Free  Alabama  Movement  –  DEMANDS  –  MayDay  2016  
  
At 12:01 May 1, 2016 We, Alabama Prisoners will begin a Peaceful and Nonviolent Protest for Our
Human Rights in the form of a Work Stoppage. This is in fact a means to Peacefully Petition the Alabama
Government for Redress of Grievances as We have suffered under Cruel and Inhumane Conditions over
the past two decades.

Let us be clear, this is not just about the Deplorable Conditions of Confinement, but more so about the
13th Amendment, the Alabama Constitution of 1901 and the Statutory Laws discriminatorily enacted
from both. The laws that created and maintains the denial of our Human Rights and perpetuation of our
Economical Exploitation.   
From Wrongful Convictions, Exceedingly Excessive and Mandatory LWOP sentences, Alabama's prisons
are literally Warehouses of Men stacked on top of one another, and due to an Arbitrary and Biased Parole
Board System, thousands of Men eligible to be released are stopped up in a broken and dangerous system.
**It has been stated and acknowledged that there are over 3,000 people that are eligible to be released.
However, due to budgetary concerns (parole and probation officers, supervision, etc) they remain trapped
in an excessively overcrowded system; exposed to unnecessary threat to their safety and well being. To
address this issue would contribute greatly to relieving the pressure of prison overcrowding.   
A lot of the pressure could be released by Revising and Modifying the Laws and Policies that Created and
Perpetuates these Cruel and Inhumane Conditions; not by building bigger more expensive prisons.  
Over 8000 people are serving enhanced mandatory sentences under Alabama's Habitual Offenders
Statute. More than 2000 are serving Mandatory LWOP sentence, some for petty theft cases.

**To Repeal the Habitual Offenders Statute would create the opportunity for over 8000 people to be
eligible to return to their families and communities after decades due to the application of the Habitual
Offenders Statute while reducing the inhumane and dangerous overcrowding which contributes to the
spread of diseases and increases the level of violence. Overall it would contribute to a more sanitary and
humane living environment.  
**From exposure through exonerations it is clear that the Prosecutors of the State of Alabama are more
concerned with convictions than truth and innocence. Most of the attention has been focused on the
Wrongful Convictions of those sentenced to Death. As a result a demand for oversight was expressed in
Senate Bill 237. However, through political maneuvering this Bill was tailored to only apply to those
sentenced to death.   
We assert that The Alabama Innocence Inquiry Commission created by Senate Bill 237 shall apply to all
Wrongfully Convicted prisoners not just Death Penalty cases. To be Wrongfully Convicted is to be
Wrongfully Convicted no matter the sentence. No innocent person should suffer the loss of his freedom
unjustly and remain confined due to procedural limitations or judicial misconduct. Therefore, this Bill
shall apply to all prisoners with credible claims of innocence, as this is what justice requires.  

Free  Alabama  Movement  –  DEMANDS  –  MayDay  2016  
  
**Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme rightly declared that mandatory Life without Parole sentences for
juveniles was unconstitutional. It is time that Alabama go a step further and abolish mandatory Life
without Parole sentences for First Time Offenders, many who were barely beyond the juvenile age limit.   
This would make hundreds of prisoners eligible to earn their freedom after being provided Education,
Rehabilitation and ReEntry Preparedness. Thus also relieving some of the pressure and strain created by
the excessive overcrowding.
**We further state that the A.D.O.C’s Economical policies and practices of compelling Incarcerated
Citizens to provide labor with no compensation, while imposing various fines and fees upon them, is
hyper-exploitative, unjust and amounts to PRISON SLAVERY.—–It is discriminatory and exploitative to
force Incarcerated people to work while prohibiting them from being compensated; yet imposing arbitrary
fines and fees upon them. To work is an essential part of rehabilitation and learning to be responsible for
self, as from the compensation one is able to provide for their needs and ease the financial burden on their
families. Therefore, A.D.O.C’s Economical policy of Free Labor is counterproductive to rehabilitation
and is exploitative and demeaning. Therefore, a more equitable Economic Policy shall be established
between Alabama Prisoners and the ADOC.

**The Alabama Parole Board is arbitrary and biased therefore it must be overhauled to establish a criteria
for those eligible for Parole.   
The members of the Alabama parole board are receiving these appointments with an agenda that says that
rewards them with long-term employment and other incentives to deny parole. These members refuse to
set criteria for parole eligibility because this would make parole mandatory, instead of discretionary, for
those who qualify.  
**The Legislature shall amend the "drive-by shooting" statutes, so that the plain language of the statute
will effectuate the legislature's intent as expressed in House Joint Resolution 575 (Act No. 2006-642).
And to make such Amendment Retroactive.  
The A.D.O.C’s policy and practice of not affording those Incarcerated with meaningful Educational and
Rehabilitation opportunities falls below the standards of human decency, as it perpetuates ignorance and
exploitation. It has been empirically proven that the lack of Education is a primary driver for
incarceration, therefore, Rehabilitation has to include a meaningful opportunity for Education programs.  
More specifically, we want the EDUCATION, REHABILITATION AND RE-ENTRY
PREPAREDNESS BILL IMPLEMENTED THROUGHOUT THE ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF
CORRECTIONS