By SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
Source: Associated Press – Kim Chandler, with additional reporting
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Chase Mathis warned Alabama prison guards that his life was in danger. Hours later, he was dead.
Mathis, 31, died on June 4, 2024, shortly after being transferred to another state prison. Despite his pleas for protection, officials placed him in the general population instead of a protective cell. His father, Tim Mathis, said he believes his son didn’t die of an overdose, as reported, but from a “hot shot” — a lethal dose of drugs administered against his will.
“Behind those walls, people are dying every day — not just from violence and neglect but from the deliberate indifference of the system that treats them like trash,” Mathis said during a rally Wednesday at the Alabama State Capitol.
The rally followed a tense Legislative Prison Committee meeting, where families packed the room and later held signs reading “Blood on Your Hands.” They demanded transparency and justice for hundreds who have died in state custody.
Advocates said they hope the HBO documentary “The Alabama Solution” — which features footage filmed by inmates — will push lawmakers to confront what many call an unfolding humanitarian crisis.
“We have lost a lot of lives. There is a lot of blood that has been shed,” said Rodreshia Russaw, executive director of The Ordinary People Society, a nonprofit that supports formerly incarcerated individuals.
According to Eddie Burkhalter, a researcher at Alabama Appleseed, 277 people died in Alabama prisons in 2023, including 12 homicides. He said the state’s prison mortality rate was five times the national average, making Alabama’s correctional system one of the deadliest in the nation.
During the committee meeting, Corrections Commissioner John Hamm said construction on a 4,000-bed mega-prison is about 75% complete. He added that hiring and retaining correctional officers remain the department’s top priority.
“Everything hinges around correction officer staffing,” Hamm said. “But the number of inmates has gone up significantly, and we are on an upward trajectory.”
Alabama’s prison population increased from 20,904 inmates in 2023 to 21,803 this summer.
The U.S. Department of Justice continues to pursue a lawsuit against Alabama, arguing that the state’s overcrowded, violent, and understaffed prisons violate the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, said the system remains broken.
“You can make the argument that we haven’t improved at all,” England said. “Abuse is up. Drug overdoses are up. Corruption is up.”