By Alabama Public Radio
Montgomery AL – Alabama Prison Commissioner Richard Allen has temporarily avoided jail time. Today, Allen received a 20 day reprieve from a contempt of court charge issued by Circuit Judge William Shashy for the state's continued violation of prison overcrowding standards. On May 11th Judge Shashy ordered Allen to reduce the backlog state prisoners held in county jails to 400 by May 31st ... to 200 by June 27th ... and to zero by September fifth. A status conference is set for June 20th to determine if prison officials are making adequate progress.