FAMM supports policies that benefit families, incarcerated people, and taxpayers. By implementing evidence-based reforms, state lawmakers can save taxpayer dollars or redirect those savings to proven alternatives to reduce crime and recidivism. To get involved in our work in Alabama, sign up for our emails and contact our Deputy Policy Director, Maria Goellner, at mgoellner@famm.org.
2023 Priority Legislation
Alabama’s prison conditions are so horrendous that the U.S. Department of Justice has sued the Alabama Department of Corrections, saying that the conditions of confinement are unconstitutional. All correctional facilities should be safe and humane, and individuals who are incarcerated should remain close to their homes in order to maintain important family bonds. FAMM supports policies that provide individuals with rehabilitative programs and meaningful work and education opportunities, as well as substance abuse and mental health treatment. Every prison system should be subject to oversight by an independent body that has authority to monitor and inspect facilities, address prisoner grievances, and provide recommendations for improving correctional departments.
Read the U.S. Department of Justice’s complaint against the Alabama Dept. of Corrections
Read more about FAMM’s work on oversight.
Tell your lawmakers to support independent prison oversight in Alabama!
Alabama is considering creating various new mandatory minimum sentencing laws. Mandatory minimum sentences require courts to give people a certain prison sentence regardless of the facts or circumstances of the crime or the individual. The result is one-size-fits-all sentences that never fit all. Mandatory minimum sentences have not been proven to reduce or deter crime. They are expensive, fill prisons, and lead to overcrowding and new prison construction. They destroy families by keeping them apart too long, and have been shown to create and worsen racial disparities in sentencing.
Tell your lawmakers not to create more mandatory minimums in Alabama!