![]() In a similar vein, there were over 600 incidents of sexual assault between 2016 to 2018. The High Risk of Sexual Assaults in Alabama Prisons Image courtesy of Patrick Huber via Wikimedia Commons. Other times, the investigation ends prematurelywhen the officer refuses to cooperate. If a prisoner reports the officer, they may face retaliation. In the aftermath, individuals go to segregated units where their injuries heal undocumented. Officers assault restrained prisoners, inappropriately use chemical sprays on incarcerated people and fail to de-escalate incidents or deliberately provoke confrontations. From 2018 to 2019, 280 individuals needed hospital treatment for injuries resulting from assaults by fellow prisoners or officers. In total, there have been at least 111 deaths in Alabama’s prisons in only four years.Ī high risk of death isn’t the only adversity facing incarcerated Alabamians. ![]() ![]() That same year, 22 individuals died from homicide, suicide or drug-related causes. ![]() Alabama’s mortality rate? Over 600 deaths per 100,000 individuals. As of 2018, the average prison mortality rate across the nation was between 200 and 300 deaths per 100,000 incarcerated individuals. The High Risk of Death and Assault in Alabama PrisonsĪlabama has the most dangerous prison system in the United States. The deaths of these men reflect a larger trend of the violence facing Alabama’s incarcerated, the brutality of the prison staff and the failure of the ADOC to properly address these issues. However, according to the Equal Justice Initiative, a senior correctional officer caused Mr. As a result, no one investigated his death as a homicide. Russo’s case, the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) stated there was no suspected foul play involved. Accountability, however, proves hard to find. Incredibly, instances of death, sexual assault and violence have become commonplace in Alabama prisons. And William Jennings (49) and Victor Russo (60) died from blunt force trauma injuries in segregated units. Barry Gardner (33) was stabbed to death in a dormitory. Donaldson Correctional Facility outside of Birmingham, three men were murdered within only ten days. He waived a preliminary hearing scheduled Friday, meaning the case will now go before a grand jury.Incarcerated Alabamians are in the midst of a crisis. Alabama law partially defines second-degree human trafficking as when “a person knowingly benefits financially or by receiving anything of value from participation in a venture or engagement for the purpose of sexual servitude or labor servitude.” Sexual extortion is partially defined as a person threatening another person into engaging in sexual activity.ĭowning is from Grovetown, Georgia, and was last enrolled as a student at UA in 2018. He was charged with two counts of attempted sexual extortion, one count of sexual extortion and a count of second-degree human trafficking - all felonies. That’s when she contacted UAPD.Ī UA investigator said Downing admitted that the women’s accusations were true. A third met him in a parking deck on campus.ĭowning deleted three photos of the woman after that encounter, she told police, but he threatened to distribute others if she didn’t meet him again. Two of the women called police at that point. Once the FaceTime video chats were underway, he offered the woman more money to expose themselves, police said.Īll three women told police that Downing took screenshots from the video chats and later messaged them from another account, threatening to distribute the photos to their friends and family if they didn’t meet with him and engage in sexual activity. Micheal Antonio Downing, 22, was arrested April 16 after three women reported him to University of Alabama Police.Īll three said Downing contacted them through Instagram messages and offered either $350 or $450 to talk with him on FaceTime. A man from Georgia is facing four felony charges after three women reported he threatened to distribute explicit photos of them.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |