Prison Crisis: Another Inmate Fatally Stabbed at Alabama's Limestone - 5 Homicides in 2024

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Samuel Ward, a 39-year-old inmate, passed away on Saturday morning at Limestone Correctional Facility in Harvest, Alabama. According to reports received by EJI, Mr. Ward was fatally stabbed in his housing dorm.

The biggest penitentiary in Alabama is Limestone. According to records from 2009 to 2021, there were no reported deaths of inmates. However, there have been five homicides in the prison since May 2021. One of the victims is Mr. Ward, and the others include 58-year-old Jody Potts on May 6, 2021, 34-year-old Kenyon Arrington on October 15, 2022, 35-year-old Ariene Kimbrough on January 4, 2023, and 28-year-old Taurus White on March 5, 2024. These incidents continue to add to the high number of prison homicides in Alabama, with White's death marking the 100th since the Department of Justice's investigation.

The number of nonfatal assaults at the prison has significantly risen. Data from the Alabama Department of Corrections shows that between 2009 and 2019, Limestone recorded an average of 30 assaults annually. However, in the last four years, there has been a sharp increase in assaults, with 274 reported in 2023 compared to 48 in 2019.

According to a correctional officer, who was ultimately terminated by ADOC for giving interviews to the press, Limestone is currently in desperate need of help. In 2022, the officer spoke to local media and stated that there is a lack of support from higher levels within the department. It almost seems as though they want the facility to face harm and failure.

In response to the recent coverage by local media regarding the state corrections officials' lack of action towards the violence crisis at Limestone, the Justice Department issued a statement to the media stating that the prison does not meet constitutional standards and that inmates are subjected to significant harm, including fatal harm.

In the last 15 months, five officers at Limestone have been arrested and charged for alleged misconduct, leading to the retirement of two head wardens and placing them on mandatory leave since 2019. Public records show that these officers have been accused of using their state positions for personal gain. Additionally, Jesse Cobb and Samuel Dial were recently arrested and charged with felony assault for using a broom handle to severely beat an elderly inmate at Limestone, resulting in serious physical harm to a person who was under their care and supervision.