More Blues for an Alabama Sky

Kay Ivey did a good thing in the case of Mr. Charles "Sonny Burton," but we must be clear: she has not been a good thing for criminal justice reform in Alabama.

In her tenure of over eight years as governor, her approach to justice and public safety has been far more punitive than redemptive. Her stance on the death penalty remains firm; notably, she holds the historic mark of being the first Alabama governor to oversee more than 20 executions since the death penalty's reinstatement. As her term approaches its end, her recent act of clemency should not overshadow her broader legacy: leaving office with a billion-dollar mega-prison built and aptly named after her: Governor Kay Ivey Correctional Complex. Her solution to the inhumane conditions of Alabama’s prisons has simply been to build a bigger, better warehouse.

The Missing "Alabama Solution"

I have yet to see the acclaimed documentary, The Alabama Solution, but I have seen the reality firsthand. In the early 2000s, I entered the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women to help build relationships "beyond the wall" between mothers and their children through literacy. I knew then that there was a fundamental problem in Alabama’s carceral system. Though Ivey was not in charge at that time, we find ourselves in 2026 with still no solution that restores the humanity and dignity of those incarcerated.

While we celebrate that Mr. Burton’s life was spared, we cannot ignore the legalities that sentenced him to death. Convicted under Alabama's felony murder law (Code § 13A-6-2(a)(3)), he spent three decades awaiting execution despite only participating in the robbery. Of the six defendants involved, he was the only one scheduled to be executed, despite the actual shooter being among the group. While this case has garnered significant media attention, Ivey’s "good deed" of clemency does not absolve the intentions of a system that allowed such a gross imbalance to persist for 30 years and continues throughout the state with the overcrowding crisis, the reliance on harsh sentencing, and the documented inhumane treatment of souls within the facilities.

"The William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama. Long known as the site of Alabama’s death row and execution chamber, the facility remains a central point of scrutiny regarding the state's punitive approach to justice-.Photograph: Sharon Steinmann/AP

The Spirit of Oppression

Every geographic region is governed by a spirit. The spirit of oppression and suppression looms over Alabama so heavily that it is stifling; it is embedded in the soil and bleeds through the cracks of the ground the people march on.

I was literally trapped in Montgomery, Alabama, when the Twin Towers fell. I was overcome with such helpless devastation, loss, and grief that I couldn’t breathe. In Alabama, that feeling of being trapped—of having the air of freedom taken from you—is often the only "justice," "fairness," and "equality" offered to those buried in the system. As a line from Pearl Cleage’s Blues for an Alabama Sky reminds us: "Alabama is not just a state; it’s a state of mind."

May God have mercy on all their souls.