Judge says Alabama failed to protect prisoners from suicide

[Judi Lynn]

Last edited Sun May 5, 2019, 03:10 AM - Edit history (1)

Source: Associated Press

Judge says Alabama failed to protect prisoners from suicide
By KIM CHANDLER, ASSOCIATED PRESS MONTGOMERY, Ala. — May 4, 2019, 8:31 PM ET

After 15 inmate suicides in 15 months, a federal judge ruled Saturday that Alabama is putting prisoners in danger by failing to provide adequate suicide-prevention measures.

U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson wrote that there are "severe and systemic inadequacies" in the Alabama Department of Corrections' care of inmates and the facts behind recent suicides show that unconstitutional conditions persist in state prisons.

"It is true that, as in the free world, not all suicides can be prevented. But this reality in no way excuses ADOC's substantial and pervasive suicide-prevention inadequacies. Unless and until ADOC lives up to its Eighth Amendment obligations, avoidable tragedies will continue," Thompson wrote at the conclusion on the 210-page opinion.

Thompson credited the Alabama Department of Correction for recently undertaking some "promising" measures, including a directive generally prohibiting the release of inmates from suicide watch directly to isolated segregation units. But the federal judge added that those were "too little, too late."

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/judge-alabama-failed-protect-prisoners-suicide-62826822

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(Suicide?)

[prismpalette]

1. Alabama death prisons

Alabama has been warned that if their prisons aren't fixed, the Federal government would take them over. This is a side show that has been going on for many years and the prisons are getting worse. Over crowding is a huge problem but it is Alabama and the majority are prisoners are not white soooooo a lot of sound and fury in the statehouse but nothing changes except more prisoners die by their own hand or by another's. In the prison climate, some prisoners have cell phones using them to extort money from other prisoners families. people are shoved into cells designed to hold 2 or 4 people and now they hold 8 or ten. Common areas are commandeered to house more prisoners and the shortage of guards makes it highly probable no one will come to your assistance if needed. Alabama prisons is of itself a criminal enterprise.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Thanks for taking the time to shed some light on this state's prison. Sad more people don't know.

Looks as if things are going just the way the hierarchy wants them to go, which makes me think very few white people ever get sent for long stretches at all, allowing them to operate this way freely.

It's horrible news to get, made far worse, learning this has been going on a long time.

Really appreciated your comment.