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.