Alabama
Takeaways from The Associated Press' reporting on prison labor in Alabama
DADEVILLE, Ala. — No state has a longer, more profit-driven history of contracting prisoners out to private companies than Alabama. With a sprawling labor system that dates back more than 150 years — including the brutal convict leasing era that replaced slavery — it has constructed a template for the commercialization of mass incarceration.
Best Western, Bama Budweiser and Burger King are among the more than 500 businesses to lease incarcerated workers from one of the most violent, overcrowded and unruly prison systems in the U.S. in the past five years alone, The Associated Press found as part of a two-year investigation into prison labor. The cheap, reliable labor force has generated more than $250 million for the state since 2000 — money garnished from prisoners’ paychecks.
Here are highlights from the AP’s reporting:
Where are the jobs and what do they pay?
Most jobs are inside facilities, where the state’s inmates — who are disproportionately Black — can be sentenced to hard labor and forced to work for free doing everything from mopping floors to laundry. But in the past five years alone, more than 10,000 inmates have logged a combined 17 million work hours outside Alabama’s prison walls, for entities like city and county governments and businesses that range from major car-part manufacturers and meat-processing plants to distribution centers for major retailers like Walmart, the AP determined.
While those working at private companies can at least earn a little money, they face possible punishment if they refuse, from being denied family visits to being sent to high-security prisons, which are so dangerous that the federal government filed a lawsuit four years ago that remains pending, calling the treatment of prisoners unconstitutional.
Turning down work can jeopardize chances of early release in a state that last year granted parole to only 8% of eligible prisoners — an all-time low, and among the worst rates nationwide — though that number more than doubled this year after public outcry.
What is oversight like for the prisoners?
Unlike many states, those working among the civilian population include men and women with records for violent crimes like murder and assault. Many are serving 15 years or longer.
It’s not unusual for Alabama prisoners to work outside their facilities without any correctional oversight. And in some cases, there is no supervision of any kind, which has led to escapes, often referred to as “walkaways.”
Kelly Betts of the corrections department defended the work programs, calling them crucial to the success of inmates preparing to leave prison. But she acknowledged that even those sentenced to life without the possibility of parole are eligible for so-called work release jobs.
“Each inmate’s situation is unique, and each inmate is evaluated on his or her own record,” Betts said.
Most companies did not respond to requests for comment, Those that did said they had policies against the use of forced labor and prison labor and would investigate.
How much money does this involve?
As part of its investigation, the AP analyzed 20 years of Alabama corrections department monthly statistical reports to calculate the more than $250 million generated for the state since 2000 — money taken in via contracts with private companies and deductions taken out of prisoners’ paychecks.
Reporters also parsed information from more than 83,000 pages of data obtained through a public records request, including the names of inmates involved in Alabama’s work programs. Over the past five years, prisoners were hired by public employers — working at landfills and even the governor’s mansion — and by around at least 500 private companies. That information was cross-referenced with an online state database, detailing the crimes that landed people in prison, their sentences, time served, race and good-time credits earned and revoked.
What do prisoner advocates say?
Few prisoner advocates believe outside jobs should be abolished. In Alabama, for instance, those shifts can offer a reprieve from the excessive violence inside the state’s institutions. Last year, and in the first six months of 2024, an Alabama inmate died behind bars nearly every day, a rate five times the national average.
But advocates say incarcerated workers should be paid fair wages, given the choice to work without threat of punishment, and granted the same workplace rights and protections guaranteed to other Americans.
Prisoners nationwide cannot organize, protest or strike for better conditions. They also aren’t typically classified as employees, whether they’re working inside correctional facilities or for outside businesses through prison contracts or work release programs. And unless they are able to prove “willful negligence,” it is almost impossible to successfully sue when incarcerated workers are hurt or killed.
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AP data journalists Arushi Gupta and Larry Fenn contributed to this report.
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The Associated Press receives support from the Public Welfare Foundation for reporting focused on criminal justice. This story also was supported by Columbia University’s Ira A. Lipman Center for Journalism and Civil and Human Rights in conjunction with Arnold Ventures. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
OZARK, Ala. (WTVY) – Dale County Schools Superintendent Ben Baker has been named Alabama’s Superintendent of the Year.
The honor was announced at the State School Superintendent Association Conference, which celebrates leaders who champion public education and academic progress.
Under Baker’s leadership, Dale County Schools scored a 95 on the state report card, the highest score recorded by a county school in state history.
Baker was recognized by State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey. He said the award reflects the work of his staff.
