Criminal Justice
All Alabamians deserve equal justice under the law. But from court fees to civil asset forfeiture to capital punishment, our state’s justice system contains a range of policies that often take a heavier toll on people who live in poverty. Arise works to explain how these practices affect the lives of low-income Alabamians and to propose reforms aimed at ensuring greater fairness and equity for all.
Featured Resources
Member Resources
Alabama Arise 2025 legislative priorities
More than 150 Alabama Arise member groups and more than 1,500 individual members choose our legislative priorities each year. This process ensures that Alabamians most impacted by poverty have a seat at the table. Below are the priorities that our members selected for 2025. For a PDF version of this document, click here or click [...]
Fact Sheet
It’s time to provide older Alabamians with a second chance: Pass Rep. England’s HB 229
Alabama’s prison population has steadily been getting older and more expensive to house. In 2005, about 36% of people in Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) custody were between ages 15 and 30. By 2021, that number had been halved and is now around 18%. Our state’s crime rate fell dramatically – by nearly 17% – [...]
Fact Sheet
It’s time for Alabama to end outdated death penalty practices: Pass Rep. England’s HB 14
HB 14 by Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, would require unanimous jury sentencing in death penalty cases and make the ban on judicial override retroactive. Here’s why Alabama Arise supports this legislation: Alabama is one of only two states* that doesn’t require a unanimous jury verdict to sentence someone to death. In Alabama, only 10 jurors [...]
Fact Sheet
Alabama shouldn’t make housing insecurity a crime: Vote ‘No’ on HB 24
HB 24, sponsored by Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Pike Road, would make it a Class C misdemeanor to loiter on a public roadway or the right-of-way of a public roadway. This effectively would criminalize Alabamians who are experiencing homelessness and asking for help. Here are three reasons why Arise opposes this bill: Alabama should invest in [...]
Fact Sheet
Vote ‘Yes’ on SB 154 / HB 264 – Sen. Barfoot & Rep. Wadsworth’s bills to end debt-based driver’s license suspensions
Debt-based driver’s license suspensions are harming people and communities across Alabama. SB 154 by Sen. Will Barfoot, R-Pike Road, and HB 264 by Rep. Tim Wadsworth, R-Arley, would ease this burden for thousands of people. Here are four reasons to support these bills in the Alabama Legislature’s 2023 regular session: 95% of the nearly 170,000 [...]
Fact Sheet
Criminal justice debt creates major barriers to economic health
It is unconstitutional to jail someone just because they owe money. But Alabama has no set process for courts to determine if a defendant can afford to pay fines and fees. And though debtors’ prisons are illegal, thousands of Alabamians are in danger of going to jail or are driven further into poverty because they [...]
Fact Sheet
Alabama’s death penalty practices remain unjust and unusually cruel
Americans increasingly oppose the death penalty. Gallup found that opposition to the death penalty more than doubled in the past 25 years. This may result from disturbingly high error rates in the system. For every 10 people executed since 1976, one innocent person on death row has been set free. Alabama took an important step toward death penalty reform [...]
Letters & Testimony
To strengthen the common good: Six principles for allocating Alabama’s ARPA funding
Introduction Dear Governor Ivey, One of the darkest years in recent memory has put Alabama’s families, communities, health system, businesses – and our leaders at all levels – to the test. Thank you for all your efforts to keep Alabamians safe and secure during this unprecedented emergency. Now that a post-COVID world is dawning, the [...]
Letters & Testimony
Alabama should use federal COVID-19 relief funds to heal and protect communities, Arise and partners write
To members of the Alabama Legislature, Alabama is struggling. Even after Governor Ivey issued an emergency stay-at-home order, the average number of new coronavirus cases continues to rise. And despite those climbing case numbers, Alabama is moving forward with reopening its economy. To accomplish a successful recovery, residents must have confidence that it is safe [...]
Fact Sheet
The new poll tax: Court debt and voting rights in Alabama
Everyone should be able to have a voice in governmental decisions that affect their daily lives. Voting is the most straightforward way Alabamians have to shape those decisions. But our state has a long, sad legacy of voter suppression tactics. As a result, Alabama today has more disenfranchised citizens than California, a state with eight [...]
