NCJ Number
121179
Journal
Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency Volume: 26 Issue: 4 Dated: (November 1989) Pages: 307-328
Date Published
1989
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This article recounts the seventeen years of litigation in the Federal courts in Newman v. Alabama and Pugh v. Locke.
Abstract
Both these cases sought injunctive relief from abusive and overcrowded conditions in Alabama prisons. This article discusses the political resistance to change, the actions of successive administrators of the Department of Corrections to achieve compliance with the decrees of the Federal court, and evaluates the court's monitoring of compliance with a Human Rights Committee. The unprecedented designation of the governor as Receiver for the Department of Corrections and the accomplishments of the Receiver are discussed. The paper analyses the difficulties of change in a conflict-ridden political climate which is further complicated by incompetent administrative personnel. The author emphasizes the critical importance of judicial intervention in bringing about successful organizational change in substandard correctional administration where the political establishment supports the status quo. 11 notes. (Author abstract modified)