At the crux of the issue is widespread violence in Alabama prisons. On Dec. 9, 2020, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the state of Alabama for what it called “unconstitutional conditions” in the prison system, such as gang violence and dangerous assaults.
The state has come under scrutiny for the proposed use of American Rescue Plan funding to build the prisons. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urging her to stop the funding from going through, calling it a “misuse of ARP funding” in his letter.