“I recognize that it has a lot to do with the good people that work for Dale County Schools, that work hard every day to try to create opportunities for our students,” Baker said. “Superintendents across our state really work hard to provide the best opportunities for our students, and I’m excited to have this platform because I’m going to use this platform to share the great things going on in Dale County, and also the great things going on in the state of Alabama.”
Baker was one of nine finalists up for the award.
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Copyright 2026 WTVY. All rights reserved.
Alabama
Millions in SNAP Overpayments: Alabama and Florida Required to Submit Corrective Action Plans
(WALA) – Alabama is performing better than most states when it comes to managing food assistance dollars – but the problem is getting worse.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture released its fiscal year 2025 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payment error rates today, measuring how accurately states determine who qualifies for SNAP and how much they should receive. The national payment error rate for fiscal year 2025 is 10.62 percent.
Alabama’s error rate came in at 9.52 percent—up from 8.32 percent in 2024. That breaks down to 8.82 percent in overpayments and 0.70 percent in underpayments.
Florida’s situation is more dire. The state sits at 12.97 percent, more than double the federal threshold of six percent that Congress set as acceptable. Florida’s errors include 11.54 percent in overpayments and 1.43 percent in underpayments.
Nationally, these 2025 errors add up to 10.1 billion dollars in improper payments. That includes both overpayments to ineligible recipients and underpayments to those who qualify.
The Trump administration is now enforcing real consequences for states that exceed the six percent threshold. States with error rates at or above that benchmark will be forced to cover portions of their own SNAP benefits, with penalties kicking in for most states starting October 1, 2027.
Both Alabama and Florida are now required to submit corrective action plans to the USDA detailing exactly how they’ll fix the problem. We have reached out to the Alabama and Florida agencies responsible for distributing SNAP benefits for comment but have not yet heard back.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement: “These payment error rates are further proof that state accountability is severely lacking in SNAP. USDA has taken historic action to help interested states curb SNAP waste, and I hope other states, regardless of political leadership, prioritize needy families and the American taxpayer over politics.”
The FY 2025 payment error rate is the first year that could be used to calculate those state penalties-making this the baseline for what’s coming next fiscal year.
Copyright 2026 WALA. All rights reserved.
The football career of former Alabama CB Terrion Arnold appears to be in serious jeopardy.
According to a report from Davie Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Arnold was arrested on Wednesday night, and the Florida State attorney’s office plans to file multiple felony charges against Arnold in connection with a February robbery and kidnapping. The charges carry a potential sentence of up to life in prison:
Source: Lions CB Terrion Arnold has been arrested and is facing multiple felony charges which carry a potential sentence of up to life in prison. Story to post shortly.
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) June 25, 2026
The allegations stem from a retaliation reportedly carried out by Arnold and his associates on Arnold’s personal driver and two associates after Arnold’s Airbnb was robbed of more than $250,000 in cash and possessions in February.
Terrion Arnold’s NFL career is in serious jeopardy after his arrest
Arnold was in the midst of preparing for his third NFL season. He’s been recovering from a shoulder injury that required surgery and ended his season early in 2025. Arnold had previously denied any involvement in the kidnapping and armed robbery case when the story first broke near the end of February of this year.
The allegations are that a group, led by Arnold’s childhood friend Boakai Hilton, took the men hostage and interrogated and pistol-whipped them for the “better part of an hour” as retaliation for the robbery at Arnold’s rental property.
Arnold is accused of “the kidnapping and robbery just hours after reporting the missing items to the Largo Police Department,” according to a press release from the State Attorney’s office.
Back in March at the NFL’s annual league meetings, Lions head coach Dan Campbell seemed to believe this legal situation was behind Arnold.
“We got all the information that says he wasn’t involved,” Campbell said, via AtoZSports. “That’s what we know. That’s all we know. That’s really all I can say. And that we’re monitoring what’s out there. I mean, as of a month ago, this was nothing. So I have no idea what this is. As far as I know, it’s still not a big deal. It seems like he wasn’t involved in this.”
The State Attorney’s office intends to file a motion to keep Arnold in jail for the duration of the trial, arguing that he poses a threat to the community if he is released.
Arnold and his agency released a statement on Wednesday night shortly after news broke of his arrest:
“There is no credible evidence linking Mr. Arnold to these allegations,” the statement read. “Instead, the government appears to be relying on testimony from multiple convicted felons who have admitted their own involvement and may have substantial incentives to shift blame in an effort to lessen their sentences.
“Mr. Arnold looks forward to his day in court and is confident that the judicial process will lead to his ultimate vindication.”
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