Covington County DA calls on governor to build more prisons Print By Challen Stephens | cstephens@al AL on March 08, 2014 at 4:56 PM Walt Merrell, district attorney of Covington County in south Alabama, said that hes long been aware that his office leads the state in locking up inmates per capita. Merrell on Friday said the numbers speak to the best policing in the state and should reassure residents around Andalusia. When asked what he would say to Gov. Robert Bentley about prison overcrowding, Merrell said: I would say instead of hiring that consulting firm, lets hire a contractor that has bricks and mortar, said Merrell. Because really thats the problem. Merrell on Friday sat down for lengthy, in-depth discussion with reporter Blaine Wilson at WAAO in Andalusia, as the two talked about prison crowding, state politics, conviction rates and the nature of criminal justice in Alabama. Merrell, who called for more prisons, said that sentencing rests with the judge and it is the duty of the Department of Corrections to find or create appropriate space for these inmates. The interview discussed the findings of an article produced earlier this week by AL: Which county locks up the most inmates per capita? These numbers mean in my opinion that we have better law enforcement than everybody else, said Merrell.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Mar 2014 03:36:38 +0000