APNewsBreak: US finds 'severe' problems in Alabama prisons
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) The Justice Department issued a scathing report on Alabama's prisons on Wednesday, saying the state is violating the Constitution by failing to protect inmates from violence and sexual abuse and by housing them in unsafe and overcrowded facilities.
The department gave Alabama 49 days to correct the violations, or possibly face another federal lawsuit.
"Our investigation found reasonable cause to believe that Alabama fails to provide constitutionally adequate conditions and that prisoners experience serious harm, including deadly harm, as a result," said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband, who leads the department's civil rights division.
Gov. Kay Ivey responded with a promise to work together on "an Alabama solution."
The report condemns virtually every aspect of prison operations, chronicling a "broken system" beset by poor staff training; an inability to prevent the flow of drugs and weapons from entering; "and a high level of violence that is too common, cruel, of an unusual nature, and pervasive."
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