MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Hamm unveiled a proposal Tuesday to improve and expand communication channels between incarcerated individuals and their families.
The proposal, which Hamm shared during a meeting of the Prison Oversight Committee at the State House, comes after family members of incarcerated Alabamians have voiced outrage over their inability to contact inmates, particularly after they’ve suffered serious injuries.
Hamm’s proposal would see the creation of what he called the Family Services Unit, a 15-person team whose sole responsibility would be to facilitate communication between inmates and their families, as well as to update inmates’ families in cases of injury or death.
Today, when families have inquiries about incarcerated family members, Hamm said that only ADOC’s Central Office in Montgomery has the capacity to field such requests. Under his proposal, however, a member of the new Family Services Unit would be stationed at each of ADOC’s 14 major prisons, as well as an additional person at the Central Office.
“What we’re doing is looking at unifying the response to where we will have a group of individuals that will work out of the commissioner’s office,” Hamm said.
“Someone will be at each one of the facilities and at the central office to handle the constituent calls; family members calling about their loved ones whether it’s medical or they’re wanting to know about classification.”
Hamm said the creation of such a team would allow families to get a response to their requests “in a timely manner,” and that each unit member would work under his office, and not the prison wardens.
Sen. Clyde Chambliss, R-Prattville, chair of the Prison Oversight Committee, called the proposal a “good first step,” and asked Hamm what lawmakers could do to help make his proposal a reality.
The only request Hamm had was that the creation of the Family Services Unit be done by legislation, ensuring its continued existence under future leadership at ADOC.
Rep. Matt Simpson, R-Daphne, also praised the proposal, and noted that it was largely a response to what he called the “heart-wrenching” testimonies of inmates’ families given during a public hearing last December.
Lasting well over two hours, that hearing saw a number of inmates’ families share gruesome testimony of the violent conditions in Alabama prisons. A constant among many of the testimonies was the difficulty in knowing the status of their incarcerated family member.
One such example was in the case of Rebecca Crafton, who learned from a fellow inmate, not ADOC, that her son had been brutally beaten and transported to a hospital. Crafton was not notified of her son’s condition until hours after he had brain surgery for his injuries.
“December, I think, was an eye-opening event for all of us,” said Sen. Dan Roberts, R-Mountain Brook. “We’ve heard one-off stories, but to sit there for two hours… we have no choice but to do something. This is a great first step.”
During the meeting, Hamm also updated lawmakers on Alabama’s prison population, which as of January, 2024, was at 21,016, a more than 18% increase when compared to January of 2021. Prison staffing, Hamm said, also remained an issue, with more than 800 security and administrative positions vacant.
Violence in Alabama’s prisons has surged as a result of prison overcrowding and understaffing. Alabama’s prison system remains at risk of a federal takeover, with the federal government having sued the state in 2020 over its violent prison conditions, conditions that have only worsened since.
Rep. Jim Hill, R-Odenville, asked Hamm if an agreement existed between ADOC and the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Parole that increased an inmates’ chances of being granted release should they complete a drug rehabilitation course while in custody.
“There is no agreement between (us),” Hamm said.
Floating it as a potential way to reduce prison overcrowding, Hill suggested that such an agreement be established.
“I would like to see us have some understanding, as we put money into drug rehab and programs of this nature, that those individuals that take the initiative to complete those programs are rewarded by at least a heightened consideration of parole,” Hill said.
“It seems to me (that) would also benefit you as you seek to maintain order in what’s probably a pretty chaotic situation.”
Following the meeting, Alabama Daily News asked Hamm if entering into such an agreement was something he might consider, to which he said it was “a possibility.” Hamm did say, however, that he did want to see “more individuals get an opportunity to get out.”