Governor Kay Ivey provided $598,000 for intensive drug treatment programs at eight Alabama prisons to help inmates overcome addiction and reduce future crimes.
Legislators moved to grant state health officials enforcement power over prison sanitation after reports revealed one facility operated without hot water for several weeks.
Panelists discussed human costs of mass incarceration, low parole rates and prison conditions during a virtual event organized by the voting rights group.
Lawmakers approved four contracts totalling $800,000 to hire legal representation for Department of Corrections employees in lawsuits alleging brutality.