Inmate on Chain Gang Sues Alabama Officials
A prisoner assigned to a chain gang has filed suit in federal court contending that the work in leg irons is a form of slavery that violates the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
Michael Austin, 29, who is serving 25 years on a drug charge, also is seeking $100,000 in damages.
The suit names Gov. Forrest (Fob) James Jr. and prison officials as defendants. More than 300 inmates, chained together in groups of five, were assigned to clean up roadsides in north Alabama last week as James made Alabama the first state to reinstitute chain gangs.
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