MONTGOMERY, Ala. – A federal judge has dismissed a case brought against the Alabama Department of Corrections and brought to an end more than a decade of federal oversight of Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women, Attorney General Steve Marshall announced.
U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson’s order dismissing the case and the related consent decree came after the U.S. Department of Justice and the state reached an agreement to terminate the remaining terms.
The DOJ brought the case against ADOC and the state amid allegations of sexual harassment and prisoner mistreatment within the prison in 2015. The subsequent consent decree dictated staffing, policies, oversight and abuse investigations and overhauled the Wetumpka prison’s operations.
Marshall said that the DOJ and the state together requested that the court lift the oversight after a monitor found Tutwiler in compliance with all 44 of the decree’s requirements. He said the judgement marks an important milestone for Alabama.
“Over the past decade, the Alabama Department of Corrections has made real, measurable progress in strengthening oversight and safety at Tutwiler, and this judgment reflects that work,” Marshall said.
Gov. Kay Ivey applauded the decision in a statement, calling the dismissal the result of work over her more than two terms as governor.
“When I took office in 2017, our challenged prisons needed our immediate attention, and we were facing various DOJ lawsuits and investigations,” Ivey said. “Despite the can being kicked down the road for too long, I made it a priority to improve our correctional system, and we have made significant progress since then. In addition to moving forward with the construction of two new men’s prisons, hitting historic recruitment levels for correctional officers, enforcing a zero-tolerance policy for bad behavior by both inmates and staff, enhancing the Department and making various sensible sentencing reforms, today, I am proud that the DOJ case against Julia Tutwiler Prison has concluded.”
No one can reopen or refile the case because the judge dismissed the case with prejudice. Neither party will carry any financial burden related to the case and each side will be responsible for their own legal costs, Marshall said.