Alabama prisoner advocate jailed on drug charges, permanently banned from state lockups
Elizabeth Nichole “Nikki” Davenport, 43, also known as “Nikki D,” was arrested on drug trafficking charges.
Ethan Parker 
A prominent prison advocate has been taken into custody on drug trafficking charges as authorities ramp up their investigation into the flow of contraband and illegal narcotics within the Alabama correctional system.
Elizabeth Nichole “Nikki” Davenport, 43—widely recognized as “Nikki D”—was arrested Tuesday around 6:30 p.m. According to the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC), the operation resulted in the seizure of 305 grams of synthetic cannabinoids, 116 grams of Flakka, and a drone.
Following her arrest, Davenport was booked into the Morgan County Jail shortly before 10:30 p.m., where she remains held while awaiting a bond hearing. While the specific location of the arrest was not released, ADOC officials confirmed that the Decatur Police Department assisted their investigators throughout the case.
Permanent Ban from ADOC Facilities
Davenport, who frequently visited inmates at state correctional facilities, has been officially barred from entering any ADOC location. “Davenport has been a regular inmate visitor at ADOC,” said ADOC spokeswoman Kelly Betts. “Due to security concerns, she is now banned from entering any ADOC facility.”
Ties to Inmate Activism
Davenport has been a vocal figure in the efforts of the Free Alabama Movement and No More. Earlier this year, she stood at a February press conference to read a joint statement on behalf of inmates Melvin Ray, Robert Earl Council, and Ricardo “Raoul” Poole. Those individuals, who were featured in the Oscar-nominated documentary “The Alabama Solution,” have filed a federal lawsuit alleging that their recent transfers to isolated cells were retaliatory.
The lawsuit claims that the three inmates were punished specifically for their associations with outside advocates—like Davenport—who had called for prison reforms and an inmate work strike. The documentary “The Alabama Solution” gained significant attention for its portrayal of violence, abuse, and squalid conditions inside state prisons. You can find more background on the legal challenges faced by those inmates in this report from 205focus.com.
