Alabama Prison Reform Proposal

• ADOC houses 21,125 people in facilities designed for 12,115 beds — about 174.4% of design capacity (June 2026).
• Jurisdictional population grew by 1,048 people from June 2025 to June 2026, reaching 29,071.
• Through June 2026 in FY2026: 7,655 admissions vs. 7,120 releases — a net population gain of 535, with probation revocations and parole re-admissions making up 33.6% of admissions.

Why it matters: Overcrowding drives violence, worsens medical and mental health conditions, strains staff, and increases taxpayer costs.

• Alabama has one of the highest prison mortality rates in America.
• 335 deaths in 2023; 274–277 deaths in 2024; ADOC opened 43 death investigations in FY2026 Q2 (January–March 2026) and closed 53, including cases from earlier periods.
• Chronic understaffing results in dorms operating with 1 officer for 100–200+ people (derived from ADOC quarterly staffing reports).

Why it matters: Unsafe conditions threaten incarcerated people, correctional officers, and Alabama communities.

• Historic shortages of correctional officers across major facilities, though ADOC added a net 272 security officers in FY2025.
• ADOC lost 391 officers to attrition in FY2025 — more than one departure for every two hires — amid unsafe working conditions and burnout.
• Rising state spending is heavily tied to staffing incentives, overtime, and crisis response.

Why it matters: A functional prison system requires adequate staffing, training, and safe working environments.

• Alabama has spent over $5 billion in five years on corrections — including operations, construction, and legal costs — per Alabama Appleseed and public budget records.
• One legislative budget source reports $826.7M in FY2026 ADOC General Fund appropriations; ALPRP is reconciling that figure against other FY2026 appropriation measures before using any statewide total interchangeably.
• The Elmore County megaprison alone has reached $1.25 billion — $312,500 per bed, more than the median price of an Alabama home.

Why it matters: Historic spending has not produced a measurable improvement in safety or outcomes.

As of September 2, 2026, United States v. Alabama, No. 2:20-cv-01971-HDM, remains pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. A bench trial is scheduled for November 30, 2026, following a pretrial conference scheduled for October 30, 2026.

On September 2, 2026, the United States filed a motion for summary judgment asking the court to rule that conditions in Alabama’s men’s prisons violate the Eighth Amendment. The court has not ruled on the motion or issued a final judgment. The allegations and legal conclusions in the motion remain subject to the court’s review, and all scheduled dates remain subject to further court orders.

Why it matters: The case has moved beyond discovery into summary-judgment proceedings while approaching its scheduled trial.