Finding 4
Deaths from
Officer Violence
Officer Violence
Steven Davis’ mother, Sandy Ray, holding his photo at a state meeting.
Steven Davis, whose brutal death was documented in The Alabama Solution, died after a group of officers beat him on October 4, 2019.
Despite multiple witnesses reporting that Steven was not a threat, the state found the use of force was justified and cleared the officers.
Steven Davis’ mother, Sandy Ray,
holding his photo at a state meeting.
The violence Steven endured at the hands of correctional officers is not rare. Use of force has become increasingly common in Alabama’s overcrowded and understaffed prisons.
According to data that we obtained through a records request, there has been a 76% increase in use of force incidents per capita inside Alabama prisons, compared to a decade ago.
When an officer is accused of misconduct, the state provides their legal defense, allowing officers to avoid personal liability. Since 2019, the state has paid over $17 million to defend and settle at least 94 lawsuits alleging excessive force by officers.
Read more in “Blood Money” by co-producer Beth ShelburneAs use of force became more frequent, the number of lawsuits filed by incarcerated people alleging excessive force by officers also increased.
We know of at least 12 officers still working for ADOC after the state paid to settle excessive force lawsuits against them. Five of them were even promoted.
Many officers have been sued multiple times for excessive use of force, suggesting a pattern of abusive behavior, but are allowed to continue working in the system without facing consequences.
Lt. Roderick Gadson
Timeline of Gadson’s Excessive Force Settlements and Promotions
Year
Settlement
2007
Hired as a Correctional Officer
2015
2017
2020
Promoted to Sergeant
2021
2021
Promoted to Lieutenant
2022
2022
2022
2022
2023
2024
$436,000 paid in settlements
Source: General Liability Trust Fund records request
One of those officers, Lt. Roderick Gadson, has been sued 19 times for excessive force. He was the officer who beat Steven Davis to death in 2019.
Lt. Roderick Gadson
So far, the state has paid a total of $436,000 to settle nine of those lawsuits.
Despite dozens of allegations of abuse, the Alabama Department of Corrections promoted Gadson twice to his current rank of Lieutenant and continues to defend him in active litigation.
Timeline of Gadson’s Excessive Force Settlements and Promotions
Year
Settlement
2007
Hired as a Correctional Officer
2015
2017
2020
Promoted to Sergeant
2021
2021
Promoted to Lieutenant
2022
2022
2022
2022
2023
2024
$436,000 paid in settlements
Source: General Liability Trust Fund records request
In its investigation, the Department of Justice found that the use of excessive force by ADOC officers was so commonplace that supervisors often ”watch other officers brutally beating prisoners and do not intervene.”
The DOJ also cited evidence of officers using force “for the sole purpose of inflicting pain.”
Alabama is currently fighting the DOJ in court, denying that excessive force is systemic and common throughout its prisons.
While not all use of force incidents are lethal, at least three people died in Alabama prisons after beatings involving officers since 2019.
And there is evidence to suggest excessive force may have contributed to at least one other death.
Lt. Mohammad Jenkins
Source: Victor Russo Letter to Warden
Source: Victor Russo Letter to Warden
VICTOR RUSSO
1962-2022
Blunt Force Injuries
On February 16th, 2022, Victor Russo, 60, was beaten by prison supervisor Lt. Mohammad Jenkins. The beating was captured on prison surveillance cameras.
It showed Jenkins punching, kicking and slapping Victor, who was handcuffed to a bench in the gym of Donaldson Correctional Facility.
During his nearly 20-year career, Jenkins had gained a reputation as a violent officer. He was a defendant in at least 16 excessive force lawsuits. However, ADOC promoted him to the rank of lieutenant.
Lt. Mohammad Jenkins
After the assault, Victor wrote a letter to the prison warden detailing the attack, and citing the specific surveillance cameras that captured the beating.
Source: Victor Russo Letter to Warden
Source: Victor Russo Letter to Warden
On February 23rd, 2022, Victor mailed a copy of the letter to his mother. The following day, he was found unresponsive and was sent by ambulance to a local hospital.
Source: Victor Russo Letter to Warden
Victor died a week after the assault from an inoperable brain bleed caused by blunt force injuries to his head.
An investigator with the Alabama Department of Corrections told the medical examiner that Victor’s head injury was “most likely sustained in a fall.” Based on that information, the medical examiner ruled that Victor’s death was an accident.
A month after Victor’s death, ADOC announced it had arrested Mohammad Jenkins for assault after an investigation into the incident. He resigned from his position with ADOC.
On September 12th, 2023, Jenkins pleaded guilty to using excessive force on Victor Russo and attempting to cover up the assault by falsifying reports and lying to FBI investigators.
He was sentenced to just over 7 years in federal prison and is scheduled for release in 2028.
Despite a pattern of escalating abuse, ADOC promoted him twice before Jenkins resigned following Russo’s death.
