Latest news with #RalphChapoco
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Alabama Library Association ‘concerned but also confused' by new APLS content policies
Signs are posted in the young adult section of the Autauga-Prattville Public Library on Feb. 23, 2024. The Alabama Library Association said in a letter earlier this month it was "concerned but also confused" by new definitions of the term "sexually explicit" by the Alabama Public LIbrary Service board. (Ralph Chapoco/ Alabama Reflector) The Alabama Library Association said in a May 16 letter that it was 'concerned but also confused' by new Alabama Public Library Service policies on sexually explicit content and what it called ill-treatment of directors and staff of local libraries at a meeting earlier this month. The organization said it was notably concerned by 'the lack of discussion about how the board will codify this new definition into the APLS administrative state code,' referring to a letter that APLS Board Chair John Wahl sent to local libraries to further clarify definitions related to sexually explicit materials after the board approved the update during a meeting on May 8. 'That is just one of many questions we have about this memo, and we hope to learn the answers in the coming days,' the letter said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Wahl said in an interview Tuesday that several local libraries approached the APLS asking for additional clarification regarding the definition. 'We wanted to be very clear with what we felt our definition was so local libraries would have the information they needed to comply with state code,' he said. 'I can't imagine why anyone would be upset with having more information.' The organization also criticized how some members of the APLS board responded to statements made by local library staff, characterizing the comments that were made to library directors, librarians and supporters of libraries as 'discourteous and dismissive.' A part of ALLA's statement referred to a letter that Wahl sent May 12 to inform local libraries that board members approved an update to its policies that further defines 'sexually explicit' content. These include books or materials that include descriptions of sexual activity, from sexual excitement and nudity to masturbation and sadistic or masochistic abuse. 'This definition is based on existing state and federal guidelines and is intended to serve as a clear and practical reference as you address this matter in your libraries,' Wahl stated in his letter to local library directors. The correspondence stemmed from actions that board members took at the May 8 meeting to further explain the meaning of sexually explicit materials after the board fielded comments about how vaguely the term was defined in the policies. The ALLA executive council also recommended that APLS withdraw Wahl's memo. 'If the APLS is to pursue further policy requirements of Alabama libraries, follow established legal procedure for amending the Administrative Code, with appropriate public comment opportunities and thorough consideration of the constitutionality of both memos,' ALLA said in its statement. The organization also wants APLS to issue an apology to local library staff and directors as well as host a session to field comments from public librarians. Wahl said that board members were respectful to speakers and said multiple times how much he and the other board members cared about local libraries, going so far as to secure funding that the state stands to lose from the federal government. 'There has to be dialogue, and if someone presents information that is factually incorrect, that leaves out entirely, one side of the narrative, it is entirely appropriate for the Board to address that immediately,' Wahl said. Wahl proposed an update to the policy based on a different section of state statute that also includes adult bookstores. The policy update was authorized more than a year after members of the APLS board issued directives to local libraries to adopt regulations to further restrict minors from having access to some library materials. A May 2024 update of the code required libraries to relocate materials within their circulation that have obscenity, are sexually explicit, or ones deemed inappropriate for minors. Obscenity is a legal term and is further defined in state statute. Wahl and other board members said they believe the term 'sexually explicit' needed additional clarification. The APLS board did not update what the term 'inappropriate' during the May 8 meeting. Legislators sponsored bills and Gov. Kay Ivey sent several letters to the APLS aimed at further limiting access to materials for minors. Several bills that would have affected library operations failed to pass the Legislature this year. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Legislative task force seeks alternative funding sources for Alabama courts
Members of the Cost Cost Task Force gather to discuss ongoing issues with court-imposed fines and fees at the Alabama Supreme Court on Monday, May 19, 2025. (Ralph Chapoco/Alabama Reflector) A group of judges, legislators and agency staff will explore ways to fund the state's court system in lieu of relying on fines and fees imposed by the courts. Members of the Court Cost Task Force convened the first meeting on Monday at the Alabama Supreme Court to review possible alternative funding streams to pay expenses for a court system that has been chronically underfunded. 'Most court costs, which you will see in just a minute, are going to non-court entities,' said Sarah Hicks Stewart, chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, who presided over the meeting. 'By that, I mean non-judicial branch people. The vast majority of court costs are not going to court.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Non-court entities are receiving their funding from the fines imposed by the courts that are not tied to the state's criminal legal system, Stewart said. The group plans to issue a report near the start of the 2026 legislative session in January outlining recommendations to the Legislature to mitigate the issues that arise when courts impose fines and fees on individuals who need access to the courts. Courts receive a significant portion of their operational expenses from fines and fees that judges impose. But the revenues collected go to pay for programs that are not necessarily tied to the court system. Revenues that are disbursed to agencies are also not enough to cover the full cost of operating and must rely on other sources. Fines and fees also disproportionately affect the state's most vulnerable populations. According to data obtained from the Alabama State Bar website, courts collected about $480 million from court fines and fees imposed by the courts. Of that, about $26.5 million went on to pay for expenses for court operations. The majority, about $312 million or 67%, went to third parties. Some of it is in the form of restitution for criminal cases. About $160 million went to judgments while another $118 million was disbursed toward the Alabama Central Disbursement Division Child Support Unit to process child support payments. Almost $1.5 million went toward child support payments. About $126 million are disbursed to non-court expenses, such as the General Fund budget, which receives money from sales taxes from the internet. According to the Alabama State Bar Association's website, the General Fund budget receives almost $75 million of the fines and fees that are paid to the courts. There are also disparities in the fines and fees that courts impose that people will pay depending on the county. Constitution Act 96 is supposed to prohibit the Alabama Legislature from enacting any laws 'regulating costs and charges of courts, or fees, commissions or allowances of public officers' to specific counties and not all the counties in the state. But fines and fees imposed on people by courts differ depending on the county because local officials convince state lawmakers to sponsor legislation to impose additional costs that fund different programs within those counties. 'Our Legislature is very clever to figure out that if they have a local act with statewide constitutional implications, then they could trump that statewide constitutional Act 96,' Stewart said. 'That is how they are all presented now, something that the state votes on as constitutional amendments, and that is how the local acts are continuing to get passed.' An increasing number of bills get enacted that increase the filing fees which then pose problems for people who require access to the criminal justice system. 'You have got the filing fees that are collected upfront with civil filings,' Stewart said. 'We have some places in which that number is so high right now that it is really becoming an access to justice issue for people who can afford to file something with that particular county.' Collecting payments on civil filings is easier because they are imposed on the front end, before individuals may access court. A larger problem is collecting payments for criminal cases when the court orders fines and fees, as well as restitution payments shortly after a case has been adjudicated. Brenda Ganey, the clerk of courts for Baldwin County, estimated that courts collect about 22% of the fines and fees that courts impose on defendants after they violate the law. 'To me, the low hanging fruit in all this is, how do we increase the 22% of collections, because that is money sitting there right now that, no matter what you change, no matter what you make uniform across the board, we are leaving 78% of potential money,' said Rep. Chris Blackshear, R-Smiths Station, vice chair of the House Ways and Means General Fund Committee and who attended the meeting. J. Langford Floyd, a former judge who helped Stewart with the research, said that would be 'blood out of a turnip.' 'Usually your criminal defendants are your lower income to no income people,' he said. 'They are also the 20,000 that are sitting in the state penitentiary that have no way to pay it, and don't really care about paying as long as they are in the state penitentiary.' 'If there could be some incentive for the defendant to pay what they owe, then that would make collection easier,' said Robert E. Wilters, the vice president of the Alabama District Attorneys Association. Legislators such as Blackshear and Sen. Will Barfoot, R-Pike Road, said that additional revenue options, such as raising taxes, were not an option they would consider. 'Why is it so difficult to do what is right,' Blackshear said. 'And that is to not break the law. Don't do the crime. That is the simple solution.' The group will meet again during the summer to further discuss ideas. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Alabama bills would rebrand, expand scope of court diversion programs
Program participant Nathan Shack listens to a service provider give a presentation during veterans treatment court in Anniston, Alabama on March 21, 2023. Two bills moving through the Alabama Legislature would rename drug courts "accountability courts" and allow them to enroll veterans and those with mental illnesses. (Ralph Chapoco/Alabama Reflector) Two bills working their way through the Alabama Legislature would standardize how diversion programs in the state operate. SB 200, sponsored by Sen. Andrew Jones, R-Centre, and HB 360, sponsored by sponsored by Rep. Chad Robertson, R-Heflin, rebrand 'drug courts' to 'accountability courts' and allows courts to assign veterans; people with a mental illness and those with drug addictions to rehabilitation programs instead of the criminal justice system. 'We need a standardized process for veterans to get help around the state,' Jones said in an interview Wednesday. 