Composed primarily of contraband cell phone footage taken by incarcerated men at the Easterling Correctional Facility in Clio, AL, the Oscar-Nominated Documentary The Alabama Solution exposes the inhumane conditions, systemic injustice, and brutal treatment of those behind bars in the Alabama prison system told through their own voices and experiences.
The documentary expertly weaves the pressing issues of prison privatization, inmate slave labor, abuse of power, government corruption, and extreme violence together to help audiences on the outside get a real sense of the abhorrent conditions of our fellow human beings.
When the film ventures out of the lens of the currently incarcerated, it focuses on the family of Steven Davis, a prisoner who was beaten to death by guards at the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer, AL. The image that his brother took of his corpse is horrific, but even more cruel is that Davis’ grieving loved ones, including his mother, Sandy, can’t get a straight answer or even a call back from the prison explaining what happened to Davis.
Andrew Jarecki, one of the film’s writer-directors, acknowledges that this isn’t an easy project when introducing it for the first time. “It’s a lot to take in,” he says. “And it is difficult to watch.”
Jarecki reveals that a class action lawsuit against the state of Alabama for implementing a system of slave labor, with Ray and Robert Earl as plaintiffs, is gaining momentum based on the documentary footage sourced from the inmates. “This is where we pass the baton to you,” says Ray. “You should be demanding access to the insides of these prisons and the people who are being warehoused in your name.” He and Earl are founders of the Free Alabama Movement (FAM), an incarcerated persons-led organization that supports the nonviolent and peaceful protests for civil and human rights of those who are incarcerated. The organization hopes this film will help jumpstart the movement on the outside.
“Push for legislation for complete transparency and accountability inside these institutions,” Earl adds within their pre-recorded video for the crowd. “And then, only then, will we get a grip on the violation of the Eighth Amendment rights of all prisoners.”
Read more about The Alabama Solution in “Inside HBO’s The Alabama Solution and the Fight for Accountability” from The San Diego Voice and Viewpoint. The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint reports news to the diverse communities of San Diego County from an African-American perspective.
You can also read more about Ray and Robert Earl’s fight for justice at Kinetik Justice, in their work to be fearless and unyielding advocates for human rights for those behind bars.
