Our State prison system is broken. We have a massive poverty population, Sam Crow is alive and well, and our government has no accountability to the citizens.
Alabama has the worst prison system in the nation, and building more prisons is not going to fix it. The extreme sentencing, brutal conditions of confinement, and the violence that goes on in our prisons are ongoing, and no one is looking at this. We have failed to invest in rehabilitation, which has caused a swinging door in our jails. We do not provide the drug treatment that is necessary or the crime prevention and community support that would keep Alabamians safe.
People in Alabama who do not have the money to hire an expensive lawyer will rarely experience equal justice in this State. In some cases, money is not the problem. Sometimes it can be someone who the Republicans just do not want around anymore…..aka/Gov Don Siegelman. Gov Siegelman’s case is the prime example of how power can override justice and an innocent man is put in prison simply because he is a threat to their New World Order plan. It was a hatchet job by the Bush Administration, with Karl Rove holding the ax. If someone like Gov Siegelman can be a victim of injustice in Alabama, what are the chances of someone who has no resources to defend themselves?
Alabama has a high rate of inmate deaths. In 2024, a record-breaking 277 people died in Alabama prisons, with the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) often listing the cause of death as “unknown” or “under investigation”. The state faces ongoing scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Justice and organizations like the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) for alleged unconstitutional conditions, violence, and inadequate protection of incarcerated individuals. The State’s prison homicide rate points to a dangerous environment where violence is a big concern.
Poverty in Alabama is a disease that has spread to over 16% of Alabamians living below the poverty level. This is higher than the national average, with 25% of children under 18 living in poverty.
Despite a recent drop in inflation, financial hardship persists for many Alabamians, fueled by low wages, a regressive tax system, and the increased cost of essentials like food and health care. Advocates and policymakers were divided on solutions, with some calling for expanded Medicaid and the elimination of the state’s grocery tax, while others pushed for workforce development and broader tax cuts to ease household burdens.
The majority of Alabama lawmakers have not enacted any state-level policies to reduce poverty, expand opportunity, or improve the well-being of the people in Alabama.
Segregation in Alabama ended long ago, but these policies continue to affect the State. Alabama’s 1901 Constitution was written to maintain the system of white supremacy. It mandated racial segregation, prohibited interracial marriage, and included clauses to suppress Black political power. Most of the language has been legally nullified by Federal law, and much of the text in the 1901 document remained in effect until a new Constitution was adopted in 2022. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission study data shows that Alabama led the nation in racial discrimination.
Alabama’s education system is considered underfunded, lacking the resources seen in higher-ranked states. Challenges remain in ensuring equitable access to quality education across the state, particularly in rural and low-income areas. Students consistently score poorly on standardized tests, including reading and math assessments, according to studies by Forbes. A significant increase in teacher retirements contributes to instability in the classroom and affects student support.
There is no doubt that education correlates to economic mobility, and the education that Alabama students are receiving does not prepare them to compete in a national – much less international – job market. With the industrialization of the workforce, it is important that Alabama puts more resources into improving the quality of our education system if we want to grow economically.
But Alabama’s long-standing failure to invest adequately in education, job training, and other services has limited wage growth for everyday workers and has fueled a growing income gap between our richest and poorest residents. And our state’s tragic, painful history of race relations means those structural barriers often place an even greater burden on Black and Hispanic residents.
We know all this. We know there are ways to fix some of it. For example, the expansion of Medicaid would have prevented the closing of rural hospitals and provided better coverage to those who need it, including a lot of Veterans. Once again, we are facing more hospitals closing in rural areas. So, how’s that working for ya?
Our prison infrastructure is outdated, and the buildings are overcrowded. The death toll is shocking. We need to ensure that there is adequate security and trained staff to oversee these facilities. There is a big need for accountability for the officers.
There should be a program for job training, mental health, and substance abuse treatment to prepare the inmates to reenter society. Our government should consider reducing the sentences for nonviolent offenses to prevent overcrowding. A person charged with possession of an ounce of marijuana should not get a ten-year sentence. Let’s compare this to getting a pardon for attacking our Capitol, and it seems really out of reason. Our parole board should prioritize the prison space for the most serious offenders. The prison system could work more effectively with the Community Corrections Programs to help with supervision and treatment for inmates on probation and parole.
We can’t help reduce poverty in Alabama until we have an expansion of quality education, healthcare, and affordable housing. Alabama needs more jobs that pay a living wage and eliminate the state sales tax on groceries. The Republicans want to cut off funding to programs like SNAP that help feed those who otherwise would not be able to buy food.
Racism in Alabama is a disease that we may never fix. The start could be to have a lot of policy changes in our voting rights, public education, better jobs, and injustice in our government. Alabama is one of the few states that has not raised the minimum wage. The Federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour and has been since July 2009. Alabama doesn’t have its own state minimum wage. In 2016, the City of Birmingham made an attempt to raise the minimum wage to $10 per hour, but it was overturned by the Republican state legislature.
Republicans have been in full control of Alabama’s state government, including the governor’s office and both chambers of the state legislature, since 2011. In the past fourteen years, have you seen things getting any better? Do we have good-paying jobs that provide work all across our State? Do we have hospitals in every county? Are our schools rising off the bottom of the worst in the nation? Are our roads and bridges improved? Has our prison system met the necessary requirements to prevent the mistreatment and deaths of the inmates? Are we doing our best to protect the voting rights? Are women being treated equally in wages, healthcare, and domestic violence?
Alabama, we have a problem. It’s time for a change. We can’t keep electing these same Republicans and expect things to change.