The Alabama Department of Corrections has established a new online form intended to help families of incarcerated men and women get information about their loved ones.
ADOC Commissioner John Hamm told the Legislature’s prison oversight committee that the agency is preparing to hire employees at each prison whose job will be to respond to calls and contacts from family members.
The changes are the result of legislation sparked by a public hearing in December 2023, when relatives and friends of inmates told the oversight committee stories about relatives and friends assaulted, raped, and killed in Alabama prisons, and about difficulty of getting information from prisons about what happened and their loved one’s condition.
Hamm said the ADOC tentatively plans to hire a coordinator for its new constituent services program by Dec. 1.
Sen. Clyde Chambliss, R-Prattville, chairman of the prison oversight committee, sponsored the legislation, which allows the prison commissioner to hire up to 15 people for constituent services.
Chambliss said it will be important to have designated employees to respond to family members instead of relying on wardens and correctional officers who already have their hands full in the overcrowded and understaffed prisons.
“It’s hard to do forest management when you’re fighting a forest fire,” Chambliss said.
“We needed these positions that are going to be 100% what they do is respond to inquiries,” Hamm said.
Hamm said the ADOC consulted with the Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice on developing the forms. The Alabama Appleseed Center advocates for incarcerated people and their families and criminal justice reforms.
“This form is a great first step,” said Carla Crowder, executive director of Alabama Appleseed. “We need to closely watch how responsive ADOC is to the reports. We also hope the department publicizes and promotes the availability of the form. Families need to know what’s now available in order for change to occur.”
Hamm also showed the oversight committee a report tracking calls from constituents. It showed 2,085 to prisons or ADOC administrative officers from March through August. The most common questions from callers were about release dates, health, welfare checks, visitation, and to report incidents.
