By Brian Lyman | Editor
“Officers routinely curse at inmates, demean them and intentionally provoke them. And then, when the inmate finally reacts, after hours or days, the officer writes them up. This is not discipline. This is entrapment. It is a tactic to use to justify punishment and their extended incarceration.” - Colleen Howell, mother of man incarcerated in an Alabama prison
A constituent speaking to members of the Joint Legislative Prison Oversight Committee at its meeting on July 29, 2026, in the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector)
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
By Ralph Chapoco
The Alabama Legislature’s Joint Prison Oversight Committee Wednesday heard from formerly incarcerated people and family members about violence and abuse in the state prisons. Speakers described witnessing murders, assaults and corruption and said the medical and mental health needs of those in the prisons were neglected. It was the fourth time the committee has heard from the public about Alabama’s correctional facilities.
ELECTIONS 2026
By Anna Barrett
Alabama Democratic Party Vice Chair Tabitha Isner has encouraged Democratic voters to take Republican ballots in the Aug. 11 special primary in order to get a “weaker” opposition. The call came as Republican candidates have expressed concerns about low turnout for the primary. ALGOP Chair Scott Stadthagen has encouraged Republican turnout and called for a closed primary law.
DC BUREAU
By Jennifer Shutt
Enrollment in Affordable Care Act plans fell by nearly 3 million people last year after Congress allowed plans to become more expensive by allowing federal subsidies to expire last year. The decline came after six years of steady increases. The loss of the subsidies has helped fuel what are expected to be double-digit percentage increases in the price of ACA plans for the second year in a row.
ICYMI
Crisis pregnancy centers fight for ultrasound use in clinics without government oversight | Sofia Resnick, Stateline
TSA shares passengers’ personal information with immigration enforcement, documents show | Ariana Figueroa, DC Bureau
Courts issue conflicting rulings on Trump executive order restricting voting-by-mail | Jacob Fischler, DC Bureau
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