MONTGOMERY– A federal judge has ended more than a decade of court oversight at Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women, closing a case that required Alabama to reform its handling of sexual abuse and harassment allegations at the facility.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced Thursday that U.S. District Judge Myron H. Thompson entered a final judgment in United States v. State of Alabama and Alabama Department of Corrections.
The judgment dismisses the case and terminates the remaining provisions of a consent decree that had governed operations at Tutwiler since 2015.
According to Marshall’s office, the U.S. Department of Justice and the State of Alabama agreed to terminate the outstanding requirements. The court dismissed the case with prejudice, preventing the same case from being refiled.
The Alabama Department of Corrections will no longer operate Tutwiler under federal oversight connected to this case. Additionally, each side will cover its own legal costs, and neither party has continuing financial obligations under the litigation.
Federal Investigation Led to 2015 Agreement
The Justice Department opened an investigation under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act after receiving allegations of sexual abuse and harassment involving correctional employees at Tutwiler.
In a 2014 findings letter, federal investigators concluded that Alabama failed to protect incarcerated women from sexual abuse and harassment by staff. The department said those conditions violated the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.
The federal government filed its lawsuit in May 2015. Soon afterward, Alabama and the Justice Department reached a detailed settlement.
Judge Thompson approved the agreement as a consent decree on June 18, 2015. The decree gave the court authority to monitor Alabama’s compliance and enforce the required reforms.
Those reforms addressed staffing, supervision, employee training, prisoner privacy, reporting procedures, investigations, discipline, retaliation, and oversight. The agreement also required independent monitoring and regular reports to the court.
State Reports Compliance With 44 Requirements
Marshall’s office said an independent monitor eventually found Tutwiler in compliance with all 44 requirements contained in the decree.
As the state demonstrated compliance, the court gradually ended portions of the oversight. In October 2024, Thompson terminated several provisions after Alabama and the Justice Department filed a joint request.
However, disagreements remained over some requirements.
Alabama moved in April 2026 to terminate the rest of the decree. The Justice Department initially opposed ending several provisions and cited concerns involving staffing and the handling of a sexual assault allegation.
In a May 2026 order, Thompson postponed an automatic stay of the disputed provisions. The judge wrote that the Justice Department had presented evidence of chronic understaffing and a substantiated rape allegation against a prison supervisor from January 2025.
The Attorney General’s Office said the two sides subsequently reached an agreement to terminate the remaining requirements. As a result, the court entered the final judgment and dismissed the case.
Marshall Calls Judgment an Important Milestone
Marshall described the end of the case as a significant achievement for Alabama and the Department of Corrections.
“This judgment marks an important milestone for Alabama,” Marshall said. “Over the past decade, the Alabama Department of Corrections has made real, measurable progress in strengthening oversight and safety at Tutwiler, and this judgment reflects that work.”
The ruling ends federal oversight connected specifically to this sexual abuse and harassment case. It does not address separate litigation involving other Alabama correctional facilities or unrelated prison conditions.
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