Statement of AFJ on ADOC Commissioner Jeff Dunn award

Statement of Alabamians for Fair Justice on Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn being named the Recipient of the 2019 Michael Francke Career Achievement Award presented by the Correctional Leaders Association (CLA):

“Under Commissioner Dunn’s leadership, Alabama’s prison system is in a constitutional crisis.  There have been at least 20 verified deaths due to homicide, suicide or overdose in the Alabama prison system in 2019. In April, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a scathing letter outlining the Eighth Amendment violations the system faces because of the level of violence, sexual abuse, and the basic failure to ensure people in prison system are safe. According to public data, ADOC’s prisons have only 38% of the needed correctional staff and are overcrowded at 169% capacity. ADOC’s problems stem from the understaffing and overcrowding, but Commissioner Dunn’s and the State of Alabama’s only proposed solutions thus far have been to  build three new mega- prisons, and keep people locked up for decades. Alabama must do better.  We grieve for the lives we lost in ADOC’s care this year and every year, including:

January 2019 

Roderick Abrams, St. Clair

John David Teague, Staton 

Paul Ford, Kilby

February 

Matt Holmes, Limestone

Daniel Gentry, Donaldson

March 

Steven Mullins, St. Clair 

Quinton Ashaad Few, Bibb

Rashaud Dederic Morrissette, Fountain 

Ray Anthony Little, Bibb

June

Joseph Holloway, Fountain 

Jeremy Reshad Bailey, Fountain 

September 

Christopher Hurst, Fountain 

 Marco Tolbert, Donaldson 

William Spratling, Donaldson

October

Marcus Green, Bullock 

Steven Davis, Donaldson 

Elvin Burnseed, Donaldson 

William Warren, Ventress 

Ricky Gilland, Holman SEG 

Robert Green, Elmore

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Alabamians for Fair Justice is a coalition made up of formerly incarcerated individuals and family members of those currently or recently serving time in Alabama’s prisons, advocates, and civil justice organizations.