Jones Calls For Independent Prison Oversight

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Doug Jones is calling for an independent review of Alabama's prison system, saying the State's correctional facilities need greater transparency, stronger oversight, and closer scrutiny of how taxpayer dollars are spent.

During his weekly Ask Doug Live livestream on Sunday, Jones said the next Governor should appoint a prison commissioner committed to opening the system to outside review.

"The Governor appoints the prison commissioner. We need to get somebody in there that is going to open it up, look under every hood, everywhere you can go," Jones said. "I think there needs to be an independent commission, an independent review agency that is looking at the prison system, how it's running, and the money that's being spent."

Jones, a former U.S. attorney who prosecuted violent crime, public corruption, and terrorism cases before later serving in the U.S. Senate, said his experience in the criminal justice system has convinced him that Alabama's prisons require greater accountability.

He pointed to video footage recorded inside State prisons that brought national attention to conditions within the Alabama Department of Corrections.

"It's a horrible thing when the spotlight on our prison conditions and the deaths and the beatings that occur had to be shown from cell phones that were smuggled in by guards and given to the inmates," Jones told viewers.

The footage Jones referenced was featured in The Alabama Solution, an Oscar-nominated documentary that examined violence, abuse, and living conditions inside Alabama's prison system through videos secretly recorded on contraband cell phones. The film drew national attention to longstanding concerns over conditions in State prisons and renewed calls from some advocates for independent oversight.

Jones said prison reform would be among the major issues facing Alabama's next Governor.

"We've got to have a better approach," said Jones. "This is going to be a real issue for the next Governor, and we intend to tackle it."

The full livestream may be seen on YouTube and below: