidence labels and corroboration standards.
New integrated analysis
See what becomes obvious when the sources are connected.
Explore 14 issues across resident reporting, ADOC records, DOJ and court evidence, independent reporting, and ALPRP’s proposed response. Every conclusion preserves its evidence status and limitations.
Open the Evidence Matrix →connected issues
viewpoints compared
corroborated patterns
unresolved data gaps
Key Metrics at a Glance
Physically in ADOC facilities, June 2026 (+81 vs. Jun. 2025)
Total under ADOC authority, June 2026 (+1,048 vs. Jun. 2025)
Uses original architectural design capacity of 12,115, the standard used in DOJ overcrowding analysis
523 grants through July 2026; the guidelines’ suggested grant rate was 13%, while concurrence was 86%
FY2026 YTD through June; $9.19M paid to ADOC
All reported security classifications as of March 31, 2026; up from 2,258 at FY2025 year-end
Admission Types — FY2026 YTD
7,655 total admissions through June 2026
Release Types — FY2026 YTD
7,120 total releases through June 2026
Critical Findings, Concerns & Positives
Resident conduct matters. So does institutional performance — staffing, canceled services, and systemic outcomes.
DOJ Seeks Summary Judgment
On September 2, 2026, the United States moved for summary judgment in United States v. Alabama, No. 2:20-cv-01971-HDM. The DOJ asks the court to rule that Alabama violates the Eighth Amendment through failures involving violence and sexual abuse, supervision, contraband, prisoner movement, excessive force, investigations, oversight, and unsafe physical conditions. This is a pending motion—not a court ruling. Alabama may oppose the motion, and the court must determine whether summary judgment is warranted.
View the federal case docket →System at 174.4% of Original Design Capacity
ADOC reported 21,125 people in-house against an original architectural design capacity of 12,115 in June 2026. That equals about 174.4% of design capacity. Monthly population has fluctuated, but the system remains far above the capacity it was built to safely operate.
Admissions Exceed Releases — Population Keeps Growing
Through June 2026, 7,655 people were admitted versus 7,120 released — a net population increase of 535. Probation revocations (23.9%) and parole readmissions (9.7%) together made up 33.6% of admissions.
Violence Concentrated in the Most Overcrowded Facilities
Close and medium security — the most overcrowded levels — account for 7,275 major disciplinary actions and 432 physical assaults in six months. Medium security recorded more inmate-on-inmate assaults (247) than close security (185).
Parole Grant Rate Partially Recovered After Historic Decline
The parole grant rate fell from 55% in FY2017 to 8% in FY2023, then recovered to 20% in FY2024, 23% in FY2025, and 21% through July 2026. ABPP reported 523 grants through July. Its July report shows a 13% suggested grant rate and 86% concurrence with the guidelines.
Reported Program Measures Remain Small Relative to Population
Compared with the FY2025 year-end in-house population of 21,034, 1,220 nonduplicated adult-education participants equal about 5.8%, 742 annual treatment completions equal about 3.5%, and 1,466 work-release participants at year end equal about 7.0%. These measures overlap and should not be added together.
43 Death Investigations Opened in FY2026 Q2
ADOC opened 43 death investigations during January–March 2026 and closed 53 investigations, including cases from earlier periods. The 53 closures included 25 autopsy-not-authorized classifications, 16 natural, 3 accidental, 2 accidental/overdose, 2 homicide, 1 suicide, and 4 judicial homicide.
Work Release Generating Significant Revenue
Through June 2026, 1,075 employed work-release residents earned $22.97M in gross wages year-to-date. Approximately $9.19M was paid to ADOC, showing why work release should be evaluated for wages, deductions, restitution, family support, and public benefit.
Security Staffing Improved in FY2025
ADOC reported 2,386 employees across its security classifications in March 2026, up from 2,258 at FY2025 year-end. That remains about 940 below the historical 3,326-position DOJ-era benchmark, although the current categories and historical benchmark are not perfectly identical.
Programs & Completions (FY2021 baseline)
ADOC's own reporting shows programming exists but remains vastly underscaled: 481 re-entry programs completed, 802 drug-treatment completions, 18 GEDs earned, and 712 vocational certificates in a single year against a population exceeding 20,000. From 2021 to 2024, Career and Technical Education completions ranged from 532 to 1,231 — still under 7% of the incarcerated population. FY2025 saw 1,310 re-entry completions and 43,191 religious program attendances, with community corrections serving 4,338 people outside traditional confinement, the largest alternative-supervision population in the system.
Sources: ADOC June 2026 Monthly Report · FY2025 Annual Report · Second Quarterly Report of FY2026 (ending March 31, 2026) · ABPP July 2026 Monthly Statistical Report · United States’ Motion for Summary Judgment, United States v. Alabama, No. 2:20-cv-01971-HDM, Doc. 378 (filed September 2, 2026) · ADOC Statistical Reports. Parole grant rate reflects Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles hearing outcomes, not total releases. FY2026 ADOC General Fund appropriation confirmed in the Legislature’s FY2026 Budget Fact Book. Compiled independently for the ALPRP data dashboard.
Read the Multi-Source Review Open the Live Transparency Dashboard