Across Alabama, the Parole Board continues to deny freedom to individuals who are facing death behind bars, even when their circumstances are dire. The heartbreaking story of Ms. Leola Harris is one such example. Denied parole despite her life-threatening condition, she was later released on medical furlough—a fate shared by others in similarly tragic situations. Ms. Harris, along with two others, was nearing death when the Parole Board turned a blind eye to their suffering, only to have them later released under the same statute.

Leola Harris, Sentence Date 11/24/2003

Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) Commissioner John Hamm pointed to the 2008 Medical Furlough Act, a law that allows for the discretionary release of incarcerated individuals with severe medical conditions, bypassing the Parole Board’s approval. “The Medical Furlough Act allows the ADOC to release certain geriatric, permanently incapacitated, or terminally ill inmates to their families under strict conditions. These inmates are better served in this capacity, and it frees up resources for those who pose a greater threat,” Hamm explained.

Despite this provision, we continue to witness the inhumane denial of parole for individuals whose medical conditions make it clear that their only future in prison is death. Alabama’s prison infirmaries are overrun with those who are dying, yet help is often withheld until it’s too late. “Is this making us safer?” asks former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb. “Are we safer when we let old, sick, and dying people rot in prison? The answer is no. It’s wasting taxpayer dollars and failing to protect public safety.”

Commissioner Hamm agrees, noting that public safety is critical but questioning why the system clings to those who no longer pose any threat. “If someone is beyond the point of reoffending, if public safety is no longer an issue, why aren’t we using this law more often?”

We believe the people of Alabama must rise up and demand real, meaningful change in our parole and prison systems. Until that day comes, we will continue to amplify the stories of those who have been failed by the system. Their voices, silenced for too long, deserve to be heard.