Birmingham, Ala. — On Tuesday, May 12, news broke of the death of another person in the Alabama Department of Corrections’ jurisdiction. Colony Wilson, 40, had been at the Birmingham work release center before complaining of feeling sick over the weekend. The cause of death has not been announced.
Alabamians for Fair Justice said:
“The death of Colony Wilson marks the fourth death of an incarcerated person that the state is investigating in a matter of weeks. While the causes of death in these cases are still pending, the lack of testing being conducted by the Alabama Department of Corrections is alarming. Last week, one of the incarcerated people tested positive at the Hamilton Aged & Infirmed Facility, which is both one of ADOC’s most overcrowded facilities - at 230 percent capacity as of January - and the only facility designated specifically for people who are older and who have serious medical issues. In short, they are the very people who are at most serious risk if exposed to COVID-19. Still, ADOC has only tested seven incarcerated people at that facility.
Public health experts and advocates have been sounding the alarm on this risk for months now, while we’ve been watching outbreaks unfold in numerous other states, and yet the state of Alabama has done little to release people from these violent, overcrowded prisons. Every day that the State of Alabama waits to test, treat, and release is a day that people are being unnecessarily put at risk. Neighboring states like Tennessee recognize this need and have implemented testing programs for all incarcerated people and prison staff.
We call on the Alabama Department of Public Health to work with the Alabama Department of Corrections to ensure system-wide testing immediately and to provide testing updates daily along with the racial demographic breakdown of those testing positive. We also call on the Alabama Legislature to earmark a portion of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds to fund expansive testing of incarcerated people, prison staff, and their families. It is time for ADOC to catch up and begin testing everyone in their care. Anything less will be more blood on their hands.”
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Alabamians for Fair Justice is a coalition of individuals directly impacted by the criminal justice system and supporting organizations united to advance bold, evidence-based solutions to Alabama’s prison crisis. A full list of our members can be viewed here.