“The Alabama Solution,” an HBO original documentary highlighting the injustice faced by prisoners in Alabama correctional facilities, was released Oct. 10. Directed by Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman, the documentary’s title comes from a statement made after a lawsuit was filed alleging poor conditions in Alabama correctional facilities, when Gov. Kay Ivey said that an “Alabama problem deserves an Alabama solution.”
“The Alabama Solution” highlights the failures in Alabama correctional facilities mainly through videos and video calls from prisoners using contraband cellphones. It documents scenes of extreme violence by guards, poor living conditions and the treatment of prisoners during the 2022 prison workers strike.
The film follows two main inmate activists for prison reform, Robert Earl Council and Melvin Ray of the Free Alabama Movement, as they try to make a difference and bring awareness to the systemic issues facing Alabama prisons.
Though a solemn and disturbing watch, “The Alabama Solution” is a necessary piece of storytelling that gives an honest portrayal of an issue that many people are unaware of. Through the bravery of inmates who were willing to break the rules to showcase the truth despite its repercussions, viewers get an unfiltered glimpse into the inhumane way the state treats criminals.
From showcasing rats swimming in toilets to images of the brutalized body of Steven Davis, an inmate who was beaten to death by corrections officers at the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer in 2019, the documentary seeks to confront viewers with the ugly truth of Alabama’s prison system.
Corrupt officers, drugs, overcrowding, murder, sexual assault and modern slave labor are exposed throughout the documentary as answers and change are demanded.
The heart of the documentary lies in Council and Ray, along with the other inmates involved in the film, and their willingness to put themselves on the line to fight against injustices they observe within the prison system. Twice in the film, Council is assaulted by officers for his role in the perceived prison uprising and placed into solitary confinement.
The power of the prisoners telling their own stories from within the facilities makes for an honest and original documentary that humanizes the subjects of the story in a welcome way.
When asked in the film if a regular phone call would be easier to conceal within the facility than a video call, Ray said, “When we present our stories, we want to present our whole self, not just our voice.”
“The Alabama Solution” shares these stories with dignity and respect, putting faces to the countless accounts of prisoners living in horrific conditions.
“The Alabama Solution” will be a hard-hitting watch, sure to confront viewers with a devastating reality they may not know about. Though the documentary acknowledges the road to prison reform is long, its success in emotionally and truthfully displaying the inhumane conditions in Alabama prisons is sure to contribute to awareness of the issue in the meantime.
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