St Clair Correctional Facility
The St Clair Correctional Facility is a prison facility for male inmates operated by the Alabama Department of Corrections. It is located on a 600-acre site at 1000 St Clair Road, south of I-59, north of U.S. Highway 411, east of Springville and north of Odenville in St Clair County. The warden is Dewayne Estes. Correctional officers employed at the St Clair Correctional Facility are members of Fraternal Order of Police Birmingham Lodge No. 1.
The prison was constructed in 1983 and has a capacity of just over 1,500 inmates. Inmates at the St Clair Correctional Facility operate the Alabama Correctional Industries's vehicle restoration and chemical plant operations, and can participate in academic and vocational programs offered through Gadsden State Community College. The facility also hosts a contractor-operated medical dispensary offering emergency medical treatment, diagnostic services, cancer treatment, dialysis and dental care.
In 1985 the facility was the scene of a large-scale prison riot. Five employees were beaten and 22 others, including the warden and his deputy, were held hostage by armed inmates. The prisoners complained of "barbaric conditions." In June 2016 the Equal Justice Initiative filed a motion in federal court arguing that "severe overcrowding, understaffing and dangerous conditions violate the prisoners' constitutional rights."
Wardens
- David Wise, –2010
- Carter Davenport, 2010–2015
- Dewayne Estes, 2015–present
Notable inmates
- Thomas Blanton, convicted for murder in the 1963 church bombing
- Robert Chambliss, convicted for murder in the 1963 church bombing
- Melvin Ray, leader of the Free Alabama Movement for prisoner rights
- J. B. Stoner, convicted for endangering life in the 1958 Bethel Baptist Church bombing
References
- Downs, Ray (June 23, 2014) "This Small Prison in Rural Alabama Is One of the Most Violent Places in America" Vice.com
- Robertson, Campbell (March 28, 2017) "An Alabama Prison’s Unrelenting Descent Into Violence" The New York Times
- Oliver, Mike (April 23, 2017) "Exclusive look Inside 1985's St. Clair prison riot" The Birmingham News
- "St. Clair Correctional Facility (November 17, 2017) Wikipedia - accessed February 12, 2018
External links
- St Clair Correctional Facility profile at doc.state.al.us