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| Lawsuits filed against Ala. Prisons |
| By The Auburn Plainsman |
| Published: 11/17/2003 |
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Alabama's Department of Corrections has more inmates than it can house. Because of the difficulty providing medical care and living space for them and lawsuits filed because of conditions, some state inmates have been moved to Louisiana and Mississippi prisons. "Alabama has the fourth highest incarceration rate in the country, but we spend the least per inmate in medicare, food and housing," said Rhonda Brownstein, legal director for the Southern Poverty Law Center. Among the lawsuits filed against the department is one involving all cancer patients, who said they are denied pain medication and can't receive chemotherapy treatment due to staff shortages at the prisons Another was filed on behalf of 1,300 diabetic patients in Alabama prisons seeking better medical care. The suit argues that Alabama prisons have failed to provide adequate medical care to diabetics, and claims that failure is cruel and unusual punishment, a violation of the Eighth Amendment. Both lawsuits are on hold because the Alabama Department of Corrections hired a medical care provider Nov. 2, 2003. The department cancelled its contract with Naphcare Inc., of Birmingham, and will team with Prison Health Services of Brentwood, Tenn. Suits for overcrowding have also been filed against the department. One was filed on behalf of female prisoners who believe they are in unsafe conditions. Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women, originally designed to hold 364 inmates, now houses about 1,017 inmates at all security levels. The state had to act quickly to avoid releasing random prisoners due to overcrowding. One of the solutions was to transfer some of the prisoners out of state to private institutions. The state transferred 309 female inmates to Louisiana and it also sent 1,430 male prisoners to Missippi. Before transfers, state prisons were at 203 percent capacity. Sending prisoners to Mississippi and Louisiana only reduced capacity by 8 percent. Free bed space became available and 30 of the female inmates returned to Alabama on Nov. 7. |
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