Governor’s panel tours understaffed aging Atmore prison

ATMORE, Ala. — Inmates in the Alpha Dorm at Holman Correctional Facility sit in bunks separated by about 3 feet of space as a correctional officer keeps watch from an elevated control room.

The 50-year-old maximum security prison in south Alabama houses about 1,000 inmates in facilities originally designed for about 500. It also has about one-third of the corrections officers it is should have. An inmate in one area of the prison hung a “HELP” sign in a window as visitors approached.

Alabama officials toured the prison, which the corrections commissioner said highlights the state’s problem with aging facilities. It also shows the state’s ongoing problems with understaffing, according to the commissioner.

The Governor’s Study Group on Criminal Justice toured Holman as part of its work of preparing recommendations ahead of the 2020 legislative session. The panel was convened as the state faces continued criticism of prison conditions, a federal court order to boost prison staffing and improve mental health care — and threats of a lawsuit by the Department of Justice.

Holman Warden Cynthia Stewart said the prison has 50 correctional officers on staff when it is authorized for 165. Seeking to boost prison staffing, the state created a new position of basic correctional officer which can perform most of the tasks of correctional officers. There are nine basic correctional officers working at Holman, Stewart said.

Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn said staffing at Holman has fluctuated, but the state is taking steps to try to boost staffing.