Inmates at Alabama prison pray to end violence
Published: Friday, May 20th 2016, 6:32 pm CDT
Updated: Friday, May 20th 2016, 7:26 pm CDT
By Beth Shelburne, Anchor
SPRINGVILLE, AL (WBRC) - Prisoners fed up with violence and dangerous conditions turn to the power of prayer.
Several pictures sent to WBRC show large groups of inmates at St. Clair Correctional Facility joining hands in prayer.The prayer circle started over a week ago with a small group of prisoners gathering in the yard after the evening meal. Each night the circle grew larger, and now more than 100 men are participating.
An anonymous message that accompanied the pictures said officers working the yard have joined in, and even an assistant warden stepped into the circle and asked God for help.“They are praying for help to stop the violence here at St. Clair and to help with the overcrowding of the prison, because prison officials won't stop the violence,” said the message.
Alabama Department of Corrections spokesperson Bob Horton said the inmates made a conscious decision to form the prayer group as a way of taking personal responsibility for improving the conditions at prison.If any Alabama prison needs prayer, it’s this one.
The latest ADOC data available online lists 88 assaults inside the prison in January-February 2016, well above the assaults reported at all other Alabama prisons. Last week Emory Cook, 54, was found dead in his cell. The St. Clair County coroner said his death was “suspicious,” but a cause of death or more details have not been released by ADOC.Cook’s death is the latest in a string of incidents that include stabbings, assaults and fights.
In March, a correctional officer was stabbed by inmates and seriously injured. Officers have told WBRC that staffing levels are dangerously low, putting lives at risk. A Facebook post that included a picture of the prison prayer circle was widely shared on social media this week, with at least 50 comments indicating they’ll join in the prayer circle, by proxy, offering prayers outside prison walls for the men on the inside.“We ask God to hold his hands over us and help us make it home,” the post read.