The Alabama Solution

In Alabama, inmates say this prison is built on violence, forced labor, and cover-ups.

And they risk their lives to prove it.

Hugh Scott from CinemaBlend listed this as one of “his favorite” docs of 2025.

If you like prison docs, check out my colleague Rob Kelly’s list of The Top 30+ Prison Documentaries (Ranked with 2026 Update).

Trailer for “The Alabama Solution”

You Can’t Make This Sh!t Up

Inmates smuggled illegal cellphones into Alabama prisons to secretly film brutal beatings, stabbings, and even the death of Steven Davis, who was beaten by guards. If caught, they could have been killed.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey redirected $400 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds. Then another $100 million from education, to build three new mega-prisons. She called it the “Alabama solution.”
Parole approvals dropped by 72%, keeping mostly Black inmates locked up longer. They were forced to work 12-hour days for about $2 a day. The prison labor system reportedly generates around $450 million a year.
In an October 2022 statewide prison strike, inmates say officials starved participants for 11 days. On camera, organizers are choked. National Guard troops were deployed to suppress unrest.

Watch “The Alabama Solution”

You can watch “The Alabama Solution” on HBO and Prime Video.

Ratings:

My Rating: 95/100
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 64/100 (Users); 100/100 (Critics);

Release Date: 2025

Director’s Note: Directed by Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman. Jarecki previously directed “The Jinx” (my colleague Rob Kelly rated this one 98/100) . You can feel that same investigative style here.

My Review of “The Alabama Solution”

The Setup

This documentary centers on incarcerated men inside Alabama’s prison system. It is one of the deadliest in the United States. Instead of outside journalists breaking the story, the inmates become the whistleblowers. They film what’s happening from inside overcrowded, understaffed facilities. Violence is constant.

Robert Earl Council emerges as a main voice. He helps organize a prison labor strike in October 2022. The men argue they are being used as cheap labor while basic safety and food are neglected.

More Highlights from the Doc

Alabama prisons operate at twice their designed capacity. This creates violent, chaotic dorm conditions.
Inmates describe “free-world jobs” where they work at fast food chains, factories, farms, and even zoo. They earn about $2 a day while returning to unsafe dorms at night.
Families of murdered inmates say they often receive little to no explanation about how their loved ones died.

Cameos – Lesser-Known Details from the Doc

Civil rights attorneys and Department of Justice officials discuss a federal investigation that concluded Alabama’s prisons violate the Constitution due to extreme violence and lack of protection.
State officials defend the new prison construction plan. They argue modernization will solve overcrowding. Critics disagree.

Lesser-Known Details from the Doc

Inmates hid contraband phones inside walls, mattresses, and other hidden spots to document abuse.
Organizers of the October 2022 strike reported being isolated and physically assaulted.
The strike became one of the largest coordinated prison labor protests in recent U.S. history.

Wrap Up:

“The Alabama Solution” is hard to watch but impossible to ignore. If you care about criminal justice reform or government accountability, this one will stay with you long after it ends.

Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc