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MONTGOMERY, Alabama – Nearly 200 of theÌý1,100 people older than 65 in Alabama prisons are eligible for parole but have not been released despite the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, according to a °Ä²Ê¿ª½± (°Ä²Ê¿ª½±) analysis published today.

In April of this year, the °Ä²Ê¿ª½± first identified hundreds of people incarcerated in Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) custody who are older than 65 and are therefore at an elevated risk for COVID-19 infection. In the more than five months that have passed since °Ä²Ê¿ª½±â€™s first analysis, a dozen people in this high-risk population have died as a result of the virus while others have died because of other illnesses. A total of 22 incarcerated people have died from COVID-19, according to ADOC.

Now, a new °Ä²Ê¿ª½± analysis of a list of the oldest incarcerated people in Alabama reveals nearly 200 of them are eligible for parole but have either had no hearing or have been denied parole.ÌýÌý

°Ä²Ê¿ª½± is among a number of advocacy organizations that for months have been calling for Alabama officials to reduce the prison population in various ways – including increased use of parole – as COVID-19 spreads through the carceral system.

Read °Ä²Ê¿ª½±â€™s latest analysis here.

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