Alabama prisons: Where there’s smoke, there’s a much bigger fire
Alabama’s corrupt, overcrowded and violent prison system has been a hellhole for years. And now, amid all that smoke, Alabama has apparently spotted the fire: cigarettes.
Ryan Cooper 
This is an opinion cartoon.
Alabama’s prison system has long been a hellhole of corruption, violence, drugs, and sexual assault. With overcrowding and conditions so dire that they have faced years of scrutiny from the federal government for potential constitutional violations, the state has finally identified its primary target: cigarettes.
As Ivana Hrynkiw reports for 205focus.com in her piece, Alabama prisons ban cigarettes: ‘I’m glad we’re focused on the big stuff’, the decision to implement a tobacco ban has left many scratching their heads.
Prioritizing the wrong issues
The move to ban tobacco, which took effect earlier this month, has been met with significant skepticism. A’Niya Robinson, policy and organizing director at the ACLU of Alabama, called the prioritization “baffling” given the systemic failures already documented within state facilities.
Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, who has spent years working to address the prison system’s issues, didn't mince words. He labeled the policy “tone-deaf,” pointing to more pressing crises including a lack of air conditioning, inadequate access to medical care, reports of missing organs from cadavers, and massive construction delays on a billion-dollar prison project.
“The Department of Justice says we are the worst prison system in the world, and at least we don’t have cigarettes?” England remarked. “I’m glad we are focused on the big stuff.”
The reality of the contraband market
Experts warn that the ban may do more harm than good. Lauren Faraino, a lawyer focused on prison issues, noted that prohibiting tobacco will not make it disappear. Instead, it will likely drive up prices and create a new power dynamic centered on an illicit market.
Faraino also argued that if the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) were truly interested in health and safety, they would shift their focus to the fentanyl crisis, which remains a deadly presence in the lockups. During the first three months of 2026, officials documented over 19,000 grams of drug-related contraband.
Family members of the incarcerated have echoed these concerns, fearing the ban will only exacerbate violence while leaving prisoners without affordable access to smoking cessation resources.
For more on this topic, read the previous 205focus.com coverage on the state's prison values or the full report here.
Congratulations, Alabama. The prisons are still on fire—but at least nobody’s smoking.