'And we need more courts, frankly, around the state, to adopt the diversion court model. We need a standardized process, and we need access.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The Alabama Senate approved SB 200 on March 18. The House approved HB 360 on March 19. Both bills have moved to the opposite chambers for consideration. States throughout the country have been increasingly using diversion programs for defendants who committed offenses that stem from an underlying issue, such as drug addiction. Supporters say diversion programs reduce both court and incarceration expenses, as as expenses connected to treatment programs. Judges can order people to enter diversion programs in collaboration with prosecutors and treatment providers. Courts are also able to offer accountability to ensure defendants are complying with the conditions of the program and track the progress of defendants. Once defendants complete the rehabilitation program, the record for that offense is expunged and removed from their criminal records. Pretrial diversion programs are effective. And expensive for participants. Court proceedings will resume oftentimes if a person is unable to complete the treatment program or adhere to the conditions outlined by the judge. Under the bills, district attorneys may also remove people from diversion programs for a good reason. 'Right now, statutorily wise, the only courts that are set up by state statute are drug courts,' said Casey Bates, chief of staff for Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Sarah Stewart who is helping to craft the legislation. 'A number of different counties have set up mental health courts or veterans courts.' Many times, diversion programs are not available to people unless they reside in an area that offers one they qualify for. 'We wanted to have a framework in place that is going to address any type of court that will be helpful,' Bates said. 'Our goal is to keep people from offending again. We don't want to send them to prison and then have them come back and reoffend. By setting up the accountability court, that is going to be the umbrella for any of the types of courts that are necessary.' The bills require the Administrative Office of the Courts to establish a process and set policies governing diversion programs. The bills were amended as they went through the legislative process to allow courts to accept people referred by municipal courts within their jurisdiction and any contractor that is part of the program must be certified by the Alabama Department of Mental Health. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Marchers recreate final leg of 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery march
Civil rights leaders march to the Alabama State Capitol building on Sunday, March 23, 2025 to commemorate the Selma to Montgomery march that eventually led to passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. (Ralph Chapoco/Alabama Reflector) Local elected officials, civil rights leaders and dignitaries walked more than 3 miles from St. Jude Catholic Church to the Alabama State Capitol on Sunday, replicating the final leg of the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery march. Sunday's event ended with speeches celebrating the courage and honoring the sacrifice of those on the march, which led to the Voting Rights Act. But speakers also offered a stark warning that there is more work ahead. 'We celebrate the 60th anniversary of this campaign with a spirit of hope and my optimism in our very troubled times,' said Martin Luther King III, son of Martin Luther King Jr., who delivered his 'How Long, Not Long' speech on the Alabama State Capitol steps at the end of the 1965 march. 'The freedom that we won in this historic campaign was purchased with the precious blood of martyrs whose names are indelibly etched in America's freedom journey.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX King, speaking to about 200 people, mentioned several people on the march, including Jimmie Lee Jackson, who was shot and killed by Alabama state troopers during a peaceful protest in Marion. Jackson's death inspired the march. King also mentioned Viola Liuzzo, a Detroit civil rights activist and mother of five who participated in the march and was shot and killed by three members of the Ku Klux Klan as she was driving between cities to transport people participating in the march. He then spoke of others, including former U.S. Rep. John Lewis who was beaten on the Edmund Pettus Bridge during Bloody Sunday, and his father; mother Coretta Scott King and staff members who supported them. 'We need to make sure that history is enshrined because it is said that a people that do not remember their history are doomed to repeat it,' King said. King urged Congress to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act, which would restore federal review of voting laws passed by states or localities with histories of voting discrimination. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the requirement in Shelby County v. Holder in 2013. Sheyann Webb-Christburg, who participated in the events in 1965, also spoke to give the crowd a sense of the magnitude of that moment. 'This was the post traumatic experience of my life as a child,' Webb-Christburg said to the crowd on Sunday. 'The picture of Bloody Sunday has never left my heart.' Montgomery Mayor Steven L. Reed, who delivered the opening address, said that despite advancements made through the Voting Rights Act, people have yet to fully exercise their right to vote. 'Nine million Black voters stayed at home in the November election, more than enough to make up the difference of where we are in America,' he said. 'Right here in Montgomery County, only 55% of eligible voters turned out to vote. That is somewhat getting comfortable and complacent, not understanding the sacrifices, not understanding the challenges, not understanding the balance that will fall on their behalf.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
