Alabama prison commissioner says inmates enjoying prison too much, turning down parole

Jet, April 10, 1995

The prisons in Alabama have gotten so cozy some inmates are actually turning down parole, the state's new prison commissioner, Ron Jones, recently stated.

"It appears they may not want out of prison," he said in USA Today. Jones believes the solution lies in reviving the chain gang, pulling the plug on inmates' cable TV and cutting out free coffee and postage stamps.

To make prison life a bit more unbearable, Alabama is bringing back the chain gang, the term used for a group of prisoners shackled together while working outside the prison. "Leg shackles will allow us to put higher-risk prisoners to useful work," Jones said. He has placed a $17,000 order for 300 sets of leg irons so inmates can be put to work during the first 90 days of their sentences.

He's also carrying out a directive from Gov. Fob James that calls for new inmates to be denied TV and other privileges as they are put to work, all in an attempt to make prison a more unpleasant experience.