WETUMPKA, Ala. — A federal judge has ended more than a decade of court supervision over Alabama’s Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women, closing a case that began with findings of widespread sexual abuse and unsafe conditions at the state’s only prison for women.
U.S. District Judge Myron H. Thompson dismissed the case Thursday after the U.S. Department of Justice and the state agreed to terminate the remaining terms of a 2015 consent decree, according to court-related statements and recent reports.
The case stemmed from a federal investigation and lawsuit over allegations including prisoner-on-prisoner assault, staff excessive force, staff sexual abuse and unsanitary and unsafe conditions. The 2015 decree required reforms meant to improve staff training, reporting systems, monitoring and protections against sexual abuse.
By 2024, the Justice Department had already scaled back its oversight after court-appointed monitoring showed the prison had complied with most of the decree’s terms. The remaining requirements were later ended after the state and Justice Department reached a final agreement and the court closed the case.
State officials said the prison is now operating without court-ordered federal oversight tied to the case. But the prison’s history of abuse allegations remains a major part of Alabama’s long-running prison crisis, especially as the state continues to face scrutiny over overcrowding, staffing and sentencing practices.