At Selma event, panel urges Alabama to expand voting rights for people with criminal histories
Voting rights advocates march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge into Selma on Saturday, March 10, 2025. The marchers highlighted the need for more voting rights for people with a criminal conviction. (Ralph Chapoco/Alabama Reflector) SELMA — Voting rights advocates on a panel Saturday highlighted the difficulties those who have completed prison sentences have in trying to regain the right to vote. Those released from prison can face several obstacles to voting after release. Depending on the severity of the crime for which they were convicted, the formerly incarcerated may have to get a pardon from the Alabama Board of Pardons and Parole and certify that they have received it. 'We know that folks who are behind the wall (and) who reenter society, voting is central to who they are, because they have been liberated from the inside out for doing the time behind the wall,' said Chelsey Cartwright, program manager for the Democracy Truth Project with the national chapter of the League of Women Voters. 'Understanding restorative justice is not just a buzzword, but is actual people doing work, educating voters and being in community.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The panel was one in a series of democracy-focused seminars commemorating the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, when law enforcement beat civil rights protestors on Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge as they began a planned march to Montgomery. Tens of thousands commemorate 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Selma Saturday's festivities also included seminars hosted by the Transformative Justice Coalition concerning the youth vote and a second that focused on the current challenges to civil rights. The day began with a 'Backwards March' led by the Rev. Kenneth Sharpton Glasgow, founder of the Formerly Incarcerated People Movement. The march started on the Montgomery side of the Edmund Pettus Bridge toward Selma. Expanding voting rights to people who are formerly incarcerated is one of the key issues that Glasgow continues to advocate for as someone who is formerly incarcerated. 'We left people behind,' he said. 'In the Voting Rights Act, formerly incarcerated people were not part of the Voting Rights Act.' Glasgow said the formerly incarcerated are citizens who 'need to be able to speak with their own voices.''When people get convicted of a felony, they take away their citizenship,' he said. 'They don't have full citizenship. That should remind you of something. That should remind you of slavery.' The panel of speakers compared the state's rules to other parts of the country that either make it easier to have their voting rights restored or allow people to retain their right to vote even with a criminal record. In Pennsylvania, for example, judges in the state must explain to defendants how agreeing to a plea bargain with a prosecutor will affect their right to vote. 'They have to explain to them exactly what their voting rights are before they accept the plea,' said Omar Sabir, chair of the Philadelphia City Commissioners and a member of Saturday's panel. 'To my knowledge, the judges didn't know what their voting rights were. I am talking all the way up to the state Supreme Court. It was very shocking.' By comparison, southern states like Alabama tend to make it difficult for those who have been in prison to vote. Members on the panel spoke to rules in Mississippi that require actions by the Legislature for individuals to regain their voting rights because of a criminal conviction. 'It is important to know that they have these draconian laws that continue to govern the way that we should be able to vote,' said Rodreshia Russaw Glasgow, the executive director of The Ordinary People Society, a nonprofit organization that advocates on behalf of criminal justice reform, and the spouse of Kenneth Sharpton Glasgow. 'It really diminishes and takes away the power that people have.' Crimes like treason and impeachment can permanently abolish a person's right to vote, according to the ACLU of Alabama. Other crimes, from murder and rape to sexual abuse and possession of obscene materials, require a pardon from the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles, before people can have their voting rights restored. Manslaughter, assault, bigamy and aggravated child abuse require those convicted of those crimes to obtain a Certificate of Eligibility to Register to Vote. People may apply to have their voting rights restored if they have no pending criminal charges, have completed their sentences and paid all their fines, fees and restitution. If people have not been convicted of those offenses, crimes labeled as crimes of moral turpitude, then they have not lost their right to vote. Alabama passed a law in 2017 formally defining crimes of moral turpitude. The measure was intended to make clear which crimes can deprive a person of their right to vote. Last year, Republican legislators added language to HB 100, sponsored by Rep. Adline Clarke, D-Mobile, originally meant to enhance criminal penalties for people who committed crimes against those who worked at polling places, to expand the offenses considered crimes of moral turpitude to include domestic violence, membership in a street gang and aggravated stalking. In total, the Campaign Legal Center estimated that the list of offenses went from 40 to 120. 'Now we have bills that are expanding the crimes of moral turpitude,' Rodreshia Russaw Glasgow said. 'What they are doing is trying to reverse the work of the lawsuits that allow people to vote in the state in the first place.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
