Chase Mathis, 31, died on June 4, 2024, after being placed in general population at an Alabama prison despite telling guards he feared for his life, raising concerns from his family that he may have been deliberately given a lethal drug dose.

His father and other family members joined a rally at the Alabama Capitol, highlighting widespread violence, overdoses, assaults, and neglect in state prisons.

Advocates pointed to Alabama’s high prison mortality rate—five times the national average in 2023—and ongoing issues with understaffing, low parole rates, and poor conditions despite pandemic-era funding and construction of a new mega-prison.

Corrections Commissioner John Hamm emphasized staffing improvements and construction progress but acknowledged rising inmate numbers, the AP has reported.

Families like Sandy Ray’s, whose son died in 2019 at Donaldson Correctional Facility, continue to demand accountability as documentaries and public hearings expose systemic failures.