Birmingham, Alabama – (AP) - A human rights group has filed suit
alleging there's rampant violence, overcrowding and inhumane
conditions at Alabama's Donaldson prison near Birmingham.
The Southern Center for Human Rights filed the federal
class-action lawsuit Thursday claiming Donaldson prison is so
overcrowded that three inmates are crammed into cells measuring
only 8 by 12 feet.
The suit says the roof leaks and the prison smells of human
waste. It outlines a dozen incidents of major violence such as
stabbings dating back three years.
The prison system concedes Donaldson is crowded and has other
problems. But it claims Alabama prisons are less dangerous than the
streets of Atlanta, where the Southern Center is based.
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