MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A federal appeals court has left most of a sweeping order requiring Alabama to improve mental health care in its prisons in place, preserving much of the oversight in the long-running Braggs prison-mental-health case.
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued its decision in late June, affirming the district court’s liability findings in the case, which has focused for years on Alabama’s prison mental health system, staffing shortages and suicide prevention failures.
The case began in 2014 as Braggs v. Dunn and is now styled Braggs v. Commissioner, Alabama Department of Corrections, reflecting changes in state officials over time.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, which represents the plaintiffs, has said the lawsuit was filed to address systemic failures in medical and mental health care inside Alabama prisons, including overcrowding, understaffing and dangerous conditions.
A 2025 update from the SPLC said a federal judge ordered the Alabama Department of Corrections to remedy unconstitutional mental health services and that outside monitoring was expected to begin.
The appeals court ruling keeps the case in the spotlight as Alabama remains under scrutiny over prison staffing, mental health treatment and conditions inside state facilities.