The Alabama Solution

I've never been to prison, or Alabama, but I'm not sure which sounds worse.

I'm positive there are two sides to this. Every prisoner in Alabama is not a calm, well-thought-out person who is only in prison because of corrections abuse. That's simply not true, but the Alabama department of corrections, at the time this film was made, seems to have been nothing short of a system of slave plantations guilty of hundreds of brutal murders.

Based on the radio personalities coverage of the prison strike, Alabama seems to be a page straight out of history, and not in a good way. Kay Ivey suggesting that her for-profit prisons be paid for out of the education budget says all I ever need to know about the state. I'm somewhat surprised there isn't a Confederate flag flying outside the state house.

This is a must see documentary. Everyone needs to see the truth about what's wrong with our prison system and what actually happens inside. It makes me so angry that things can be done so easily to make positive changes, but the greed of those that run the system prevents it.this documentary clearly shows this. This has to change!

As an example of documentary film making, 'The Alabama Solution' is a top-notch effort, containing excellent first-hand accounts and well-researched material, culminating in a cogent narrative allowing the viewer to draw their own conclusions. An expose of the American penal system within the eponymous state, its devastating portrayal of the frequently discompassionate, hypocritical actions of the Alabama government (and the squalid, violent, sorely ineffectual penal institutions they operate) will leave your jaw agape. BE WARNED: This is not an easy watch, as several authentic, unredacted documents and images depicting powerful beatings and disgusting living conditions abound. Still, it's a necessary watch for anyone hoping to garner a better understanding of such institutions and just how far short of the mark our well-intentioned (if ignorant) leaders fall, even with an ostensibly moral mandate and billions of dollars at their disposal.

In short, this is a harsh, gut-wrenching look at the atrocities within the American prison system, one that serious documentary aficionados will find edifying and satisfying essential viewing. Watch and be painfully enlightened.

As "The Alabama Solution" (2025 release; 115 min.) opens, we are in "Alabama, 2019", specifically at the Easterling state prison. Inmates are complaining about the heat and the horrendous living conditions in general. Along the way we learn that the 14 Alabama state prisons are occupied at 200% occupation, with only 1/3 of the required staff. We are introduced to Robert Earl Council, who has been in prison over 30 years, the 5 last of which in solitary confinement. At this point we are 10 minutes into the documentary.

Couple of comments: this is the latest from award-winning Andrew Jarecki ("Capturing the Friedmans", "The Jinx: The Life and Death of Robert Durst"). He co-directed, co-wrote and co-produced it with Charlotte Kaufman. This documentary is the result of about a decade's worth of collecting footage that the inmates have secretly caught on their cell phones (even though cell phone are prohibited--as are drugs, equally amply available). The central case of the documentary centers on Steven Davis, who was beaten, bludgeoned and stomped to death by prison guards, after which the authorities covered it up as best as they could (and as they always did with many other such "incidents"). When the US Department of Justice starts an investigation, the Alabama Republican machinery works overtime to delay, deny and impede the investigation with every means available, insisting instead that "an Alabama problem calls for an Alabama Solution". And what problem are they referring to? Just watch! Please note that this makes for difficult viewing at times, not to mention that it will make your blood boil, as the Alabama so-called "Christian" political leaders behave in a way that is anything but "Christian". For shame.

"The Alabama Solution" premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival to immediate and widespread critical acclaim. It is currently rated 100% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The documentary started airing on HBO this weekend, and it's also streaming on HBO Max, where I watched it last night. If you are interested in understanding what is going on in the Alabama prison system, yes, right here in the United States of America, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

It's hard to put into words what I've just seen. I believe this is a once-in-a-decade exposé with the potential to make a lasting difference. The conditions in these prisons should deeply trouble every human being.

I worry, however, that some-like the attorney general and other Alabama representatives-may respond with indifference, because after all, we are talking about inmates. Sadly, this film exposes a problem not only within institutions but also within the hearts of many Americans: a callous indifference, even hatred, toward inmates; a mentality that says they deserve what they get; and an unwillingness to recognize their humanity.

This is a film that demands attention. It is shocking, necessary, and absolutely worth watching.