Roster hits all-time high

HAMILTON - Vaccinations and COVID-19 are complicating the logistical aspects of correctional facilities. Marion County Sheriff Kevin Williams told the Journal Record that on Tuesday, April 6, the Marion County Jail marked an all-time record of 189 individuals in custody. The jail, which was built in 1979, is designed to house just 86. One reason for this super-capacity is the presence of nearly 50 state prisoners who have not been accepted into the custody of the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC), according to Williams. He says ADOC will not accept the inmates for transfer and suspects that the state is using COVID-19 as an excuse. Williams said the jail population has gone virtually without any COVID-19 infections, despite those in his custody residing in close quarters. But that has not helped him in trying to get ADOC to accept their transfers.