Sessions confirmation could pit him against Alabama prisons
A game of political “chicken” may backfire on Alabama’s Department of Corrections should Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) ultimately become U.S. Attorney General, according to a former assistant U.S. attorney and policy analyst.
Faced with unfavorable political decisions necessary to adequately fund its prison system—such as raising taxes or letting out low-level offenders early—Alabama instead backed civil actions and a U.S. Department of Justice investigation that raised questions about the state of its prisons, Arthur Rizer, justice policy director at libertarian think tank the R Street Institute and a former assistant U.S. attorney, told Bloomberg BNA on Jan. 19.
State officials were hoping that the results of the investigation would allow them to blame former President Barack Obama’s already unpopular administration for any unpopular actions, Rizer said.
