Alabama prisons agency says federal suit ignores progress The Alabama prisons agency says a Justice Department lawsuit over conditions for male inmates ignores the progress being made to improve themMONTGOMERY, Ala. -- A Justice Department lawsuit over conditions in Alabama’s prisons for men ignores progress the state has made to improve the lockups, the Department of Corrections said. The prisons agency acknowledged past problems, but said the Justice Department “continues to mischaracterize these limited instances as sweeping patterns. Alabama said it had been negotiating with federal officials to settle their concerns, but the Justice Department filed the suit without warning. The Justice Department investigation was launched in 2016 in the closing days of the Obama administration. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said Wednesday that the Justice Department demands go “beyond what federal law requires” and are thus unenforceable.

Source: ABC News December 11, 2020 14:16 UTC