Alabama’s horrific jail inmates are on strike: ‘I’m just a slave

The Alabama penitentiary system is notorious for its deplorable conditions and overcrowding. Thousands of inmates in each of Alabama’s 15 state prisons have decided that enough is enough.

Since September 26, inmates have refused to perform unpaid labor inside of jails, forcing prison officials to perform the work that inmates would regularly perform.

According to the Marshall Project, offenders may be compelled to cook, clean, and wash laundry, and in certain instances, work non-facility-related occupations such as answering phone calls.

Inmates demand that sentence and parole procedures be revisited, including the repeal of the chronic offender statute and the establishment and maintenance of equitable parole standards. Institutional reform group Both Sides of the Wall coordinated the strike and has previously held protests against the conditions of Alabama prison inmates.

“I’m just a slave. Swift Justice, an inmate at the Fountain Correctional Facility in Atmore, a small town bordering Florida, told Insider, “I am incarcerated.”

Swift, who uses a pseudonym to avoid retribution and draw attention to his activism, asserts that their requests might reduce the system’s load by releasing prisoners who have served their time. According to the Alabama chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, almost ninety percent of parole requests are denied in the state because the arrival of additional offenders exacerbates the bad circumstances in the already overcrowded jails.

—PRISONS IN ALABAMA ARE DEATH CAMPS (@FREEALAMOVEMENT)

September 29, 2022

Swift remarked in a text message to Insider, “Those that participated in this historic event are tired of being treated as animals and are demanding their humanity be restored.”

According to Christina McGee, whose husband is confined in an Alabama prison, going to prison is an automatic death sentence in the state.

McGee told Insider, “These folks have no prospect of recovery.” She stated that inmates are more likely to “end up in a corpse bag” than to escape the system. “Because the Alabama Department of Corrections, regardless of your term, has automatically become a death sentence. These individuals have little possibility of succeeding and have given up hope.”

According to court documents, a jury convicted her husband of first-degree sexual abuse of a kid under 12 and attempted first-degree sexual abuse of a child under 12 in 2019.

Diyawn Caldwell, an additional strike organizer whose spouse is detained, emailed Insider a number of films depicting the circumstances of a number of institutions. A video showed guards at the St. Clair Correctional Facility in Springville, Alabama striking, chasing, and ultimately assaulting a handcuffed prisoner. And another video revealed that the Staton Correctional Facility in Elmore was littered with trash bags and debris. A third video depicted a flooded cell at St. Clair, with an inmate stating, “This is the second day I’ve been like this, man. Goddamn pipe bust.”

McGee stated that she became acquainted with Caldwell in May, when her incarcerated husband was stabbed.

According to the ADOC, Caldwell’s spouse is incarcerated for murder and intimidation of a witness.

—Eddie Burkhalter (@burkhaltereddie)

September 28, 2022

Swift stated that certain prisoners, including his mentor Kinetic Justice, were punished for not working. Swift stated that guards had battered Kinetic and thrown him in solitary prison for his influence on the strike and inmates.

Swift noted that detainees at his facility are provided with “bird food” twice daily. Together, the two meals do not total 1,000 calories, he added. Similar conditions have been reported by other hospitals.

—Eddie Burkhalter (@burkhaltereddie)

September 28, 2022

Swift stated, “We must be rehabilitated, and we must leave here in a different manner,” but maintained that the conditions inside make this difficult.

In 2020, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the State of Alabama and the Alabama Department of Corrections, alleging constitutional violations, specifically the infringement of the right against cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment.

The Department discovered that Alabama prisons are at 182% full and have an inordinate number of rapes and murders.

Swift continued, “We are not claiming that we have not done a crime or that we deserve to simply walk out, but we are demanding that not only lawmakers, but also society, view us as human people and not as discards.”

By protesting peacefully, he explained, prisoners seek to demonstrate to society and lawmakers that “we are civilized.”

“This is why we choose to conduct our activities in a peaceful manner. Because, as everyone knows, we outnumber any personnel, even if they were all present. We exceeded that figure,” Swift continued.

A spokesman for Alabama Governor Kay Ivey’s office stated on Monday that the convicts’ demands are “unreasonable and would be utterly unwelcome in the state,” while organizers of the strike assert that it would continue indefinitely.

“Their constitutional rights are infringed on a regular basis with no one taking action. We are taking a stand and letting them know. Caldwell stated, “They are standing up and letting them know that we will no longer tolerate the system as it is.”

“We desired to fight for everyone behind the wall, both men and women. McGee continued, “Because it’s not just happening to our husbands; it’s happening to everyone.”

The office of Governor Ivey did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Insider.