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Mass Prison Release Next Month, Ethics Board Clarifies Opinion

St. Clair Prison
Equal Justice Initiative
St. Clair Correctional Facility, Springville, Ala.

The U.S. prison system is set to release thousands of inmates nationwide including hundreds in Alabama later this month thanks to new sentencing guidelines.

The Washington Post reports that this one-time release will occur between October 30 and November 2. The change is due to new guidelines shortening drug trafficking sentences that were approved last year.

The Sentencing Commission estimates that nearly 1,000 Alabama prisoners will be eligible for reduced time, and nearly 300 have already had their sentences shortened. It’s unclear how many of those prisoners will be involved in the mass release later this month.

The Washington Post says the sentence reductions are an effort to reduce overcrowding. About two thirds of the prisoners released will be placed into halfway houses, and another third will be deported.

Alabama’s prison system is nearing 200% of its intended capacity.

The Alabama ethics board is clarifying its position on how lawmakers lobby the state. APR’s Pat Duggins reports the issue was cited by speaker Mike Hubbard in his ethics case.

The Alabama Ethics Commission is tightening its advisory opinion to make clear that legislators can't lobby state officials on behalf of their employers.

State House member Patricia Todd asked for the original opinion when she became the associate director of an organization that lobbies on gay and lesbian issues. Todd stated she would not lobby on behalf of her group.

The Ethics Commission made its revision after the attorney general and district attorneys raised concerns that the original opinion gutted state ethics law by saying was okay so long as there wasn’t a financial interest involved.

House Speaker Mike Hubbard says his ethics situation reflected Todd’s. One of the 23 charges he faces is using his state office to benefit a client.

Saturday is game day in Alabama, but it’s not all about football.

Middle and high school students from all over Alabama are building robots for a statewide event. It’s the BEST Robotics competition and it takes place this Saturday. 250 schools will be participating at 11 different sites across the state. The goal is to build robots that can work in the mining industry.

Contest organizer Robin Fenton says the competitions fuel inspiration in math and science.

“So, now these teams bring fans; and cheerleaders; and school mascots. So, now you have the atmosphere of a football game but you have it for something academic. We kind of have a saying within the BEST family- the nerds are cool for a day.”

The teams have been working on their robots for 42 days. 11 teams will advance to the South BEST Regional Competition at Auburn University.

Alabama Governor Robert Bentley recently met with black legislators and the Reverend Jesse Jackson regarding the closure of drivers' license offices in Alabama’s black belt.

Bentley held the meeting yesterday afternoon following a week of criticism over the closures. Jackson says the closings will make it more difficult for people in rural, poor counties to obtain a driver's license in a state that requires ID to vote.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency recently announced that budget cuts are forcing the agency to stop sending driving test examiners to 31 satellite offices.

The change impacts the issuance of new licenses. Replacements and renewals will be handled by county officials in each county. Alabama citizens can also obtain a free voter ID at any county courthouse in the state.

Representative John Knight of Montgomery questioned how much the state was saving since it was not eliminating positions or closing offices.

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