By Brian Lyman | Editor
“My first surgical patient was in 1996 when I had to work on a guy who had been kidnapped, literally held in a cell, for hours, and we worked on this guy for days, making sure he was OK. We couldn’t receive any help at all from any security. Working on these guys became a ritual.” - former Alabama prison inmate Carl Green, who said he delivered medical service in prison despite not having medical training
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.
Sierra Edgio talks about her birth experience as Ramona crawls on the carpet at the Alabama Birth Center Wednesday, April 15, 2026 in Huntsville, Ala. (Eric Schultz for Alabama Reflector)
HEALTHCARE
By Anna Barrett
Alabama’s infant mortality rate improved in 2024, but local rates can vary significantly based on access to adequate health care. Forty-one of Alabama’s 67 counties lack an active delivering facility, compared to 42 statewide. Infant mortality rates among Black Alabamians are more than double those of white Alabamians, and one county without health access had an mortality rate about four times the state average.
Democratic gubernatorial nominee and former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones delivers a policy speech on July 27, 2026 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Andi Rice for Alabama Reflector)
ELECTIONS 2026
By Andrea Tinker
Democratic gubernatorial nominee and former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones Monday unveiled an ambitious policy agenda he framed as giving Alabamians “three opportunities” in the areas of healthcare, affordability and governmental reforms. The speech mixed traditional Democratic calls for Medicaid expansion and a lottery vote with new items like a data center moratorium, constitutional protections for IVF and contraception and investments in housing and child care.
ICYMI
Commentary: Alabama Republicans seem to be making unforced errors | Brian Lyman, Alabama Reflector
Alabama Department of Corrections: ‘Reasonable concern’ $1.25 billion prison will be delayed | Ralph Chapoco, Alabama Reflector
New execution date set for Alabama death row inmate who stopped nitrogen gas execution | Ralph Chapoco, Alabama Reflector
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