Research

Photo Credit: Bernard Troncale

Did you know?

  • Over 200 people in Alabama have been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole under our three-strikes law, the Habitual Felony Offender Act, for crimes that involved no physical injury.

  • Most of these individuals are over the age of 60 and were sentenced in the 80s and 90s.

  • Alabama’s aging incarcerated population has grown exponentially and so have prison costs. Older people are the most expensive to incarcerate and the least likely to reoffend.

  • These extreme sentences are neither fair nor necessary for public safety.

The Facts

  • Alabama has one of the harshest three-strikes laws in the country, second only to Mississippi.

  • Over a 50 year period from 1972 to 2022, there was a 3,640% increase in prisoners aged 50 and above in Alabama. Since 2000, the population of prisoners aged 60 and above grew from 85 to 2,393.

  • Alabama taxpayers are spending $1.08 billion on a new mega prison, plus $1.03 billion on a healthcare contract, costs driven by large numbers of aging prisoners.

  • Rates of crime decline dramatically after age 55 while the costs of incarceration for older adults greatly exceed care costs for younger individuals.

  • Data shows re-offense drops enormously as people reach their 40s and to almost zero by age 60. There is no public safety justification for these sentences.

Appleseed Original Report: Condemned

Hundreds of men are sentenced to die in prison for crimes with no physical injury. They haven’t given up on life. Why has Alabama given up on them?

Appleseed Policy Report: Unsustainable

Older prisoners have quickly shifted from a small group on the fringes to nearly a quarter of Alabama’s entire prison population.

How Alabama Compares:
An HFOA Comparison

Alabama has the harshest three-strikes law in the country, second only to Mississippi. To understand how we got to the kind of excessive sentencing we’re facing today, we need to understand how Alabama’s sentencing laws differ from other states.

Appleseed Policy Report: New Prisons for Old Men

The number of young people in Alabama prisons has been cut in half over the last 15 years. Meanwhile, the number of people over age 50 has doubled.

Second Chance Polling: Cygnal Polling Data

According to a recent Cygnal poll, voters in Alabama strongly support Second Chance legislation. Statewide 88% of Alabamians favor the bill (86% Republicans and 92% Democrats).

Second Chance Bill: Questions and Answers

What is the Habitual Felony Offender Act? Who and how many will be impacted by this bill if it were to pass? How will this process work? Find the answers to these questions and more here.