|
|
| Ala. Commissioner Says Prison Well-Managed, Despite Assault Record |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 12/16/2002 |
|
Prison Commissioner Mike Haley said Tutwiler Prison for Women is well- managed despite its record as the state's most violent lockup, with 91 recorded assaults this year. A maximum-security men's prison in Bibb County recorded more assaults, but it houses nearly twice the number of inmates, according to Alabama Department of Corrections records. Tutwiler, built in 1942 to house 364 prisoners, now has about 1,000. Some assaults go unnoticed by officers because it's so crowded. Prisoners can touch while lying in their bunks. Most have access to razors, mop handles and other potential weapons. It's too crowded to separate predatory or mentally ill prisoners from the calm and weak ones. 'The only reason that more beds have not been added to the dorm facilities is that, simply put, not one more bed will fit,' U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson wrote last week in a 68-page order describing the conditions at the state's only women's prison. The judge ruled that Alabama is violating the Constitution by housing female prisoners unsafely. He gave prison officials until Dec. 30 to present a plan to fix the problems. Haley said he is developing a response with Gov. Don Siegelman and Attorney General Bill Pryor, but they have released no formal plans. There is no money to build another women's prison. Already, the state is under court order to move sentenced inmates out of county jails. Thompson called the high number of assaults beyond what's considered normal even in a prison. Over seven years, Terri Newby, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit before Thompson, watched conditions at Tutwiler deteriorate. One night, she returned to her dorm from working at the law library to find a single officer in charge of four dorms, more than 300 women. He was giving out mail, she said. 'People are angry. People are fighting. People are brawling. People are screaming,' she said. With only one women's prison, and because of the crowding, there are no minimum, medium or maximum security levels like in men's prisons. 'People with life without parole are mixed in with every one,' Newby said. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think