On Tuesday, the Alabama Department of Corrections made headlines when it released 90 inmates in a supervised release with ankle monitors. The release has been criticized by some members of law enforcement denounced the move, but former correctional office and gubernatorial candidate Stacy George released a statement in support of the decision.
“I fully support Governor [Kay] Ivey, the Alabama State House, the Alabama State Senate in the 2015 legislation and the amended bill in 2021 that is associated with this release,” George said. “As a former 13-and-a-half-year veteran Correctional Officer in the State of Alabama assigned to the largest prison (Limestone Correctional Facility). I have taken inmates to the bus station who have been released under Mandatory Release, Spontaneous Release, and End of Sentence (EOS).”05
George is a former Morgan County Commissioner. He twice ran for the Republican nomination for Governor in 2014 and 2022. George recently left his job as a corrections officer for the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) and has advocated for better treatment for convicts.
“As a two-time cans Officer at Limestone prison, I have attended many prison reform meetings as well,” said George. “I remember being in a meeting in Shelby County at the ATF. I remember one statement that was stated pertaining to this very issue. No inmate should ever EOS (End of Sentence) from an Alabama prison. They should be paroled out 3 years before they EOS from prison. This allows the inmate to be monitored with various devices and drug tested to be certain they are ready to re-enter society. If you just simply let them EOS (End of Sentence) you have no way to monitor them.”
The state released 80 Alabama prisoners with ankle monitors on Tuesday due to the 2021 justice reform law that orders ADOC to release inmates approaching their end of sentences to spend the final few months on supervised release.
An estimated 412 inmates are eligible to be released under the new law. The Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles is tasked with supervising them during their period of supervised release. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, several district attorneys, and members of law enforcement have expressed their concerns about the plan.
“There are many inmates in the Alabama prison system who, if given a chance, could re-enter society and be a model citizen,” George said. “I know this because I have been there in prison with them as an Officer on the ground for over 13 years. There are people who never should get out of prison as well. This is why the Alabama Pardons and Paroles is such an important department in Alabama. Sometimes inmates need some monitoring to stay on the right track in this crazy world we live in. I can give a different perspective on this issue because I have been that guy who dropped off an inmate at the bus station with 10 dollars and a bus ticket to the same place that sentenced them. I do not think people should panic over this issue. It just needs to be explained a little different way.”
The remaining prisoners will be released in phases. One hundred thirty-two have been released through Thursday. The Department of Corrections has stated that it will release another 200 prisoners in the coming days. ALDOC is reportedly notifying their victims prior to releasing the prisoners – most of them convicted of violent crimes – including murder.
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